Jejak Online

Newsletter LEAD Cohort 9

Show Me The Movies!

Anjelita Malik, Austrade, Jakarta

Ever since I had the chance to see a diverse selection of movies while studying in Melbourne, I have always been amazed by them. Every aspect is amazing; the art, the technology, the collaborative work, the people, and of course, the endless creativity.

So when the 3rd Jakarta International Film Festival, better known to us as Jiffest, ended, I was left with the lingering awe and thirst to see more of nice, crazy, rebellious, thought-provoking, even experimenting films, created by some of the world's geniuses in this period. In total, I got the rare chance to see nineteen films from all across the globe. From Indonesia's own first box-office film in years, the teen flick Jelangkung, to the subtly messaged The Circle from Iran's Jafar Panahi (who was present during the festival, and indeed is a great director). From Hollywood's power-cast, not-so-mainstream box office movie, Traffic, to the beautifully-coloured and constantly-engaging French's Amelie from Montmartre (considered by me the best movie at this year's Jiffest, and I'm NOT alone here!).

There are more movies that I wished I had seen, such as Wong Kar Wai's Chungking Express, Lars von Trier's Dancer in The Dark, Sweden's Fanny and Alexander and Korea's Ditto, to name a few. But hey, nineteen wasn't too bad for a two-week festival, was it? If I'm lucky, I might be able to watch some of them in VCDs (I can assure you all, they'd be original, not pirated!), or better yet, the cinemas.

But deceived not, Jiffest did not only show movies that are delightful to our artistic taste, but also movies heavy with depictions of societies (The Day I Became a Woman and the emotion-captivating Promises), historical accounts (well, depending on whose point of view, Pengkhianatan G30S/PKI) and cultural wonders (Trance and Dance in Bali). Apart from being quality movies from the viewpoint of the movie industry, those films managed to send powerful messages to their audience, reinforcing films as communication media.

Now, as a self-proclaimed environmentally conscious person, and at the same time, being very distant from the filmmaking business, I can only long to see more films that send messages about the environment. I have experienced the use of feature films in delivering environmental education. Not as patronising lectures, or boring semi-documentaries, but as complete stimulating art works that embrace the challenging reality of environmental problems as well as the efforts to find the solutions. It worked well for me, and I know, for the other participants, too.

We have seen some movies that have done it quite well. Erin Brokovich shocked the polluting Pacific Gas and Electricity Co. with her sharp brain (and mouth!) and courage (as well as her tight outfits!) in Steven Soderbergh's Erin Brokovich. Pelican Brief (yet another one with Julia Roberts) was another movie that touches an environmental issue. There are some more of them that, sadly, did not quite make it big, such as The Burning Season (Chico Mendes' fight in preserving the Amazon rainforest, Fire Down Below (Steven Seagal, sadly, made his important role flat, like many of his other movies) and Fire in The Amazon (featuring Sandra Bullock). The reasons might have been an uninteresting story or plot, poor screenplay, weak actors, small distribution channels, and more reasons that I am not aware of (but many would, I believe!).

Some people would argue that heavyweight messages might kill the film before it even has the chance to be created. They might have a point there. But aren't all movies about messages? If they can send messages about women's rights, drug abuse, schizophrenia and every other problem that the human race is facing, why can't they make more movies on environment? I guess I really cannot expect a movie to have everything! Still, I hope those great filmmakers hear this wishful thinking of an amateur film lover and a cheerleader of environmental movements.