Goldy Ventura (KAORI Newsline – Jakarta)
Favourite Film: Chihayafuru
I watched some great films that made the audience emotionally carried away by. Back then, the hype was so high. The theatre was packed with audience. The casts of the film were also present in the screening, which made the event special.
Halimun Muhammad (The Indonesian Anime Times – Greater Jakarta)
Favourite Film: Tamako Love Story, Chihayafuru, The Tale of Princess Kaguya
The first time JFF was held in Jakarta in 2015 was momentous in many ways. For its animation offering, for instance, the event marked the first time Evangelion 3.0 was shown at Indonesian theatres, five years after Evangelion 2.0 did. But the more memorable animated films I saw in that same event were Studio Ghibli’s The Tale of the Princess Kaguya and Kyoto Animation’s Tamako Love Story. Kaguya‘s art style fascinatingly places it in the legacy of medieval emaki (picture scrolls) illustrations, something that director Isao Takahata had attributed as a predecessor of the art of animation. On the other hand, there is also something that feels rather modern in the characterization of the film’s characters, making for an intriguing combination of “tradition” and “modernity”. Tamako Love Story, on the other hand, had directed my attention to appreciate more on the subtler aspects of visual storytelling in expressing the characters’ emotions. From the character acting, framing, camera effects, to colour design; all are masterfully crafted to bring the audience into its space of youthful conflicted feelings.
For the live-action film, the Chihayafuru film series was the centrepiece of JFF 2016. And indeed, with powerful direction and excellent acting from the cast, the film is able to make Chihaya and friends’ struggles to get through the karuta competition and their relationship dramas feel gripping. I’ve also thought of adding One Cut of the Dead that was shown in 2018. But then I remembered that I actually watched the film in its regular screening rather than at JFF. So I guess I’ll just let someone else who actually watched the feature at the Festival to write about it.
Aside from feature films, 2015’s JFF in Indonesia was also notable for showcasing a diverse selection of animated shorts featuring various fascinating animation techniques. But more than that, several creators of the shorts were also present as guests, discussing their arts with Indonesian animators for a cool moment of cultural exchange.
There was also a regret I had from that JFF, though. Because my activities would not make it possible to see all the films, I had decided to focus mainly on being able to catch up with all of the animated line ups, missing the live-action films’ line up completely. However, the booklet detailing the films of that year’s line up provided some interesting context of the social issues some of the films were inspired by; and it made me curious afterwards to at least see how those films think about those situations. Another biggest regret was from JFF 2018 when I was not able to see Shoplifters. The film’s screenings had either sold out, or happened to screen at hours when I could not go to the cinema. Even with extra screening added later, I still couldn’t catch up with it and it was sold out again.
For 2020, I’m really grateful that JFF made the decision to hold the event online. Although watching the films through gadgets would not make the same experience as watching them in a theatre setting along with other viewers, but at least this move makes it possible to still get some new films to see while still in the safety of home (and allow for more flexible scheduling too).
Dody Kusumanto (KAORI Newsline – Jakarta)
Favourite Film: Gamera: Guardian of the Universe
The most memorable JFF for me was actually in 2018 when the event was held in Jakarta with Japan Cinema Week. Unlike the usual JFF line-up, the 2018 JFF film line up consisted of not only the “art films” (the types of films that are typically presented at prestigious film festivals) but also the more mainstream films. The more varied line up made the festival easier for me to enjoy since the mainstream films are something that I can understand, while the art films are things that can only be enjoyed by those who have a deep understanding of Japanese cinema.
Moreover, that year’s event also screened not only more recently-produced films but also old films. It was a good chance to see many legendary Japanese films that represented a certain era of Japanese filmmaking. Honestly, I missed JFF 2018 film line up, which contained a more diverse line up that contains both “art film” and more popular film.
The Indonesian Anime Times
