Starstruck: Me, Film Festivals and Great Directors

About 11-12 years ago, when I did my master at Universiteit van Amsterdam, I had privilege as a film critic to attend and cover many prestigious film festivals in Europe. As one of the editors of RumahFilm.org (RF),  I was keen to explore  some film festivals, to enjoy great films, to feel the atmosphere, and, who knows, I would meet great filmmakers.

photobombed Herzog, IDFA 2007

My first experience was IDFA, in November 2007.  Struggling to manage time, since I was also a master student, I successfully watched some movies and wrote the reviews for RF. I also interviewed Leslie Woodhead. who had plan (at that time) to shoot a documentary about the influence of The Beatles in USSR, for Rolling Stone Indonesia. But the most exciting one was a program called A Conversation with Werner Herzog, 3 December at Tuschinsky Bioscoope.  I skipped a class and decided to go to the talk. And Rini, my RF colleague from Brussels, came and...I photobombed Herzog!
BTW, Herzog was there for his film, Encounter at the end of the World.

with Sokurov

My second experience was Rotterdam International Film FEstival, 23 Jan 2008 – 3 Feb 2008. I took a train and celebrated global cinema. I am still wondering why many great film festivals are held in the cold winter time. But that did not stop Film Enthusiasts. Rotterdam is a warm and friendly festival. I could enter De Doelen, their headquarter, and met many filmmakers. There, I met Edwin, mas Riri Riza, mbak Mira Lesmana, and some Asian fIlmmakers such as Ho Yohang and Tsang Mi Liang. But, my "achivement" was meeting  Alexander Skurov, got his signature, and took some pictures.  He was there for his film, Alexandra. He said he took train from Moscow since he couldn't take aeroplane due to his heart condition. 

with Indonesian Film Delegates, Rotterdam 2008

February 2008: Berlinale Film Festival. I was broke, a film student who ran out of cash and at that time still waited for my second funding. But, still, I took train for 6 hours from Amsterdam and stayed at cheap B&B. There, I met so many great directors and celebrities, of course from the distance, at press conferences: Gondry, Madonna, etc. I watched The Rolling Stones in red carpet, from a distance. And, after watching a movie, I took wrong exit, and...met Shu Qi! I also took picture with Majid Majidi, but the picture is still missing somewhere. 
I met Kak Yasmin Ahmad for the last time, at Zoo Palast. She was one of the juries of Generation Plus section.
Berlinale Film Festival is not that "friendly" for people like me.  Quite snobbish. Comparing to Rotterdam, we can't approach filmmakers freely, they were guarded tightly.  

At Berlinale 2008, I also met mas Garin Nugroho as the chair of jury at Forum section and I witnessed Asian 

Press room at Rotterdam

filmmakers respect him. He was interviewed by Cahiers du Cinema and took me  me to the main venue to watch Happy-Go-Lucky at the premiere screening. Red Army something won Forum category. I also met  Teh Nia Dinata who was there to hunt children films for her children film festival. I watched Hanna Makhmalbaf (the youngest of Makhmalbaf Family)'s  Budha Collapsed Out Of Shame and witnessed how children were enthusiastic to do Q&A and asked very critical questions. I interviewed her and her brother Maysam. Alas, I took picture and lost it.


Actually, I went to many film festivals. For example, In April 2008, I went to Amsterdam Fantastic Film FEstival. Midnight Screenings aka All-Nighters. Joko Anwar took me there.  And, I almost met Tim Burton (the winner of Career Achievement Awards that year). I was with everybody else, lining up to meet Tim Burton to take picture or ask for signature. I was that close, 4 people more to go, and...the committee decided to stop the event.  Oh no.
  

waiting for Sokurov, Rotterdam 2008

There are some more experiences, actually. I met 
Jafar Panahi and Sinya Tsukamoto, at JIFFEST 2000 and had interview with them. At  Sundance Film Festival 2001, I met Bong Jon Hoo (Remember Parasite?)  and got his signature during Midnight Screening of Roger Corman documentary.  It was a wild guess as he sat in front of me. It was also a wild guess when I stopped a gentleman and  ask whether he was  Jason Reitman, and he said "no, I am not".  LOL 
I also went to 2011 Hawaii International Film Festival and 2012 Hong Kong International Film Festival. 

Alhamdulillah.

Thanks to Asmayani Kusrini for the great pictures.

Order now: "The State of Motion 2019: A Fear of Monsters" publication

Note: One of my old papers was reprinted in this great edited collection. 

State of Motion 2019: A Fear of Monsters publication contains the catalogue of the exhibitions presented in Jan-Feb, as well as an anthology of articles serving as scholarly discourse on the monstrous and the horrific of national and international cinemas examined against the histories, art and cinematic production coming out of Southeast Asia.

Featuring contributions by Abhijan Toto, Bliss Cua Lim, Ekky Imanjaya, Ho Rui An, Ila Ila, Joshua Comaroff, Kathleen Ditzig, Marc Gloede, Mary Ainslie, Nazry Bahrawi, Pujita Guha, Roger Nelson and Toh Hun Ping.

Design by Studio Swell

Published by Asian Film Archive

SG$ 45

Order here : https://www.asianfilmarchive.org/shop/the-state-of-motion-2019-a-fear-of-monsters-publication/

*To take note:

For local orders, please click here to purchase

Conditions for local and international orders apply differently.

BADASS! BERANI! Filem2 ini akan mengguncang anda!

BADASS! BERANI!
Filem2 ini akan mengguncang anda!
Ada masanya perfilman Indonesia begitu enteng mengedarkan film-film yang, dengan standar moral saat ini, bisa menimbulkan efek samping kejang-kejang, urat tegang dan demo berseri. Masa di mana film yang menjual sensasi, aksi dan desah sebegitu marak. Sebagian malah dibuat cepat, murah dan disambut. Jadi apakah di masa itu, penonton kita lebih lepas bebas, lebih rileks menikmati sensasi dan menghibur diri lewat sederet kisah yang toh semua tahu sekadar hiburan? Bisa jadi.

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Sambutan masyarakat atas gelombang film yang tak berpretensi apa-apa selain memuaskan dahaga hiburan ini membuat Indonesia punya koleksi film-film yang bisa secara kontroversi dilabeli film B (B-movies). Tapi film B, justru karena tak punya beban, seringkali lebih liar dan imajinatif. Tak heran lantas banyak yang terpikat oleh film-film jenis ini, dan mendedikasikan diri untuk merekam, mengabadikan bahkan mereka ulang gaya dan semangat film B ini.

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Tapi apakah itu berarti juga di masa itu, masyarakat kita lebih bebas? Tunggu dulu. Karena kami yakin luwih penak jamanku itu klaim sepihak. Dalam sesi diskusi kita juga akan telusuri jejak dan konteks film-film B dalam sejarah Indonesia. Tentu sambil menonton dan merayakannya. 

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Jadi, sampai jumpa di kineforum Juli ini!
Info dan jadwal film ada di sini

Diskusi "Berani karena Boleh: Film B Indonesia dan pendekatan New Cinema History"

Sabtu, 20 Juli, 17.00     Donasi Sukarela

Kineforum, TIM, Jakarta.

Di era puncak Orde Baru, untuk suatu alasan, film B merajai pasaran. Untuk setiap film berbudaya/adiluhung yang dikenang hingga kini, ada lebih banyak lagi film-film sensasional yang diterima masyakarat. Apakah itu berarti juga di masa itu, masyarakat kita lebih bebas? Di era Orde Baru? Tunggu dulu. Karena kami yakin _luwih penak jamanku_ itu klaim sepihak. Dalam sesi diskusi kali ini, kita akan merayakan dan menelusuri jejak dan konteks film-film B dalam sejarah Indonesia. Dan apakah diam-diam jejak film B ini juga sesungguhnya tulang punggung narasi sejarah perfilman Indonesia? Mari berbincang!

Pengampu:

- Ekky Imanjaya, dosen prodi film Binus University

- Dennis Adishwara, founder Layaria Network dan penikmat B(adass) movies

jadwal dan info film ada di sini