Prague - The 3rd year of the Indonesian Film Festival kicked off on Tuesday night in Prague.
This year the festival held under the auspices of Oscar winning Czech director Jiří Menzel is focused on an acclaimed Indonesian film director Riri Riza.
Indonesian film makers produce a number of films every year but many of them aim solely for commercial success. Last year saw about 90 films released in the country but only 15 - 20 percent deserve serious attention, says film critic Arya Gunawan.
"The majority is films made without idealism, created merely to generate profit for their producers," Gunawan said, adding that Riri Riza is very exceptional by being interested in socio-political aspects of film making.
Veteran film critic Salim Said, now the Indonesian ambassador to the Czech Republic, has also voiced his concern about the artistic achievement of most of the Indonesian film directors. But with Riri Riza, he has no doubts.
"Riri Riza is a well-respected film director not only in Indonesia but in the international film community as well," Salim said.
Film fest program
20 May:
18,30 - Gie
20,30 - Eliana, Eliana
21 May:
17,00 - Sherina's Adventures
19,00 - Dear Rena
21,00 Three Days to Forever
Venue: Municipal Library, Mariánské Square, Prague 1
The opening film Laskar Pelangi was appreciated by over 4 million Indonesians, which has broken Indonesia's all-time box office records. The film was at the official selection at the Berlin International Film Festival BERLINALE 2009 and was also nominated as the Best Film at the Asian Film Festival Award 2009 in Hong Kong.
Against the establishment
"Riza's films have something that has long disappeared in our films," Jiří Menzel said at the opening ceremony. "His films deal with humanity and the need to be able to rely on friends and family."
Nonetheless, not all his films concern only family and friendship values. Riri is one of the few in the new breed of Indoneais film makers with a great political awareness, says Gunawan.
His political and social engagement led him to become one of the leaders in the movement to reform Indonesian film censorship laws, which has not been always welcomed by the establishment.
"Generally, they do not ban my films but I have to be aware where and to whom I am screening them," Riza told Aktuálně.cz. "I cannot use communist symbols, for example, or I cannot show films with sexual scenes in certain parts of the country."
His most political piece called "Gie" is going to be screened tonight in the Municipal Library at 18:30. Based on a true story, Gie is a political activist in the 1960s, the darkest era in Indonesian history, who does not give up his fight against the dictatorial regime. His uncompromised idealism, however, drives his firiends and lover away.
Riri Riza is scheduled to show his selected films in the upcoming days also in Austria, Slovenia, Serbia and Germany.
* The festival takes place from 19 - 21 May in the Municipal Library (Městská knihovna) in Prague. All films have English subtitles.
