Upcoming Indonesian Film Highlights in 2008

As celluloid trends come and go - from local horror legends to teenage romance; from sex comedies to religioius films - the indonesian film industry continues its ascent up the box office stakes and well into a golden age not seen since the mid-80s.

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Iskandar Liem
Contributor
The Jakarta Post
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But with at least one local film opening every other week, it becomes hard to pick the ones truly worth sitting through from the middling, formulaic ones. Here a few films slated for release this year that particularly stand out among the rest.

First up is 'In the Name Of Love' which opens in a couple of weeks time. The latest cinematic endeavor from Rudi Soedjarwo is a romantic saga about two star-crossed lovers from two feuding families who have to overcome countless obstacles to be together.

To call this local version of Romeo and Juliet a star-studded affair would be an understandment. Apart from having rising stars Vino Bastian and Acha Septriasa in its leading roles, it also boasts A-listers like Luna Maya, Marsha Timothy and Nino Fernandez, alongside seasoned veterans like ROy Marten, Tutie Kirana and ofcourse the great Christine Hakim.

As quoted from the film's official website, Rudi commented that he "had always dreamed about making a film that involved a compilation of great names and characters."

Under lesser directors, this concept could easily collapse under its own weight and become a trite soap opera, but in Rudi's deft hands, it might well turn out to be another noteworthy addition in the versatile director's accomplished curriculum vitae. Miles Films, the production house behind Rudi's breakthrough 2002 hit 'Ada Apa Dengan Cinta' (What's Up With Love), also has a significant project in the works: a big screen adaptaion of Laskar Pelangi (Rainbow Warriors.) A much loved best seller by local author Andrea Hirata, it tells of a bunch of underprivileged village kids in their struggles for education.

Mira Lesmana, the producer behind Miles Films, is back in the saddle with her long time collaborator Riri Riza, who will take on directorial duties while scriptwriting has been entrusted to salman Aristo, the scribe of current box office smash Ayat Ayat Cinta (Verses of Love.)

To retain an authentic feel and be faithful to the book, filming will take place next month in Bangka Belitung, where the story's set. Also, as a convincing local accent is pivotal to the film, the kids will most likely be played by local Belitung residents. Come October, audiences will get to see if Mira and Riri succeed in working their magic on Laskar Pelangi like they did on Pertualangan Sherina, the crowd pleaser that was responsible for jump starting the comatose Indonesian film industry back in 2000.

Two other eagerly anticipated feature films are making a name for themselves in the international scene, namely Bola Itu Bundar (the Ball is Round) and Babi Buta Yang Inging Terbang (Blind Pig Who Wants To Fly.) The former is Destiny Films sophomore effor about two battling soccer teams in the fictitious contry of Bolanesia that's set to star Hollywood names like Costas Mandylor (Picket Fences) and his brother Lous (My Big Fat Greek Wedding) as well as his French soccer player Frank Lebouef. The Indonesian soccer-loving public will undoubtedly wait with bated breath to catch the flick, which is most likely to get overseas relases as well.

Oddly titled Babi Buta Yang Ingin Terbang is the big screen debut of Edwin, who generated considerable buzz when his short film Kara, Anak Sebatang Phon (Kara, Child of A Tree) was screened in the prestigious Cannes Film Festival a few years back. Beating out seven other Southeast Asian Film ideas for funding from the Hubert Bals Foundation, Babi Buta is an anthology of stories on the Indonesian-Born Chinese experience, which tells of eight characters rejection or coming to terms with their Chinese Racial identitiy.

There's the father who desperately wants to move his family to America, the former national badminton champion whose husband leaves her for a Javanese woman and the fair-skinned Manado boy who constantly gets beaten up for being Chinese-looking, among others. The flick's touchy yet relevant subject matter of racial discrimation looks set to ruffle a few feathers back home before making its rounds in the international festival circuit.

Speaking of anthologies, there's a horror one coming up from newcomer Komodo Films. The as yet untitled collection of scary yarns features the short film Dara, which played to sold out sessions at last year's ScreamFest in Jakarta and Bandung. Featuring modal turned actress Shareefa Daanish as the titular culinary-skilled gal with a penchant for torture and gore, this short flick has garnered a couple of awards from horror film festivals in Arizona and New York. This chilling anthology is expected to hit theaters around July.

Also slated for release around the middle of the year is Fiksi (fiction), another feature film debut of a short filmmaker. Directed by Mouly Surya, a Gold Coast Film school graduate, and penned by Joko Anwar, this psychological thriller revolves around a rich girl who runs away from her privileged life to get close to an aspiring writer whom she's obsessed with.

After finding out the writer's inability to create endings for his characters (which are based on real people around him), she's willing to do anything to help out, including murder. This film is one of two films (the other being Babi Buta) that mark the welcome return of talented Ada Apa Dengan Cinta alumni Ladya Cheryl, apart from appearing in a handful of music videos and short films in the past couple of years. Under the direction of 26 year old Mouly, whose showreel on YouTube promises plenty of striking and haunting visuals, Ladya could deservedly be well on her way to being a staple leading lady of the Indonesian silver screen.

Aside from scriptwriting duties on Fiksi, Joko Anwar also pens and directs Pintu Terlarang (Forbidden Door), his first directorial effort since last year's mind blowing Kala (Time). Pintu Terlarang tells of a henpecked sculptor who discovers a secret organization in which members can watch the lives of the most dysfunctional families in town, which are fed from hidden cameras. When he stumbles upon a channel showing a little boy being viciously abused by his parents, he tries to find the kid to save him. But his quest leads him back to a secret door in his own house that could be the answer to many puzzles.

Set in Joko's trademark timeless neo-noir parallel universe similar to that of Kala, this claustrophobic world is also graced with the precious leading man Fachri Albar, who arguably embodies the stong-yet-vulnerable male character better than any of his local counterparts. About the pic's potential mass appeal, Joko mischievously commented that "It's got losers, blood, sex, and violence - what's not to like?"

Well, lets keep our fingers crossed it's not butchered senseless by the censorship board like 2007's Perempuan Punya Cerita (Chants of Lotus) and 3 Hari Untuk Selamanya (3 Days to Forever.) As Pintu Terlarang brings 2008 to a close (tentatively slated for December release) and as more and more local films get released every year, let's hope that with increased quantity comes increased quality as well.