The winners with Nauval Yazid and Meninaputri Wismurti (ft. EoS 2024)
LibraryPost.com Jakarta / Three Indonesian short films, that won the Short Film Pitching Project (SFPP) at Europe on Screen (EoS) 2023, premiered on Sunday, 9 June 2024 at Europe on Screen 2024. The three films are Tinah Buys Cigarette by Gugun Arief from Banyuwangi, Firman Firman by Kurnia Alexander from Jakarta, and How to be a Man by William K from Tangerang. The premiere was attended by Stéphane Mechati, Deputy Head of the Delegation of the European Union (EU) to Indonesia, as well as Meninaputri Wismurti and Nauval Yazid, Co-Directors of the EoS 2024 Film Festival.
“The European Union continues to support young Indonesian filmmakers to grow and continue making films with diverse stories and ideas. Through the Short Film Pitching Project at Europe on Screen Film Festival, we are not only helping them produce film ideas, but also bridging them with professionals in both the European and Indonesian film industry in order to share and exchange knowledge,” said Stéphane Mechati, Deputy Head of the EU Delegation to Indonesia.
During the EoS 2023 SFPP competition, the film ideas of the three winners surpassed seven other finalists and received a total of IDR 108.5 million in partial production funds, audio post-production facilities, film production classes and special gift packages from EoS, SAE Indonesia and Kemala Home Living.
“There were 171 ideas submitted to the Short Film Pitching Project Europe on Screen 2023. Choosing these three winning films was not easy with many great ideas from all over Indonesia. In the end, the juries chose projects that represent situations and social issues in our society, as well as considering production timeline and readiness so the films can be premiered this year,” said Meninaputri Wismurti, Co-Director of the 2024 EoS Film Festival. Jakarta (10/6/2024).
Q & A the winners photo with Nauval Yazid and Meninaputri Wismurti (ft. EoS 2024)
Held since 2018, the SFPP is a short film competition that invites emerging filmmakers to submit their short film ideas. From all submissions, 10 finalists are selected to present their ideas in front of a board of jury who then select three winners.
Nauval Yazid, Co-Director of the 2024 EoS Film Festival said, “The story ideas of these three films are fresh, we have never seen them in previous years of SFPP. Moreover, the filmmakers top the ideas with unique style in filming their stories, resulting in films worthy of subsequent screenings in festivals in Indonesia and worldwide.”
The first winner, Tinah Buys Cigarettes, is a 20-minute-long film and stars Vonny Anggraini, Betet Kunamsinam and Mbeno Aji Putro. The film, which uses Indonesian and Javanese languages, tells the story of a wife who is very tired of her marriage but regains strength when attacked by motorcycle thugs. Gugun Arief, the director of Tinah Buys Cigarettes, said that his win at SFPP EoS 2023 was the beginning of an opportunity to enter the film industry, both locally and internationally. His next step is to bring Tinah Buys Cigarettes to various film festivals.
“As of today, Tinah Buys Cigarettes has been submitted to four local and international festivals that we prioritise. While waiting for the results, we will apply to other film festivals and local non-regular screenings,” Gugun explained.
Firman Firman tells the story of Firman, an actor who tries to maintain his identity and his rights of privacy while being interviewed for his latest film. Kurnia Alexander, the director, recounts the process of choosing the actor to play Firman, which went to Mochisyam Hidayat.
Premiere of the winning films EoS 2024 (ft. EoS 2024)
“I first met Isyam at a film screening, and I could already see some uniqueness in him. There is an attractive star aura at the first meeting, plus his vulnerability and good attitude. Once I knew he could act as well, I was immediately interested in casting him,” Kurnia explains.
The third winning film titled How to be a Man, takes place in a swim club and tells the story of Farel who feels inferior because of the fine hairs growing around his belly button. According to director William K, the biggest challenge he faced was his lead actor, Muzakki Ramdhan, who cannot swim freestyle.
“Making Zaki’s swimming movements look convincing was a challenge for us. So, before the filming began, we held a freestyle swimming training session for Zaki. Plus, our filming location had a two- metre-deep flat pool, so we provided life guards to keep the actors safe during the swimming scenes,” William recalls. (EDITOR BY OKL)
Firman Firman Trailer (mp4 by EoS 2024)