Three Indonesian short films will premiere at the 21st European Union Film Festival “Europe on Screen” (EoS). These three Indonesian short films are the winners of the EoS Short Film Pitching Project (SFPP) 2020 competition. The winners receive partial funding from EOS and post-production facilities from SAE Indonesia.
The three Indonesian short films that will be screened are:
- Ghulam, by director Nashiru Setiawan from Malang
- Tour de Serpong, by director Steven Vicky S. from Tangerang
- To My Wife (Marta, I’m Home), by director Patrick Warmanda from Jakarta
The compilation of the three short films can be watched for free starting today at 14.00 WIB through the Scope Festival.
“Each SFPP 2020 winning film presents a variety of and unique stories and issues,” he said Nauval Yazidfestival co-director of EoS 2021. “It doesn’t stop there, the packaging and fresh perspectives in each of these short films are added values for each filmmaker,” he added.
“We are aware that film festivals are creative and educational facilities and platforms for young Indonesian filmmakers,” said Meninaputri Wismurtifestival co-director of EoS 2021. “For that, it is important for us to support the film ecosystem and support filmmakers so that in the future they can compete in the international arena,” he added.
The EOS SFPP has been going on since 2018 and is fully supported by the European Union, SAE Indonesia and Kemala Home Living.
Ghulama short 17-minute comedy film from Malang and the first winner of the SFPP 2020 event tells the story of Ghulam and Kecap who held a film screening on a plug-in screen in the midst of threats and terror from local people who thought the film they were playing contained pornographic elements. Nashiro Setiawanthe film’s director, Ghulam, explained that the issue of human rights, freedom of expression, as well as the situation and condition of alternative art spaces in the arts in Indonesia are often persecuted by certain groups and are important issues that are rarely raised through the medium of film.
“Issues that are close to my life, wandering while in college without considering future challenges while still dreaming big to prove to my parents became the reason for making this film,” he explained. Steven Vicky S.film director Tour de Serpong, the second winner of SFPP 2020. This short film tells the story of Anton who ran away from his home to study in Paris. Instead of achieving his goal, he is tricked by a scholarship agent and ends up in Serpong where he meets a traveling coffeemaker who helps him find Paris.
The touching drama was beautifully presented by the third winner of SFPP 2020, Patrick Warmanda, in the movie To My Wife (Marta, I’m Home). The audience will be invited for 20 minutes to see the story of Yohan, who kept the coffin in his room after his wife left him dead, thus confusing his children. “I feel that the issues in this film, regarding family, anxiety and suppressed feelings and emotions that sometimes we hold without knowing how far we can go, are close to the daily lives of all of us,” said Patrick Warmanda.
There were various challenges faced by the three filmmakers and the production team. One of these challenges is adapting the filming process to health protocols and regulations during the pandemic. Another challenge is the deadline given for the film to be completed on time. “Filming was done in two locations within three days. Starting from the stage of story development to post-production as well as additional expenses to undergo health protocols during the production process. Everything happened in a short time,” explained Patrick Warmanda. Jeremy Randolph, the producer of the film Tour de Serpong, had a similar experience. He explained that the weather and the exterior location were also challenges in making this film, considering that the shooting locations were mostly done outdoors. As a result, many third parties were involved in the production but with the injection of funds and the name Europe on Screen as the sponsor of the film, it made the negotiation process with third parties easier.
“Time permits, use of shooting locations and quarantine procedures for prospective film players affect the process of writing the script for Ghulam’s film,” he said Arfan Adhi, producer of the film Ghulam. “This shooting process was also assisted by other parties such as film collective colleagues around Malang Raya who supported film production tools and human resources, colleagues from Surabaya who came to visit and spontaneously helped the artistic team, as well as volunteers for disaster preparedness at Maharesigana University of Muhammadiyah Malang to carry out health checks. crew and cast during the day of filming,” he added.
This year, EoS again held the 4th SFPP event. The eight finalists selected will present their film ideas in front of the three judges, namely Edwin Nazir, Kamila Andini and Yosep Anggi Noen. The presentation session will be held on September 24 at 09.00 WIB and is open to the public.
For complete information and schedule, please visit the website: www.europeonscreen.org
