Riri Riza: The Priority is Film Industry!* Written by Jurnal Footage Thursday, 01 April 2010 20:18 - Last Updated Sunday, 04 April 2010 02:51
In absence of clear cultural policies, Indonesians cultural activists often protest. After more than 60 years since our independence, debate on the directions of Indonesia’s modern culture continues to roll. But to date, nothing has come out satisfactorily for all parties involved. “What if the absence of directions on cultural policies in our country turns out to be necessary? Because of that absence, all of us move toward to finding our identity,” is Riri Riza’s remark regarding our current development in the industry. We need to be “grateful” for the fact that, in our film industry, there are filmmakers who produce sex, horror, and other market-responsive genres. With their presence, we can assess and balance out the good from the bad. “We’ll be dead when all we have is religious films. Or when all films are meant to be normative like Laskar Pelangi (Th e Rainbow Troops ), we’re doomed! At least we’re not a puritan country,” he criticized Indonesian films, including his own works.
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