The Film Industry

by USMAR ISMAIL

MOTION pictures began to be made in Indonesia about 1925, first more or less as a hobby of the Dutch and Chinese. The themes of these early pictures dealt usually with Indo-Europeans or Chinese, and ghost, stories from China were especially popular.The first truly Indonesian film (though it was made by a Chinese) was the story of an Indonesian woman who becomes the mistress of a European. It was only as recently as 1934 that we had a semidocumentary (this one made by a Dutchman) in which for the first time Indonesian roles were played by Indonesians. Then, little by little, intellectuals and journalists began to participate in the industry; actors developed, the scripts and language improved, the themes grew more dignified, and the films themselves became more indigenous in character.

The invasion of the Japanese in 1942 ended all imports of American and European movies, and their influence declined. Instead, the Japanese approach to making films was encouraged. From 1946 until 1949, because of the revolution, no activity in the art was possible. From 1950 on, we have been producing our films without any foreign assistance. Our awakening national consciousness sparked this effort and the aim has been to build up the Indonesian film industry on a foundation of national cultural ideals. In fact, one of the larger studios is now a government property called the PFN, or State Film Company, which sponsored the film Pulsing (Return), a touching story of an Indonesian compelled to serve in the Japanese army.

In the whole of Indonesia there are only about 625 theaters, which is not many for a population of eighty m illion people. Further, no Indonesian film can cost more than 350,000 rupiahs (about thirty thousand dollars) if it hopes to recoup production costs. Even so, in 1954 Indonesia turned out sixty pictures or fifteen per cent of the total screen-time of the country. These were made by some fifteen producers working in eight studios. The other eighty-five per cent came from India, Malaya, the Philippines, England, and the United States. To help our local industry the government recently imposed a two hundred per cent luxury tax on all foreign films.

Obviously, our film industry is plagued with difficulties. Directors and technicians are young and lack experience. But we are learning fast, and improving rapidly. And government encouragement is having a happy, healthy effect. Already our films — because their language is readily understood and their themes and backgrounds familiar — are attracting more patrons than American pictures which once were the more popular. Two of the most noteworthy of our recent successes are the Perfiui films Krisis, a comedy about the Jakarta housing shortage, and Silat, a film based on the concept of the Sumatran fighting dance as a mental discipline.