Jakarta International Film Festival
Encyclopedia
The Jakarta International Film Festival (JIFFEST) is the major film festival
of Indonesia
held every December in the capital, Jakarta
, since 1999.
The number of Indonesian films shown at the festival had grown from four in 1999 to around 100 by 2009. Since 2006, JIFFEST has hosted an Indonesian Feature Film Competition with foreign film professionals acting as juries. JIFFEST's script development competition and workshop winners include Wahyu Aditya
(2004), World Champion International Young Creative Entrepreneur of the Year (2007); Tumpal Tampubolon (2005), Asian Young Filmmakers Fellow Korea (2008); Salman Aristo (2006), writer of Ayat-Ayat Cinta (2007), Laskar Pelangi (2008), and Garuda Di Dadaku (2009); Yuli Andari Merdekaningtyas (2006), and director of Suster Apung, winner of Eagle Awards Metro TV (2006).
The festival is presently on a shaky financial footing and is hoping to continue by switching its funding source from foreign donors to government grants and private donations.
in Korea was in its third year. Thailand and the Philippines had also launched their own international film festivals: Bangkok International Film Festival
(September 1998) and Cinemanila (July 1999). Over the course of eight days, 20–28 November 1999), JIFFEST featured 65 films from various countries, including Indonesia. Shanty Harmayn and Natacha Devillers wrote in their foreword: "Dear audience, you are the future of Jakarta International Film Festival and the key to the resurrection of the national film industry, because good filmmakers can only come from a good audience." JIFFEST records show that 18,000 viewers came and saw selected films from 25 countries. At the end of the festival, Jalan Raya Pos, a Dutch-produced documentary on Indonesia directed by Bernie IJdis, was chosen as the crowd favorite.
JIFFEST attracted 32,000 viewers. The Year of Living Dangerously
, a film by Australian director Peter Weir and about the fall of President Sukarno
, became the crowd's choice. Two films from Iran, Leila (about a fertile wife, by director Dariush Mehrjui) and The Blackboard (about a teacher's struggle, by director Samira Makmalbaf) also made the crowd's top list.
).
Among JIFFESTs guests was Iranian director Jafar Panahi
, who screened The Circle, a film about a vicious circle faced by three women after they are released from jail. Topping the list of viewer's choices Me, You, Them (director: Andruscha Waddington, Brazil), a comedy-drama about a woman and her desperate love adventures. Viewers also chose The Circle, Amélie (Jean-Pierre Jeunet, France), and Dancer in the Dark
(Lars von Trier
, Denmark). Viewers count for the year was over 43,000.
, by Christian Frei
(Switzerland) was a crowd puller. The session with the subject of the film, James Nachtwey
, was packed with film enthusiasts and professional photographers. The film Tato by Hanny Saputra
was the only Indonesian film that premiered that year.
JIFFEST's guests included Phillip Cheah (SIFF festival director), Anuragh Singh (director, India), and Vicenzo Marra (Italy). Viewers count reached 19,000.
(Michael Moore
, United States) and 11 September (France). Taking a slightly different approach from the previous years, JIFFEST intended to entertain and to get audiences to reflect on the social realities of the time. Winning the hearts of the crowd that year was the film The Magdalene Sisters
(Peter Mullan
, England), a somber drama about female students in a Catholic institution. The viewer count was 7,400.
(Stephen Frears
, England), a film focusing on immigrants in England.
The Indonesian films premiered were Yasujiro Journey and Aries (both directed by Faozan Rizal), and Impian Kemarau (The Rainmaker, directed by Ravi Bharwani).
One of the honored guests of that year was Korean filmmaker Lee Chang-dong
, presented his films Green Fish, Peppermint Candy, and Oasis, and shared his experiences of the resurrection of the Korean film industry. The dialogue between Lee Chang-dong and Indonesian filmmakers contributed to the birth of a cinema committee in Indonesia. JIFFEST 2004 attracted around 26,000 viewers.
The seventh JIFFEST opened with the screening of the award-winning film Le Grand Voyage
by French-Moroccan director Ismaël Ferroukhi
and closed with a sold-out screening of The Downfall
, a German production from director Oliver Hirschbiegel
. JIFFEST 2005 attracted a record high of 47,000 spectators (an almost 80% increase from the previous year).
Studio XXI at Plaza Indonesia, the new Kineforum TIM 21, and Cultural Centers such as Goethe Haus, Erasmus Huis, and Istituto Italiana de Cultura. More than 230 films from 35 countries were presented to an audience of 63,000, an increase of 34% from the previous year.
The festival opened with Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu
's latest film, Babel, which won him the Best Director award at the Cannes Film Festival
. Starring Brad Pitt
and Cate Blanchett
, the film entertained the many guests who went to JIFFEST's Red Carpet Opening Night Party held at the Club XXI, Djakarta Theatre. The closing film, Black Book, was the Netherland's official entry for Best Foreign Language category for the 2007 Academy Awards
.
JIFFEST held the Indonesian Feature Film Competition for the first time, where 31 Indonesian films released in 2006 competed for a US $5,000 prize each for Best Director and Best Film categories. A jury composed of Teruoka Sozo (programmer of Tokyo International Film Festival
, Japan), Jan Vandierendonck (head of Eurimages
, Belgium) and Andre Bennett (distributor, Canada) voted Rudy Soedjarwo
for Best Director and Denias Senandung Di Atas Awan
for Best Film.
JIFFEST and Movies that Matter foundation of Amnesty International
put up a competition for Human Rights films. A Hero's Journey, directed by Grace Phan from Singapore, received the Movies that Matter award and €5,000, to be used for the film's distribution in Indonesia.
in Grand Indonesia
, Kineforum in Ismail Marzuki Arts Centre, and cultural centers Goethe Haus and Erasmus Huis.
With a budget of IDR 3.8 billion for the duration of the 10-day festival, JIFFEST attracted 54,000 spectators to its screenings and events.
For the first time, JIFFEST chose an animation film for its opening slot (Persepolis
) and picked a new Indonesian feature, Chants of Lotus as its closing film. Tickets for both films were sold out within the first week. Other popular titles included Into the Wild
, the Coen brothers
action thriller No Country for Old Men
, A Mighty Heart
, and documentaries such as Deliver Us From Evil
and The U.S. vs John Lennon.
Free screenings of Indonesian and South East Asian films such as Indonesia's The Photograph were also well-attended.
On the opening night, the newly-appointed Governor of Jakarta, Fauzi Bowo
, pledged his support for the festival for the duration of his term.
"A View from the SEA" was a feature that showcased free screenings of recent films from South East Asia. Titles such as Flower in the Pocket (Malaysia), Singapore GaGa (Singapore), and The Blossoming of Maximo Oliveros (Philippines) received critical acclaims from local media, and were popular with audiences.
JIFFEST entered a partnership with the American Film Institute
and its AFI Project 20/20, bringing titles like American Fork, Big Rig, Spine Tingler: The William Castle Story, Afghan Muscles, Cyrano Fernandez, Please Vote For Me, and Faro: Goddess of the Waters. The World Cinema Fund from the Berlin International Film Festival
sent the titles Atos dos Homens, Naousse, El Otro, Rome Rather than You, El Custodio, 'Possible Lives, and Suely in the Sky.
JIFFEST audiences attended sideline events such as the Behind-the-Scene Photo Exhibition, which displayed the processes of recent Indonesian film-making. This exhibition was held in Hotel InterContinental
MidPlaza, Djakarta XXI, and Goethe Haus.
Among other events were Producer Panel, hosted by Shanty Harmayn and featuring film producers Michelle Yeoh
from Malaysia and Lorna Tee from Hong Kong; Documentary Panel, hosted by Shanty Harmayn and featuring documentary filmmakers Pimpaka Towira from Thailand and Tan Pin Pin from Singapore; and a roundtable workshop on "How to Package Your DVD Release", hosted by Jeffrey Schwarz, CEO of Automat Pictures
from the United States.
Together with the World Cinema section, JIFFEST screened "A View from the SEA", introduced the previous year, which in 2008 featured the films Wonderful Town, Little Heart, and Tribu.
JIFFEST 2008 screened the ten highest-grossing Indonesian films of the past ten years. This celebration was followed by discussions featuring a variety of speakers, including filmmakers, government officials, and film critics. Indonesian films that premiered at the festival included They are Under The Tree, a documentary by Garin Nugroho; Drupadi, a short film by Riri Riza; and At Stake, a documentary produced by Nia Dinata and directed by several young talents.
The winners of the previous years' script development competition and workshop were screened: Traffic Jam by Tam Notosusanto, The Last Journey by Endah WS, and The Visit by Erwin Indrawan. Documentary films from the Goethe Institute workshop were shown.
The presence of Christian Scheurer (visual consultant for The Matrix
) and Petr Lom, who recorded Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's activities, were popular events, as were discussion panels on the topic of film promotion and marketing and the launch of Amir Muhammad’s book Yasmin Ahmad's Films.
The opening film, Sang Pemimpi, was the first Indonesian film featured as a JIFFEST opening film. The closing film was New York, I Love You
. In between were films representing 25 different countries.
International Campus, Jakarta. The main source of funding of JIFFEST came from foreign donors, and after its tenth year, the support ceased to exist. JIFFEST must now rely on the support of the government and local sponsors.
Films screened included Waiting for Superman
, The Day We Connect, Scott Pilgrim vs. the World
, Outrage
, The Wedding Photographer (Bröllopsfotografen), Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives
, and When We Leave
(Die Fremde).
Film festival
A film festival is an organised, extended presentation of films in one or more movie theaters or screening venues, usually in a single locality. More and more often film festivals show part of their films to the public by adding outdoor movie screenings...
of Indonesia
Indonesia
Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...
held every December in the capital, Jakarta
Jakarta
Jakarta is the capital and largest city of Indonesia. Officially known as the Special Capital Territory of Jakarta, it is located on the northwest coast of Java, has an area of , and a population of 9,580,000. Jakarta is the country's economic, cultural and political centre...
, since 1999.
The number of Indonesian films shown at the festival had grown from four in 1999 to around 100 by 2009. Since 2006, JIFFEST has hosted an Indonesian Feature Film Competition with foreign film professionals acting as juries. JIFFEST's script development competition and workshop winners include Wahyu Aditya
Wahyu Aditya
Wahyu Aditya, or also called Wadit is an animator from Indonesia. Its action in the world of animation begins by receiving a champion at drawing competitions in his hometown. After high school, His study continued to KvB Institute of Technology, Sydney Australia, with a major in Interactive...
(2004), World Champion International Young Creative Entrepreneur of the Year (2007); Tumpal Tampubolon (2005), Asian Young Filmmakers Fellow Korea (2008); Salman Aristo (2006), writer of Ayat-Ayat Cinta (2007), Laskar Pelangi (2008), and Garuda Di Dadaku (2009); Yuli Andari Merdekaningtyas (2006), and director of Suster Apung, winner of Eagle Awards Metro TV (2006).
The festival is presently on a shaky financial footing and is hoping to continue by switching its funding source from foreign donors to government grants and private donations.
1999: The birth of the International Film Festival in Jakarta
Shanty Harmayn and Natacha Devillers, working together at Salto Films at the time, founded the Jakarta International Film Festival (JIFFEST) in November 1999. The Singapore Film Festival (SIFF) was already 12 years old, while the Pusan International Film FestivalPusan International Film Festival
Busan International Film Festival , held annually in Haeundae-gu, Busan , South Korea, is one of the most significant film festivals in Asia...
in Korea was in its third year. Thailand and the Philippines had also launched their own international film festivals: Bangkok International Film Festival
Bangkok International Film Festival
The Bangkok International Film Festival is an international film festival held annually in Bangkok, Thailand, since 2003. In addition to film screenings, seminars, gala events and the Golden Kinnaree Awards.-First years:...
(September 1998) and Cinemanila (July 1999). Over the course of eight days, 20–28 November 1999), JIFFEST featured 65 films from various countries, including Indonesia. Shanty Harmayn and Natacha Devillers wrote in their foreword: "Dear audience, you are the future of Jakarta International Film Festival and the key to the resurrection of the national film industry, because good filmmakers can only come from a good audience." JIFFEST records show that 18,000 viewers came and saw selected films from 25 countries. At the end of the festival, Jalan Raya Pos, a Dutch-produced documentary on Indonesia directed by Bernie IJdis, was chosen as the crowd favorite.
2000: JIFFEST in the New Millennium
In its second year (3–12 November 2000), 104 titles from 31 countries were screened. That year, JIFFEST premiered three feature films by young Indonesian filmmakers: Pachinko (director: Harry Dagoe Suharyadi); Culik (director: Teddy Soeriaatmadja); and Sebuah Pertanyaan untuk Cinta (director: Enison Sinaro). JIFFEST featured a segment called "Indonesia Through Foreign Lenses".JIFFEST attracted 32,000 viewers. The Year of Living Dangerously
The Year of Living Dangerously
The Year of Living Dangerously is a 1982 Peter Weir film adapted from the novel The Year of Living Dangerously by the author Christopher Koch. The story is about a love affair set in Indonesia during the overthrow of President Sukarno...
, a film by Australian director Peter Weir and about the fall of President Sukarno
Sukarno
Sukarno, born Kusno Sosrodihardjo was the first President of Indonesia.Sukarno was the leader of his country's struggle for independence from the Netherlands and was Indonesia's first President from 1945 to 1967...
, became the crowd's choice. Two films from Iran, Leila (about a fertile wife, by director Dariush Mehrjui) and The Blackboard (about a teacher's struggle, by director Samira Makmalbaf) also made the crowd's top list.
2001: Questioning Indonesian identity through film
In 2001, JIFFEST (26 October – 10 November) featured 103 titles from 32 countries. The theme was "Indonesian Identity through Film: Past and Present". The ticket prices increased from Rp 7,500 to Rp 12,500. JIFFEST presented the segment "Issues in Islamic Contemporary Society" and only premiered one Indonesian film, Viva Indonesia (a collaboration from Nana Mulyana, Lianto Luseno, Ravi Bharwani, and Aryo DanusiriAryo Danusiri
Aryo Danusiri is an Indonesian film director.He started his first documentary, Village Goat Takes The Beating, about Aceh human rights violations, in 1999. This documentary was an official selection at the 2001 Amnesty Film Festival in Amsterdam...
).
Among JIFFESTs guests was Iranian director Jafar Panahi
Jafar Panahi
Jafar Panahi is an Iranian filmmaker and is one of the most influential filmmakers in the Iranian New Wave movement. He has gained recognition from film theorists and critics worldwide and received numerous awards including the Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival and the Silver Bear at the...
, who screened The Circle, a film about a vicious circle faced by three women after they are released from jail. Topping the list of viewer's choices Me, You, Them (director: Andruscha Waddington, Brazil), a comedy-drama about a woman and her desperate love adventures. Viewers also chose The Circle, Amélie (Jean-Pierre Jeunet, France), and Dancer in the Dark
Dancer in the Dark
Dancer in the Dark is a 2000 Danish musical drama film directed by Lars von Trier and starring Icelandic singer Björk, Catherine Deneuve, David Morse, Cara Seymour, Peter Stormare, Siobhan Fallon Hogan, and Joel Grey...
(Lars von Trier
Lars von Trier
Lars von Trier is a Danish film director and screenwriter. He is closely associated with the Dogme 95 collective, although his own films have taken a variety of different approaches, and have frequently received strongly divided critical opinion....
, Denmark). Viewers count for the year was over 43,000.
2002: A celebration of cultural diversity
In its fourth year (24 October – 3 November), JIFFEST offered 120 titles from 29 countries. A dialogue forum between filmmakers and viewers titled "Meet the Filmmaker" was held in Goethe Haus. The documentary War PhotographerWar Photographer
War Photographer is a documentary by Christian Frei about the photographer James Nachtwey. As well as telling the story of an iconic man in the field of war photography, the film addresses the broader scope of ideas common to all those involved in war journalism, as well as the issues that they...
, by Christian Frei
Christian Frei
Christian Frei is a Swiss filmmaker. He is mostly known for his two films War Photographer and The Giant Buddhas . Both deal with topics and themes more or less linked to war and intolerance....
(Switzerland) was a crowd puller. The session with the subject of the film, James Nachtwey
James Nachtwey
James Nachtwey is an American photojournalist and war photographer.He grew up in Massachusetts and graduated from Dartmouth College, where he studied Art History and Political Science ....
, was packed with film enthusiasts and professional photographers. The film Tato by Hanny Saputra
Hanny Saputra
Hanny R. Saputra is an Indonesian director. One of his films, Under the Protection of Ka'Bah, is Indonesia's submission for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film in the 84th Academy Awards.-Biography:...
was the only Indonesian film that premiered that year.
JIFFEST's guests included Phillip Cheah (SIFF festival director), Anuragh Singh (director, India), and Vicenzo Marra (Italy). Viewers count reached 19,000.
2003: understanding change
The fifth year (14–19 October) was JIFFESTs shortest festival to that date, due to funding problems caused by national tragedies such as the Bali bombing. Various obstacles faced by the committee almost kept JIFFEST 2003 from being held. Bomb threats in several cities caused people to fear attending the event. JIFFEST 2003 was therefore held on a very modest scale. The chaos of the times was reflected in the films screened that year, such as Bowling for ColumbineBowling for Columbine
Bowling for Columbine is a 2002 documentary film written, directed, produced, and narrated by Michael Moore. The film explores what Michael Moore suggests are the causes for the Columbine High School massacre and other acts of violence with guns...
(Michael Moore
Michael Moore
Michael Francis Moore is an American filmmaker, author, social critic and activist. He is the director and producer of Fahrenheit 9/11, which is the highest-grossing documentary of all time. His films Bowling for Columbine and Sicko also place in the top ten highest-grossing documentaries...
, United States) and 11 September (France). Taking a slightly different approach from the previous years, JIFFEST intended to entertain and to get audiences to reflect on the social realities of the time. Winning the hearts of the crowd that year was the film The Magdalene Sisters
The Magdalene Sisters
The Magdalene Sisters is a 2002 film written and directed by Peter Mullan about teenage girls who were sent to Magdalene Asylums, otherwise known as the 'Magdalene Laundries': homes for women who were labeled as "fallen" by their families or society...
(Peter Mullan
Peter Mullan
Peter Mullan is a Scottish actor and film-maker who has been appearing in films since 1990.-Early life:Mullan, the sixth of eight children, was born in Peterhead in the northeast of Scotland, the son of Patricia, a nurse, and Charles Mullan, a lab technician who worked at Glasgow University. He...
, England), a somber drama about female students in a Catholic institution. The viewer count was 7,400.
2004: Spirit of youth
In 2004 (3–12 December), JIFFEST returned with a renewed spirit. This time, the segment featured was "Spirit of Youth". The theme was selected because of a boom in youth-oriented films, both domestic and abroad. Young filmmakers' contributions to the film industry were recognized, and "coming of age" became a subject of study in various films. In its sixth year, JIFFEST screened 133 titles from 35 countries. The crowd voted for Dirty Pretty ThingsDirty Pretty Things (film)
Dirty Pretty Things is a 2002 film directed by Stephen Frears and written by Steven Knight, a drama about two illegal immigrants in London...
(Stephen Frears
Stephen Frears
Stephen Arthur Frears is an English film director.-Early life:Frears was born in Leicester, England to Ruth M., a social worker, and Dr Russell E. Frears, a general practitioner and accountant. He did not find out that his mother was Jewish until he was in his late 20s...
, England), a film focusing on immigrants in England.
The Indonesian films premiered were Yasujiro Journey and Aries (both directed by Faozan Rizal), and Impian Kemarau (The Rainmaker, directed by Ravi Bharwani).
One of the honored guests of that year was Korean filmmaker Lee Chang-dong
Lee Chang-dong
Lee Chang-dong is a South Korean film director, screenwriter and novelist. He won the 2008 Special Director's Prize at the Asian Film Awards and has been nominated for the Golden Lion and Palme d'Or. Lee served as South Korea's Minister of Culture and Tourism from 2003 to 2004.-Life and career:Lee...
, presented his films Green Fish, Peppermint Candy, and Oasis, and shared his experiences of the resurrection of the Korean film industry. The dialogue between Lee Chang-dong and Indonesian filmmakers contributed to the birth of a cinema committee in Indonesia. JIFFEST 2004 attracted around 26,000 viewers.
2005: Special section for documentaries
The Seventh edition of JIFFEST took place from 9–18 December 2005. JIFFEST created a special section for the documentary genre the first time. All documentaries were screened for free.The seventh JIFFEST opened with the screening of the award-winning film Le Grand Voyage
Le Grand Voyage
Le Grand Voyage is a 2004 film written and directed by Ismaël Ferroukhi. The film portrays the relationship between father and son as both embark on a religious pilgrimage trip by car. It was shown at the 2004 Toronto and Venice International Film Festivals.-Plot:Réda is a French-Moroccan...
by French-Moroccan director Ismaël Ferroukhi
Ismaël Ferroukhi
Ismaël Ferroukhi is a French-Moroccan film director.Ferroukhi was born in Kenitra. He gained exposure with his 1992 short film L'Exposé, which won the Kodak Prize at the 1993 Cannes Film Festival...
and closed with a sold-out screening of The Downfall
Downfall (film)
Downfall is a 2004 German/Italian/Austrian epic war film directed by Oliver Hirschbiegel, depicting the final ten days of Adolf Hitler's life in his Berlin bunker and Nazi Germany in 1945....
, a German production from director Oliver Hirschbiegel
Oliver Hirschbiegel
Oliver Hirschbiegel is a German film director. His works include Das Experiment and the Oscar nominated Der Untergang.- Career :...
. JIFFEST 2005 attracted a record high of 47,000 spectators (an almost 80% increase from the previous year).
2006: The lollipop year
The eighth JIFFEST was held from 8–17 December 2006. The main logo for the event, a colorful lollipop, was seen spread around the city, reflecting the colorful themes of the films being screened in the newly-renovated Djakarta Theatre XXI, the Entertainment X'nterEntertainment X'nter
The Entertainment X'nter is a shopping mall located in Menteng, Central Jakarta directly beside the Japanese Embassy....
Studio XXI at Plaza Indonesia, the new Kineforum TIM 21, and Cultural Centers such as Goethe Haus, Erasmus Huis, and Istituto Italiana de Cultura. More than 230 films from 35 countries were presented to an audience of 63,000, an increase of 34% from the previous year.
The festival opened with Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu
Alejandro González Iñárritu
Alejandro González Iñárritu is a Mexican film director.González Iñárritu is the first Mexican director to be nominated for the Academy Award for Best Director and by the DGA of America for Best Director. He is also the first and only Mexican born director to have won the Prix de la mise en scene...
's latest film, Babel, which won him the Best Director award at the Cannes Film Festival
Cannes Film Festival
The Cannes International Film Festival , is an annual film festival held in Cannes, France, which previews new films of all genres including documentaries from around the world. Founded in 1946, it is among the world's most prestigious and publicized film festivals...
. Starring Brad Pitt
Brad Pitt
William Bradley "Brad" Pitt is an American actor and film producer. Pitt has received two Academy Award nominations and four Golden Globe Award nominations, winning one...
and Cate Blanchett
Cate Blanchett
Catherine Élise "Cate" Blanchett is an Australian actress. She came to international attention for her role as Elizabeth I of England in the 1998 biopic film Elizabeth, for which she won British Academy of Film and Television Arts and Golden Globe Awards, and earned her first Academy Award...
, the film entertained the many guests who went to JIFFEST's Red Carpet Opening Night Party held at the Club XXI, Djakarta Theatre. The closing film, Black Book, was the Netherland's official entry for Best Foreign Language category for the 2007 Academy Awards
79th Academy Awards
The 79th Academy Awards ceremony , honored the best films of 2006 and took place on February 25, 2007 at the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood on ABC. Ellen DeGeneres hosted the ceremony for the first time. The producer was Laura Ziskin. The announcers were Don LaFontaine and Gina Tuttle.The nominees were...
.
JIFFEST held the Indonesian Feature Film Competition for the first time, where 31 Indonesian films released in 2006 competed for a US $5,000 prize each for Best Director and Best Film categories. A jury composed of Teruoka Sozo (programmer of Tokyo International Film Festival
Tokyo International Film Festival
Tokyo International Film Festival is a film festival established in 1985. The event was held biannually from 1985 to 1991 and annually thereafter...
, Japan), Jan Vandierendonck (head of Eurimages
Eurimages
Eurimages is the Council of Europe fund for the co-production, distribution, exhibition and digitisation of European cinematographic works. It aims to promote the European film industry by encouraging the production and distribution of films and fostering co-operation between professionals....
, Belgium) and Andre Bennett (distributor, Canada) voted Rudy Soedjarwo
Rudy Soedjarwo
Rudianto Soedjarwo is an Indonesian film director. He became popular after directed a teens movie What's Up with Love? .-Filmography:* Falling Star * Tragedy...
for Best Director and Denias Senandung Di Atas Awan
Denias Senandung Di Atas Awan
Denias Senandung Di Atas Awan is a 2006 Indonesian film directed by John de Rantau. This film was starring Albert Fakdawer, Ari Sihasale, Nia Zulkarnaen and Marcella Zalianty.-Cast:*Mathias Muchus as Pak Guru*Nia Zulkarnaen...
for Best Film.
JIFFEST and Movies that Matter foundation of Amnesty International
Amnesty International
Amnesty International is an international non-governmental organisation whose stated mission is "to conduct research and generate action to prevent and end grave abuses of human rights, and to demand justice for those whose rights have been violated."Following a publication of Peter Benenson's...
put up a competition for Human Rights films. A Hero's Journey, directed by Grace Phan from Singapore, received the Movies that Matter award and €5,000, to be used for the film's distribution in Indonesia.
2007: The colorful horse
In its ninth year, JIFFEST was held from 7–16 December 2007. Around 180 films from 33 countries were screened in Djakarta XXI, the newly built BlitzmegaplexBlitzmegaplex
Blitz Megaplex is a chain of movie theaters in Indonesia. As of mid-2011, it has 7 locations with a total of 66 screens – with more locations in development.- History :...
in Grand Indonesia
Grand Indonesia
Grand Indonesia is a mixed-use complex including a shopping mall and the Hotel Indonesia covering an area of about , located on the Hotel Indonesia traffic circle in Jakarta in Indonesia.-History:...
, Kineforum in Ismail Marzuki Arts Centre, and cultural centers Goethe Haus and Erasmus Huis.
With a budget of IDR 3.8 billion for the duration of the 10-day festival, JIFFEST attracted 54,000 spectators to its screenings and events.
For the first time, JIFFEST chose an animation film for its opening slot (Persepolis
Persepolis (film)
Persepolis is a 2007 French animated film based on Marjane Satrapi's autobiographical graphic novel of the same name. The film was written and directed by Satrapi with Vincent Paronnaud. The story follows a young girl as she comes of age against the backdrop of the Iranian Revolution. The story...
) and picked a new Indonesian feature, Chants of Lotus as its closing film. Tickets for both films were sold out within the first week. Other popular titles included Into the Wild
Into the Wild (film)
Into the Wild is a 2007 American biographical drama film directed by Sean Penn. It is an adaptation of 1996 non-fiction book of the same name by Jon Krakauer based on the travels of Christopher McCandless across North America in the early 1990s. The film stars Emile Hirsch as McCandless with...
, the Coen brothers
Coen Brothers
Joel David Coen and Ethan Jesse Coen known together professionally as the Coen brothers, are American filmmakers...
action thriller No Country for Old Men
No Country for Old Men (film)
No Country for Old Men is a 2007 American crime thriller directed by Joel Coen and Ethan Coen, and starring Tommy Lee Jones, Javier Bardem, and Josh Brolin. The film was adapted from the Cormac McCarthy novel of the same name...
, A Mighty Heart
A Mighty Heart (film)
A Mighty Heart is a 2007 drama film directed by Michael Winterbottom; It is an adaptation of Mariane Pearl's memoir, A Mighty Heart. Although initially a financial failure, A Mighty Heart was met with relatively positive reviews from both critics and viewers alike.The film was screened out of...
, and documentaries such as Deliver Us From Evil
Deliver Us from Evil (2006 film)
Deliver Us from Evil is a documentary film directed by Amy J. Berg which tells the true story of Catholic priest Oliver O'Grady, who admitted to having molested and raped approximately 25 children in Northern California between the late 1970s and early 1990s...
and The U.S. vs John Lennon.
Free screenings of Indonesian and South East Asian films such as Indonesia's The Photograph were also well-attended.
On the opening night, the newly-appointed Governor of Jakarta, Fauzi Bowo
Fauzi Bowo
Fauzi Bowo is the governor of Jakarta for the 2007–2012 term. He previously served as deputy governor....
, pledged his support for the festival for the duration of his term.
"A View from the SEA" was a feature that showcased free screenings of recent films from South East Asia. Titles such as Flower in the Pocket (Malaysia), Singapore GaGa (Singapore), and The Blossoming of Maximo Oliveros (Philippines) received critical acclaims from local media, and were popular with audiences.
JIFFEST entered a partnership with the American Film Institute
American Film Institute
The American Film Institute is an independent non-profit organization created by the National Endowment for the Arts, which was established in 1967 when President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the National Foundation on the Arts and the Humanities Act...
and its AFI Project 20/20, bringing titles like American Fork, Big Rig, Spine Tingler: The William Castle Story, Afghan Muscles, Cyrano Fernandez, Please Vote For Me, and Faro: Goddess of the Waters. The World Cinema Fund from the Berlin International Film Festival
Berlin International Film Festival
The Berlin International Film Festival , also called the Berlinale, is one of the world's leading film festivals and most reputable media events. It is held in Berlin, Germany. Founded in West Berlin in 1951, the festival has been celebrated annually in February since 1978...
sent the titles Atos dos Homens, Naousse, El Otro, Rome Rather than You, El Custodio, 'Possible Lives, and Suely in the Sky.
JIFFEST audiences attended sideline events such as the Behind-the-Scene Photo Exhibition, which displayed the processes of recent Indonesian film-making. This exhibition was held in Hotel InterContinental
InterContinental
InterContinental is a brand of upscale luxury hotels, founded by Pan American World Airways, under Juan Trippe, and now owned by InterContinental Hotels Group. The chain operates over 200 hotels and resorts in approximately 75 nations.-History:...
MidPlaza, Djakarta XXI, and Goethe Haus.
Among other events were Producer Panel, hosted by Shanty Harmayn and featuring film producers Michelle Yeoh
Michelle Yeoh
Michelle Yeoh Choo-Kheng is a Hong Kong-based Malaysian Chinese actress, well known for performing her own stunts in the action films that brought her to fame in the early 1990s....
from Malaysia and Lorna Tee from Hong Kong; Documentary Panel, hosted by Shanty Harmayn and featuring documentary filmmakers Pimpaka Towira from Thailand and Tan Pin Pin from Singapore; and a roundtable workshop on "How to Package Your DVD Release", hosted by Jeffrey Schwarz, CEO of Automat Pictures
Automat Pictures
Automat Pictures is a multi-award winning entertainment production company based in Los Angeles, which specializes in EPK, Blu-ray and DVD Added Value, as well original television programming, web content and independent feature film production....
from the United States.
2008: One decade of JIFFEST
For its tenth anniversary, the JIFFEST committee had originally planned to stage their biggest ever festival. However, a global financial crisis and difficulty raising funds forced the festival to be scaled down to a five-day event.Together with the World Cinema section, JIFFEST screened "A View from the SEA", introduced the previous year, which in 2008 featured the films Wonderful Town, Little Heart, and Tribu.
JIFFEST 2008 screened the ten highest-grossing Indonesian films of the past ten years. This celebration was followed by discussions featuring a variety of speakers, including filmmakers, government officials, and film critics. Indonesian films that premiered at the festival included They are Under The Tree, a documentary by Garin Nugroho; Drupadi, a short film by Riri Riza; and At Stake, a documentary produced by Nia Dinata and directed by several young talents.
The winners of the previous years' script development competition and workshop were screened: Traffic Jam by Tam Notosusanto, The Last Journey by Endah WS, and The Visit by Erwin Indrawan. Documentary films from the Goethe Institute workshop were shown.
2009: The eleventh JIFFEST
The JIFFEST 2009 line-up included some of the best of worldwide films, including those from ASEAN and the Madani Film Festival. There was an Islamic-themed program that was created together with rumahfilm.org, which was planned to run as a separate event the following year.The presence of Christian Scheurer (visual consultant for The Matrix
The Matrix
The Matrix is a 1999 science fiction-action film written and directed by Larry and Andy Wachowski, starring Keanu Reeves, Laurence Fishburne, Carrie-Anne Moss, Joe Pantoliano, and Hugo Weaving...
) and Petr Lom, who recorded Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's activities, were popular events, as were discussion panels on the topic of film promotion and marketing and the launch of Amir Muhammad’s book Yasmin Ahmad's Films.
The opening film, Sang Pemimpi, was the first Indonesian film featured as a JIFFEST opening film. The closing film was New York, I Love You
New York, I Love You
New York, I Love You is a 2009 romance film released in the United States on October 16, 2009. From the producer of Paris, je t'aime, it stars an ensemble cast, among them Bradley Cooper, Shia LaBeouf, Natalie Portman, Anton Yelchin, Hayden Christensen, Orlando Bloom, Irrfan Khan, Rachel Bilson,...
. In between were films representing 25 different countries.
2010: And JIFFEST for all
For its twelfth year, JIFFEST was held from 26 November to 5 December 2010 at Blitzmegaplex Pacific Place, Kineforum in the Ismail Marzuki Arts Centre, and Bina Nusantara UniversityBina Nusantara University
Binus University, formerly Bina Nusantara, is a university located in Jakarta, Indonesia.The university was originally founded on October 21, 1974 as the "Modern Computer Course," a short-term computer training institute, and gradually evolved into a full-scale university with undergraduate,...
International Campus, Jakarta. The main source of funding of JIFFEST came from foreign donors, and after its tenth year, the support ceased to exist. JIFFEST must now rely on the support of the government and local sponsors.
Films screened included Waiting for Superman
Waiting for Superman
Waiting for "Superman" is a 2010 documentary film from director Davis Guggenheim and producer Lesley Chilcott. The film analyzes the failures of American public education by following several students through the educational system, hoping to be selected in a lottery for acceptance into charter...
, The Day We Connect, Scott Pilgrim vs. the World
Scott Pilgrim vs. the World
Scott Pilgrim vs. the World is a 2010 comedy film directed by Edgar Wright, based on the graphic novel series Scott Pilgrim by Bryan Lee O'Malley. The film is about Scott Pilgrim , a young Canadian musician, meeting the girl of his dreams, Ramona Flowers , an American delivery girl...
, Outrage
Outrage (2010 film)
Outrage is a 2010 Japanese yakuza film directed by and starring Takeshi Kitano. It competed for the Palme d'Or at the 2010 Cannes Film Festival...
, The Wedding Photographer (Bröllopsfotografen), Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives
Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives
Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives is a 2010 Thai film directed by Apichatpong Weerasethakul. It won the Palme d'Or at the 2010 Cannes Film Festival.-Plot:The film centers on the last days in the life of its title character...
, and When We Leave
When We Leave
When We Leave is a 2010 German drama film, produced, written and directed by Feo Aladag, which highlights the problem of honour killings by depicting the drama of a Turkish family living in Germany.-Cast:* Sibel Kekilli - Umay* Nizam Schiller - Cem...
(Die Fremde).