Chapter 1 Introduction 1.1 Background The existence of women and their bodies is vital in the past, present, and future of cinema. According to Bernadette Wegenstein, the body itself is a living image that serves to, "perceive, project, or remember images". Since the beginning of Indonesian cinematic history, women have always been placed at the forefront of the silver screen. In the late 30s, audiences looked to Roekiah, the start of Terang Boelan (1937), Fatima (1938), and Alang-Alang (1939), a triple success that managed to revive the local film industry. In post-colonial 1950s, Usmar Ismail explored the idea of the new Indonesian woman in his musicals, Tiga Dara (1956) and Asrama Dara (1958). The 70s saw the rise of romantic melodramas with women at the forefront of the story, such as Teguh Karya's Badai Pasti Berlalu (1977). Meanwhile, the decade also brought the rise of sex comedies, such as Inem Pelayan Sexy (1976) and sex horrors, such as Beranak Dalam Kubur (1972). Post-New Order contemporary cinema has been more varied in their representation of female protagonists, from Ada Apa Dengan Cinta? (2002), Chants of Lotus (2001), to About A Woman (2014). There have not been many contemporary Indonesian films that were directed by women and portrayed women, but some of the few are Nan T. Achnas' Pasir Berbisik (2001), Nia Dinata's Berbagi Suami (2006), Mouly Surya's What They Don't Talk About When They Talk About Love (2013), Kamila Andini's The Mirror Never Lies (2011), and Djenar Maesa Ayu's They Say I'm A Monkey (2008). These films, besides offering an authentic perspective on female identity within cinema, also employ certain methods to explore female bodies in public and private spaces within the cinematic frame. The bodies of women are displayed and utilized across genres. Without the existence and labor of female bodies, it is impossible to create and shape certain genres. Yet, 7 female bodies within these genres are merely used as tools of objectification and are consequently, Othered. Within the "male genre" of action, comedy, horror, and hybrid-sex genres, women's bodies are utilized as an object of desire. While within the "female genre" of drama and romcoms, women and their bodies are still confined to traditional conventions, existing merely in relation to their male, romantic counterparts. It is therefore important for films to approach the female body with the understanding that it is a complex material subject, especially concerning how they exist within public and private spaces. 1.2 Female Filmmakers In Indonesian Cinema At the time of the New Order, Indonesian cinema was working under the system of the Ministry of Information, that established rules and regulations for filmmakers. The system was labelled under KFT or Persatuan Karyawan Film dan Televisi, which stated that a filmmaker must have experience in becoming Script Continuity (three times) and Assistant Director (three times), before becoming a director. This rigurous system created constrictions to filmmakers, especially women, and become a governmental, systematic glass ceiling. A research conducted by Krishna Sen states that from 1965 to 1985, out of 1170 films made in Indonesia, there were only a dozen films directed by women. Unsuprisingly, due to the male dominated industry, there have not been a lot of spaces for female voices and perspectives. This means that the majority of films that portrayed and displayed female characters were seen through a male perspective, or using the term that Laura Mulvey coined, through the male gaze. 1.2.1 Nan T. Achnas Nan T. Achnas is an Indonesian filmmaker, film theorist, and film curator. She was born in Singapore and grew up in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. She studied Directing in Institut Kesenian Jakarta where she made a short filmed titled, Hanya Satu Hari and won the Grand Prix Award in Tokyo. She received her master’s degree in Film Studies in the University of East Anglia as a Chevening Scholar. She worked as a journalist in The Jakarta Post for a time, and continued making films as a director 8 and producer until now. She has received funding and several awards for her films Kuldesak (1998), Pasir Berbisik (2001), Bendera (2003), and The Photograph (2007). When she returned to Jakarta, Indonesia to pursue her career, she was aware of the KFT which confined filmmaking to a difficult system. She turned to journalism, and also become a professor in IKJ and made advertisements for agencies. When the New Order collapsed, the Indonesian filmmaking industry saw a rebirth, and more women filmmakers appeared. Apart from Nan Achnas, there was also Nia Dinata, Mira Lesmana, and Shanty Harmayn. Achnas did not experience personal sexual discrimination during her career in the industry, but she admits that the New Order system did create boundaries for filmmakers and there still exists a minor or a false representation of women in cinema. Achnas believes that in order for women to be successfully represented in the industry and within the film itself, they must be conscious of “how they carry themselves” and “set out parameters” of their control. In an interview with Nan T. Achnas, she mentions how she has a “conscious effort as a director on how she constructs images.” Using The Photograph as an example, she explains how the premise of the film lies upon an understanding and exploration of how to create images, both fake and real, and how to capture the human body. Her films has a high degree of control, from the cinematography, to the lighting, to the colors, to the set design, which she translates through the characters that she places on screen and the decisions that they make. Within her films, she always places strong women, specifically from marginal communities, in focus and how they managed to survive difficult stations, and preserve their strength. Especially in terms of women’s physicality, Achnas believes that women are most often seen in fragments and are disembodied by society, and what she hopes to create through her films, is a “whole person”. 1.3 The Photograph The Photograph is an Indonesian feature film that was directed by Nan Achnas and produced by Shanty Harmayn under several production companies, amongst which 9 are Trixi Images, Salto Images, and Les Petites Lumieres. The film was released on the 5th of July, 2007. The film stars Shanty as the protagonist, Sita and Kay Tong Lim as Johan. The film was funded by several production companies, including, Centre National de la Cinématographie (CNC), Goteborg Film Fund, Les Petites Lumieres, Ministère des Affaires étrangères et du Développement International, Open Doors Factory, Orangewaterland, Prince Claus Film Fund, Salto Films, The Swiss Agency for Development & Cooperation, Triximages, Visions Sud Est. The film follows Sita, a Javanese woman who moves to the city of Semarang, and becomes a karaoke hostess in order to provide for her daughter and grandmother in her village. At the start of the film, she lives with her friend Rosi (Indy Barends), who works as a seamstress, but due to a visit from Rosi's relatives, she must find somewhere else to live in. In addition, Sita is hiding from her former pimp, Suroso (Lukman Sardi), who demands that she pays back her debts to him. Sita finds temporary lodgings in an old dormitory at the Chinese quarters, and meets the landlord and travelling photographer, Johan who lets her live in the attic. Sita also frequently asks Johan to take photographs of her to send to her daughter. From the neighbours, Sita learns that Johan's wife and son left him, but was run down by a train in the tracks. Since then, Johan leaves offerings every morning in the spot where they died. One night, while performing sexual services for Suroso's clients, Sita is beaten up, and she runs away. During the chase, Johan saves Sita and a train runs down Suroso. Unwilling to return to her old job, Sita offers to be Johan's maid and temporary assistant. She discovers that he is dying and he is intent on finding a man to become the heir of his photography shop. The pair travels together around the city, taking photographs of locals, pasting posters for assistants and interviewing them. During this time, Sita grows closer to Johan. She discovers an old box where he kept photographs of his family and learns from him that it was he, who left the family, and since then, he has been carrying the guilt of their death. As months pass by, Johan becomes even more ill, and asks Sita to take a photograph of him with her. He dies while she takes the photograph. It is revealed later that Sita finally returns to her village and reunites with her daughter, who is the narrator of the film. 10 The film was praised by Variety, who praised the "keen eye and quality lensing" which created "a visually luxuriant film experience." The Photograph have been screened in multiple international film festivals worldwide, and received accolades in the following awards: Won: 1. Golden Horse Film Festival, Netpac Award, 2008 2. Karlovy Vary International Film Festival, Award of Ecunemical Jury, 2008 3. Karlovy Vary International Film Festival, Special Prize of the Jury, 2008 4. Rotterdam International Film Festival, Prince Claus Fund Film Grant, 2002 Nominated: 1. Cinemanila International Film Festival, Best Southeast Asian Film, 2008 2. Karlovy Vary International Film Festival, Crystal Globe, 2008 3. Kerala International Film Festival, Golden Crow Pheasant, 2008 4. Tallin Black Nights Film Festival, Grand Prize, 2008 1.4 Research Problem Statement In The Photograph, the protagonist, Sita is a character in the margins of society.