. The Jakarta Pos -PEOPLE Thursday, December 13, 2007 Aryo Danusiri Breaking new ground for observational cinema ‘AS Danusiti explains, his pha Samara. documentaries are “born not documentary film in terms of with his subjects in order to cally produced films ... thar out of a grand idea, but rather ‘the difference between hunt- gain their genuine trust. Only: address themseloes to actual intimate relations to bring up jing and fishing: “With hunting, then can the real story emerge. life and sociocultural situa- | ator tvom within” He dacs You look for something. You For Danvsin, the Key Is devel- tions will require the creation this through “observational are projecting your ideas onto oping sincere human connec- ofanew atmosphereforfim- | nema’ a siyleofdocumen- reality But with fishing, you ons. With fishing, you have making even, though | ‘ary film that developed in the are being patient in time and _ tobe ielas sincere) in follow er ae area te 1960s as part of a conscious space. Being there with your ing your character ... to give ream of making fms that | tere sothmiife a unfolds, «subject; you atch” the them your time and energy ee ee ‘without imposing the film moment.” be their interlocutor .. but this ot oe, maker's agenda onto the story ‘This approach to filmmak- is a process.” What is impor- Bltely died ix the hearss of | Urhenartatorswice onto te ing. has. brought Danusiri tant isthe way in which the ‘other fitmmakers — Salim | Sountrack, inferational acclaim for his documentary flmoaler serves ai Stare eee vet Observational cinema privi- award-winning documentary as interlocutor, not as authori- Sereen (1991:21-128) legen the kinds. of truths Lukes Moment, which tell the fequted™ through” fming ory of young Papua she et inDansi Reece: cau itso the indghts, -erma. However the desire to documentary Playing Bcnocen eMac Peay eee te mci ct Impese ones own ideos in doc” Elephonta is that he was not $$$ i “talking head” interviews umentary filmmaking is not filming with an agenda or to i a about a particular subject. any to oversome. As Daniel ain anyone's ds, Hahes a see Titerinaeete cosuneciary) — aueseatiyrecmita "Because of | jeloaa Rlnunoker wea torte assured that the dream of been dominated by the latter. twice with two characters gible to others. UUpite Tama is indeadialin Danie explains the dif before Tmet Lalas” This film" Danusrt brings this unique Umar ismall is indeed alive | tne between observational taught. Danusit the impor~ filmmaking talent to his cur- GSrumettatracgguag | Sa a aherebcr of ant of going fing attr poled. nner, adage ed 7 fo “fishing” requires a jake films about themasives, different approach, one ‘These films are later viewed enhanced by an ethnographie and discussed by other com- encounter where the filmmak- munities in Indonesia. These er spends long days and nights films become a tool for initiat- rather than market-driven caricatures — requires more than a “new atmosphere” for filmmaking. It requires a new way of looking at Indonesia and a new way of telling sto- ries about Indonesia,‘The Jakarta Post Thursday, December 13, 2007 ing discussion and encourag- ing understanding about a range of issues central to the very diversity of Indonesia (for example, the implementation of Islamic law in certain dis triets) Rather than listening to pundits who have their own agendas, Indonesians can use these filmic representations to think about and to engage on these issues through conversa- tions with each other, For Danusiri, the power of film lies in its ability to cross bound- aries, to negotiate diversi and to transcend our stereo: types of the other: In his docu- mentary style, Danusiri differ entiates between melihat (ust “seeihg”) and menatap (actu- ally looking intently). Indeed, the brilliance of his films is their capacity to provide new ways of looking at Indonesia by carefully documenting the real lives of Indonesians. Danusiri has developed his filmmaking style over the course of several years and has received international recog- ARYO DANUSIRI nition for his efforts. In 2001, his first Aceh documentary Vil- lage Goat Takes the Beating ‘was an official selection at the Amnesty Film Festival in Rot- terdam, In recent years, his other films have been screened at various film festivals including the Royal Anthropo- logical Institute (where,he was awarded the “Blackwell Best Student Prize”), the Margaret ‘Mead Film Festival, as well as other festivals in Singapore, Brisbane, Taiwan, and Japan. In 2005, Danusiri completed this master's in Visual Cultural Studies at Tromsoe University in Norway, under the tutelage of renowned ethnographic film scholar Peter Ian Craw- ford. In 2007, Danusixi was awarded a Fulbright Presiden- tial Scholar Award to pursue a PhD in Anthropology and Ethnographic Film at Harvard University in the United States. After completing his doctorate, Danusiri will return to Indonesia to produce more films and to teach the art of observational cinema, Couresy gre rua