JAFF to capture development of Asian cinema

Karina Salim in Salawaku - Photo courtesy of Kamala Films

Known as an incubator for new talent, the 11th Jogja-NETPAC Asian Film Festival (JAFF) focuses on contemporary issues and aesthetics.

Pritagita Arianegara's Salawaku is set to open the 11th JAFF, which will kick off on Nov. 28 in Yogyakarta.

With "Islandscape" as its theme, the six-day festival will feature 138 films from 27 countries. It will shine a light on new talents who are still attempting to reach a larger audience.

Salawaku, which will see a public release early next year, fits the theme of the festival. It tells the story of a city girl called Saras (Karina Salim) who embarks on a solitary vacation to heal herself from a heart-breaking experience. She is stranded on an island where she meets Salawaku, a local boy who is searching for his missing sister, Bainaya. The film is built around the beautiful scenery and fascinating cultures of the people on Seram Island in Maluku.

The film, nominated in eight categories in the Indonesian Film Festiv al (FFI), has won the Dewantara award for Indonesian Film Appreciation 2016 for feature-length film category in Manado, North Sulawesi, in October and has joined the Tokyo International Film Festival 2016.

"We picked the film as a festival opener because it accurately reflects our theme, which turns islands into a creative inspiration for filmmakers. It represents the island as a space that connects people from different cultural backgrounds," JAFF director Budi Irawanto said in a statement.

The festival's theme seeks to investigate how islands as settings also influence the creative process and storytelling of Asian filmmakers, JAFF executive director Ifa Isfansyah said.

"Asia has an abundance of islands that give endless [inspiration] to local filmmakers," Ifa told reporters on Thursday.

The festival comprises four main components: Asian Feature, which will showcase feature-length films; Light of Asia, which highlights short films; The Faces of In donesian Cinema Today, which will present the best Indonesian films currently produced; and Asian Doc, which screens documentary films.

The festival also curates its movies based on both social and aesthetical considerations.

"We select films that can read actual, contemporary issues and answer them. We would also like to present films that could represent new ideas and breakthroughs from their countries," program director Ismail Basbeth said.

Traveling with Bomb ( 2016 ) by Kyrgyzstan filmmaker Nurlan Abdykadyrov will close the festival. It tells the story of a man who tries to bring his wife from Kazakhstan to Kyrgyzstan only to make an agreement to cross the border carrying a box full of landmines into a small village, creating complex drama and a series of misunderstandings.

To mark the passing of prominent Iranian film director Abbas Kiarostami on July 4, the festival will also present a tribute to him, screening the last film he directed called Take Me Home ( 2016 ) as well as a documentary about him called 76 Minutes and 15 Seconds with Abbas Kiarostami ( 2016 ), directed by his close friend Saifollah Samadian.

Indonesian director Djenar Maesa Ayu will get special focus on the festival, which will screen her four films — Mereka Bilang, Saya Monyet! (They Say, I'm a Monkey; 2007), SAIA ( 2009 ), NAY ( 2015 ) and hUSh ( 2016 ).

This year, the festival also expands itself to the Asia Pacific area, with an emphasis on Korean and Japanese films, including The Wailing ( 2016 ), which won the Best Picture and Audience Award at the Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival (BIFAN).

"Korea and Japan are Asian leaders in terms of filmmaking; both their commercial and non-mainstream films are excellent. Their films should be our kiblat [orientation]," Ismail said.

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Jogja-NETPAC Asian Film Festival

Nov. 28 – Dec. 3YogyakartaEmpire XXI, Taman Budaya Yogyakarta cultural park, Grhatama Pustaka Yogyakartajaff-filmfest.org.

Source: JAFF to capture development of Asian cinema