Diverse Creativity: Film Indonesia
Three Indonesian movies, each with an entirely different concept, genre and feel, were screened on Saturday, 11th October 2008 at the RMIT Capitol Theatre, Melbourne.
Following the success of the two preceding events, Melbourne University Indonesian Students’ Association (MUISA) had again conducted its Indonesian Film Festival2008. This time, three movies from the homeland of Indonesia were carefully selected for the eyes of Melbourne’s public. Each film that has been chosen represents a different genre.
May, is a movie that touches the sensitive topic of the riot occurred in Jakarta 1998, a riot based on racial issue between the native Indonesians and Indonesians with Chinese heritage. The story follows an energetic, slant-eyed girl called May who was braided in a relationship with a native young man, Antares. The riot had separated the two, and changed their lives forever. Traumatised and haunted by her past, May has started a new life in Malaysia. Tormented by his self-acclaimed unforgivable guilt, Antares was in a journey of finding his love.
Lost In Love, creates a completely different atmosphere in the theatre. Tita, a cheerful, free-spirited girl tries hard to live her days in Paris without the ability to speak French whatsoever. Invited to by her seemingly fiancé, Adit, Tita dreams about romantic days in this city of love. Her dreams seem to fail as Adit treats her in a way that she never has expected. In her confusion, Tita meets Alex, a Thai who helps her to find her way around Paris. The language barrier and Tita’s hilarious approach to overcome it ignite laughter of the audience. Lost In Love in RMIT Capitol Theatre has succeeded in delivering the audience with smile as they leave the venue.
The last session of Indonesian Film Festival2008 was wrapped up nicely with a bleak drama that contains a thick sense of absurdity. Fiksi, follows the obsession of Alisha, a girl who knows nothing about the real world, to make his poolboy, Bari, fall in love with her. Consumed and overwhelmed by the feeling she has never experienced before, Alisha is determined to take any measure to be Bari’s one and only. Manipulation, deception, and even murder would never get in Alisha’s way. Inspired by Lewis Carol’s Alice In Wonderland, this mind-wobbling film is about living the imaginary world in the world of reality.
With a full support from the Consulate General of Indonesia Melbourne, MUISA has proved its excellence and quality in bringing the Indonesian Film Festival2008 to another huge hit. On top of the three Indonesian blockbusters, three winning short films by Indonesian students in Australia have also enriched the event.
