A Weekend of Cult Comics and Fantasy Film from Indonesia, SOAS University of London, 16-17 March

1. Indonesia was chosen to be the country market focus at @londonbookfair in mid March 2019 https://www.londonbookfair.co.uk/Whats-On/Market-Focus---main-page/Indonesia/ There will be a series of events related to Indonesian books in London, 12-17 March 2019, including in films and comics, organized by @komitebukuid @bekrafID @kemdikbud_RI @idbritisharts http://islandsofimagination.id/web/london-book-fair 3. On the weekend (16-17 March) @hikmatdarmawan @benmurtagh @ekkyij are co-organizing an event at @soas https://www.soas.ac.uk/cult-comics-and-fantasy-film-from-indonesia/ 4. We are curating the program highlighting the significance of cult comics and cult movies from Indonesia 5. A Weekend of Cult Comics and Fantasy Film from Indonesia, SOAS University of London, 16-17 March 2019 https://www.soas.ac.uk/cult-comics-and-fantasy-film-from-indonesia/ 6. The 2-day event consists of Film screening, comics exhibition,discussions. 7. From 1981’s “Jaka Sembung”, the restored version and European premiere of “7 Manusia Harimau” (7 Tiger-Men) to 2018’s “Wiro Sableng”. 8. All of the films being screened are related to books and comics 9. There will be a discussion,a workshop with the practitioners, classic and new Indonesian films, long and short documentaries 10. Two-day comic exhibition: Indonesian Genre and Cult Comics, 1939-2019, A Mini Comics Exhibition curated by @hikmatdarmawan https://www.soas.ac.uk/cult-comics-and-fantasy-film-from-indonesia/16mar2019-indonesian-genre-and-cult-comics-1939-2019-a-mini-comics-exhibition.html
11. we will also have a workshop on documenting fantasy in Indonesia with @petetombs @mondomacabro ) @iainrobertsmith (King’s College London, expert on Remakesploitation), Bastian Meiresonne (director of @garudapower2014) #imaginenation #LBFIndonesia 12. The event is Open for public, free of charge, first come first served. #imaginenation #LBFIndonesia 13. This event is part of the Indonesia Market Focus at The London Book Fair 2019. #imaginenation #LBFIndonesia 14. More details, visit: https://www.soas.ac.uk/cult-comics-and-fantasy-film-from-indonesia/ #imaginenation #LBFIndonesia #crazyindonesia 15. Sat 16/3: Jaka Sembung/The Warrior & Fantasy Films from Indonesia, intro by @petetombs https://www.soas.ac.uk/cult-comics-and-fantasy-film-from-indonesia/16mar2019-the-warrior--fantasy-films-from-indonesia-.html @mondomacabro @mondomacabrousa #imaginenation #LBFIndonesia 16. Sat 16/3: Discussion: Cult Texts: from Cult comics to cult movies with @hikmatdarmawan @ekkyij @benmurtagh https://www.soas.ac.uk/cult-comics-and-fantasy-film-from-indonesia/16mar2019-cult-texts-from-cult-comics-to-cult-movies.html #imaginenation #LBFIndonesia 17. Sat 16/3: 7 Manusia Harimau/7 Men-Tigers (restored and previously unreleased in Europe) https://www.soas.ac.uk/cult-comics-and-fantasy-film-from-indonesia/16mar2019-seven-men-tigers--blood-guts-and-bad-acting.htm #imaginenation #LBFIndonesia courtesy @fliktv 18. Garuda Power: the Spirit Within (documentary screening & Q&A with the director Bastian Meiresonne) @garudapower2014 #imaginenation https://www.soas.ac.uk/cult-comics-and-fantasy-film-from-indonesia/17mar2019-garuda-power-the-spirit-within-and-gundala-trailer.html #LBFIndonesia 19. Workshop: Documenting Fantasy in Indonesia, with @petetombs @mondomacabro Bastian Meiresonne @garudapower2014 @iainrobertsmith @ekkyij #imaginenation https://www.soas.ac.uk/cult-comics-and-fantasy-film-from-indonesia/17mar2019-documenting-fantasy-in-indonesia.html #LBFIndonesia @mondomacabrousa 20. Wiro Sableng the 212 Warrior. @wirosablengID @lalatimothy @lifelikepictrs @anggasasongko #imaginenation https://www.soas.ac.uk/cult-comics-and-fantasy-film-from-indonesia/17mar2019-wiro-sableng.html #LBFIndonesia 21. For update related to Cult Comics and Fantasy Film from Indonesia @soas follow #imaginenation #LBFIndonesia @komitebukuid 22. I will also become a speaker in “From Page to Screen and Beyond” discussion with Andin Prayogo and Alex Clark at Spice Café (4B30) @ London Book Fair, Olympia Londo; 14 March 2019, 13:00-13:45. #imaginenation #LBFIndonesia

Cult Conversations: Interview with Ekky Imanjaya

I am very honored to be featured in Prof. Henry Jenkins' Confessions of an Aca-Fan. I was interviewed by Dr. William "Billy" Proctor from Bournemouth University.

Original source: Part I  & Part II
Happy Reading.

"Bohemian Rhapsody" dan Sinema yang Magis

Demam film “Bohemian Rhapsody” melanda Indonesia. Para kritikus film pun mempertanyakan soal akurasi faktual (seperti perpecahan sebelum Live Aid, atau pengumuman Freddy Mercury kena Aids).

Menurutku, akurasi (khususnya yang terkait dengan cerita) tak terlalu penting di untuk konteks film ini. Memang cerita agak lemah. Tapi ini film fiksi dan ini bukan karya ilmiah. Dan film BUKANlah Realitas, dan tidak ada kewajiban untuk plek2an seperti realitas. Film adalah representasi, bukan gambaran realitas. Skenarionya pun sudah di-acc kedua anggota Queen lainnya.

Ysng jauh lebih penting adalah bagaimana film ini melibatkan penontonnya. Mereka bernyanyi (sing along), bertepuk tangan (di bioskop sekelas plaza senayan!), ikut terharu, tersihir oleh kekuatan magis sinema. Berapa banyak film yang mampu melakukannya?

Tak hanya itu, mereka membahasnya di media sosial. Dan menontonnya berkali-kali. Ini adalah contoh media cult: dirayakan, ditonton berulang-ulang, secara “militan”. Tentu yang cult adalah Queen, Freddy, dan lagu-lagunya. Apakah filmnya akan berstatus cult, hanya waktu yang dpt menjawabnya.

Kembali ke soal cerita yang “ banyak yang tidak akuratnya”: sutradara, penulis skenario, dan para produser (termasuk 2 anggota Queen) memilih dan memilah mana yg masuk dan yg tidak, juga soal sudut pandang dan penonjolan tema tertentu. Dan itu sah2 saja.

Tentu saya kecewa gak ada bicycle ride dan flash gordon, misalnya. Atau kurang dalamnya soal Freddy yg adalah “Great Pretender” (ada di salah satu dokumenternya). Tapi itu pilihan, mau mengambil “realitas” yg mana?
Bahkan dalam dokumenter pun, terjadi pemilihan dan pemilihan sudut pandang, tema, dll. Tidak ada yg benar2 akurat dalam konteks “menggambarkan kenyataan yg sebenarnya”.

Saya memilih untuk merayakan film ini dan menikmatinya, ikut terseret peduli dengan seorang anak yg misfits, minoritas dan sering dibully (imigran, non-putih, tonggos, gay, penderita AIDS), yang acap kesepian, tapi jenius dalam bermusik. Dan dicintai jutaan penggemarnya.

(Malek, dalam satu wawancara, pernah menyatakan betapa kesepiannya Freddy, yang tercermin dalam lirik-lirik lagu yang ia ciptakan. )

Saya bersama para penonton yang memilih untuk terpukau dan tersihir dengan film ini. Karena..it’s a kind of magic.

Introducing: Jaka Sembung and His Nasty Alliance

Hi,
My name is Ekky Imanjaya. I am currently a postgraduate student at University of East Anglia, Norwich, UK. I am now starting a research on Cult, Exploitation, and B Movies from Indonesia which produced between 1979 to 1995 during the oppressive regime called Orde Baru alias New Order. And my research is limited to the films that dubbed into English and distributed globally by international distributor such as MondomacabroDVD, Troma Entertainment, Brentwood Home Video, Trash Online, etc.

If you are interested, please do read this blog and give some feedbacks. If you have any info about the topic, or you are also a devoted fans of those kinds of films, please do let me know and discus the issues here :). Thank you!

For this very first posting, I share one of the most epic fighting scenes of The Warrior a.k.a. Jaka Sembung.