Remembering May 98: Short Films From Indonesia's Turning Point

Tropical Southeast Asia can feel a long way from Beijing – especially in the depths of our icy winters. Indonesia is one of China’s most distant Asian neighbors, yet events there, as in the rest of the region, have vital economic and political implications for the PRC. This Sunday, local short film group Electric Shadows is giving Beijingers a chance to peek into an explosive turning point in Indonesia’s recent past with the 9808 Anthology – ten short films by Indonesian filmmakers commemorating the tumultuous events that changed the course of Indonesia’s history in May 1998.

Dan Edwards spoke via email with one of the producers of the 9808 Anthology, Prima Rusdi, in Indonesia’s capital Jakarta.

How did the 9808 Anthology come about?
It was initiated by Hafiz Ruru, Edwin [one of Indonesia’s best known contemporary filmmakers], and myself after we realized that nobody had any plan to capture the tenth year of political reform. The project consists of ten short films by ten directors of various backgrounds. Each director highlights his/her take on the importance of the political reform that took place in Indonesia in May 1998.

For those not familiar with Indonesian history, can you tell us briefly what happened in May 1998, and why it was a turning point for your country?
To sum it up very briefly, May 1998 was the pivotal point that ended the 32 years of oppression by the late President Suharto's regime. A series of movements to topple Suharto were initiated by university students all over Indonesia. Despite support from the public, these movements were challenged by Suharto's regime, which had the military to back it up.

When a group of students were killed by the military during a riot in Jakarta, Suharto's regime had no choice but to step down.

How have things changed in Indonesia since the events of May 1998?
For the first couple of years, of course, there was this euphoria that led to the romantic idea that everything could be done or changed for the better in no time.

However, it's been proven that the new era calls for strong leadership to map out where the country should go. Democracy does not necessarily cure the old habits of corruption. Democracy also does not bring an instant prosperity, nor does it bring equality in terms of education etc.

The best part probably is the fact that things are now out in the open. The press has more freedom, yet corruption among government officials is still rampant. The public faith in law enforcers is pretty low, thanks to various reports of corruption amongst higher ranking officers.

How did you choose the filmmakers for the Anthology?
Since we aimed to create discussions with younger audiences, we deliberately invited younger directors, mostly in their early 30s or mid/late 20s, who might have experienced or witnessed the 1998 events first hand, but hadn't shared their experiences with the public.

What were you hoping to achieve with the project?
Discussion among the public, so that people would not easily forgot things that might or should shape us as people, individuals and citizens.

Also that it is ok to have a personal take on events that might be different to “official history” texts.

How did you fund the project?
Knowing that we had no money, Hafiz and Edwin threw out what I thought was a crazy idea: to invite ten directors to get involved in the project and ask everyone involved to produce his/her film without any financial support.

Most of the directors hadn't met one another before the project. To our surprise, it was quite easy to get the participants and they also got along great with each other. We only had a couple of meetings with all the participants before the project was completely done.

Later, we had support from other artists/filmmaker friends who helped us with more technical aspects of the anthology like sound mixing, post-scoring, final editing, etc.

Some of the biggest support came from Kineforum, the only art house cinema that we have in Jakarta, who agreed to screen the anthology for two weeks.

Where else has the 9808 anthology screened?
After the first screening on 13 May 2008, we started to get some press and reviews, and various invitations from universities/public places all around the country and the region.

Less than a month after its first screening, we received an invitation from South Korea’s Pusan International Film Festival [the biggest film festival in Asia]. After Pusan, the 9808 films were selected by Rotterdam International Film Festival and screened there in January 2009.

Since then the 9808 films have circled the globe.

What was the reaction to the films in Indonesia?
The reaction has been overwhelming – not in terms of audience numbers, but in terms of the level/quality of discussion surrounding the topic. You may want to check our blog.

We never expected the reaction from academics and film critics, who praised this project as “one of the most important films” of 2008.

Finally, what do the 9808 films offer for audiences outside Indonesia?
A glimpse at what Indonesia looks like today.

The 9808 Anthology will be screened by Electric Shadows at 2pm on Sunday, August 1; Penghao Theater. RMB 30. See here for a summary of all the films.