New Standards to Surpass
The word "encouragement" is not just sweet talk. The day after the award, Joko went back to work. The victory party need not to be long.
The Perempuan Tanah Jahanam (Women of the Damned Land) movie, also known as Impetigore, received 17 nominations and won six Piala Citra awards at the 2020 Indonesian Film Festival (FFI), including in the top category Best Feature Film. That is a big achievement for a horror film. Joko Anwar is the architect.
One of the six trophies went to him as Best Director. Joko himself has also been nominated for Best Original Screenplay Writer for Perempuan Tanah Jahanam (PTJ) and Best Adapted Screenplay Writer for the Ratu Ilmu Hitam (Black Magic Queen). He won neither but that did not matter.
"This year is very different. First, because now Indonesian film activities are really at a standstill. Second, in the midst of these conditions, the FFI is still being held and truly celebrates films. This is encouragement for us,” said Joko, Monday (7/12/2020), in Jakarta.
The word "encouragement" is not just sweet talk. The day after the award, Joko went back to work. The victory party need not to be long. He had not even put the trophy on display yet; it was still sitting in the seat of his car until that Monday evening.
In the movie, this bitter reality is clashed with mysticism which makes the audience shuddered.
Joko started working on the PTJ script shortly after the movie Pintu Terlarang or The Forbidden Door (2009) aired. The PTJ script was completed in 2010, but only started production in 2019. For nine years, Joko worked on other projects, including his most ambitious film A Copy of My Mind (2015). However, he continued to adapt the PTJ script to the era development. "The movie (PTJ) talks a lot about empowering women, looking for a better life, but also about the things that hold them back," said Joko. In the movie, this bitter reality is clashed with mysticism which makes the audience shuddered.
Also read: A Tribute from Marie Curien Admirer
Joko did not hesitate to choose Christine Hakim to portray the character Nyi Misni. Her figure is Joko\'s imagination when he wrote this script eleven years ago. The choice is right. Christine was awarded the Piala Citra as well as Best Supporting Actress.
Building a character framework is a discipline that Joko applies to each of his movies. He designs every character as detailed as possible, from where the school is to how the first kiss should take place. This character building drives the plot.
If we follow his movies, we will find a variety of characters. Profession is one of the diverse aspects. The audience, for example, was invited to meet with salon chiefs and translators of pirated DVDs (A Copy of My Mind), film rollers (Janji Joni), and a cloth dealer at PTJ.
"All of my stories are based on characters I know or situations that I\'ve been through. My mother used to sell cloth around the market at Sambu Market in Medan,” said Joko. Furthermore, the struggles of Maya and Dini for a more decent living in the movie are also a reflection of his mother\'s persistence.
Joko was born into a lower-, middle-class family. His father was a rickshaw puller, then became a lathe operator in a workshop. His mother worked odd jobs, including selling cloth to traders in the market. Sometimes the payment is not money, but bartering that could be groceries or hairdressing services.
He collected pocket money from his parents to watch movies at the Remaja Theater cinema, the closest theater to his home, which was actually quite far. Almost every week he watches horror and martial arts movies there. If he could get a ticket, he watched from the chair. However, if not, he was peeking out from the vent.
Also read: The ‘Digger’ of Superiority of Tabah Bamboo
Joko, a teenager who lives in the Medan Amplas area, also often sees street violence. Stabbing was common. Fights with swords was a scene he saw almost every day. Some of his acquaintances at that time walked in and out of jail.
"Because of the closeness since childhood and adolescence, violence and horror are the language of cinema that I speak the most," said the former film columnist in a national daily.
Film study tuition was too expensive at that time. He made contact with film production from the Student Film League activities on campus.
Joko never studied film formally. He is an Aviation Engineering graduate from the Bandung Institute of Technology. Film study tuition was too expensive at that time. He made contact with film production from the Student Film League activities on campus. Even so, in producing movies, Joko worked all out.
Joko did not just write the script and direct the project. He also takes care of other things, from searching for songs to thinking about promotions and marketing. The poster for Pintu Terlarang and Modus Anomali (Anomaly Mode) was designed by him. In A Copy of My Mind, he is a writer, director, and an executive producer.
Also read: Village Education Movement
For PTJ and Pengabdi Setan (Satan’s Slaves), Joko also led the team in matters of promotion, marketing and distribution. The movies have been screened in dozens of countries, and is shown on over the top (OTT) services. PTJ is even currently undergoing selection to be nominated for an international feature film at the Oscar.
"It turns out that I enjoy being in film marketing. Moreover, it is me who knows what parts can be sold in the film,” he said.
His work persistence gave good results. PTJ\' received 17 nominations at the FFI last weekend, the highest number of nominations a film has ever received at FFI. Furthermore, horror type of movie, which have been doubted for its quality, came out as the best film.
"Every time I make a film, I always try to be the lowest standard for other filmmakers to surpass. For me, every filmmaker who makes a film must be able to raise its benchmark. Because only then can Indonesian films be sustainable," he said.
Joko Anwar
Place, DOB: Medan, January 3, 1976
The film\'s directorial works include:
- Janji Joni (2005)
- The Forbidden Door (2009)
- A Copy of My Mind (2015)
- Satan’s Slaves (2017)
- Gundala (2019)
- Women of the Damned Land (2019)
Several awards:
- Best Director, Indonesian Film Festival, 2020
- Best Director, Indonesian Film Festival, 2015
- Best Director, Terror Mollins de Rei Film Festival, Spain, 2012
- Best Screenplay, Indonesian Film Festival, 2008