Madani Classic
Through the program Madani Classic, we look at muslim cultures from various perspectives and learn about political events or conflicts through cinematic expressions that are very different from the esthetics of mass media. In this program, there are two films from the continent Africa. Both show muslim cultures in daily lives through the imaginations of two directors, Ousmane Sembene from Senegal and Borhane Alaouie from Lebanon.
Ousmane Sembene’s 1968 work is Mandabi. The film is made in the Wolof language and adapted from his own writing. In a humorous and ironic way, Sembene shows the world of wage labor and bureaucracy as a power play that preys on little people.
Beirutu al Lika was made in 1981. In a torn and divided city, two close friends Haydar and Zeyna try to meet again. In this film, Borhane Alaouie does not provide much clear clues about spiritual identity, but emphasizes two different worlds through the contrast between the chaotic and the orderly, traffic jams and gaps in access to telecommunications.
The two films in this year’s Madani Classic program again show the diversity of films set in muslim cultures. A durable significance in every Madani Festival’s program is to be able to see how muslim communities live amidst the encounters of Arabic and local languages.
“Ratna Asmara: Woman at the Two Side of Camera”
MADANI IFF X KELAS LIARSIP
Ratna’s works and art have almost been unheard of in the discussion of Indonesian film history. The book Ratna Asmara: Perempuan di Dua Sisi Kamera is a record of the collective journey by women in Kelas Liarsip to recover memories that have been marginalized for 70 years.
According to Umi Lestari, researcher, in Indonesia’s post-Reformation era tracing female figures in the local film history has its challenges. Researchers come up against lack of archives and must use imagination to have references to be able to outline women profiles and their agencies in the Indonesian film scene. This panel will discuss an anthology called Ratna Asmara: Perempuan di Dua Sisi Kamera, a record of the collaborative process of historical researchers and film preservation practicians to preserve memories of women’s works in cinema.
Embarking from Umi Lestari’s research on Ratna Asmara that began in 2020, a group of women designed a collaboration to examine archival materials, photos, and celluloid films. This collaborative process resulted in the digital format of Dr. Samsi (1952), Ratna Asmara’s directing as well as acting work based on a drama script written by Andjar Asmara. This version of Ratna’s adaptation is a story of family intrigue, class conflict, and questions about moral attitudes and spirituality.
ABOUT KELAS LIARSIP
Kelas Liarsip is a virtual study group focusing on film archives, restoration, and the history of women in Indonesian cinema. This group was established in March 2021. Liarsip is run by six women from diverse backgrounds bound by the same anxiety and concern. They are Efi Sri Handayani (film archivist, illustrator), Lisabona Rahman (film archivist), Umi Lestari (film history researcher), Julita Pratiwi (film academic, film history researcher), Imelda Mandala (programmer, photofrager), and Siti Anisah (film archive manager).
Liarsip decided to borrow its name from underground class (kelas liar), an old tradition that was part of the progressive movements’ organizing strategies in Indonesia in early 20th century. The name is a combination of liar (underground) and arsip (archive). Based on Umi Lestari’s research, in 2022 Kelas Liarsip traces the life and work of the filmmaker Ratna Asmara (1913–1968) who during her lifetime worked and traveled throughout the archipelago and Southeast Asia.
Speakers
Efi Sri Handayani (Kelas Liarsip)
Umi Lestari (Kelas Liarsip)
Feby Indirani (Author and Researcher on Feminism)
Moderator
Gietty Tambunan (Lecturer at Universitas Indonesia, Film Committee – Jakarta Arts Council)
Friday, October 14, 2022 at 4 - 5 pm | Galeri Cipta 1 Taman Ismail Marzuki
Mandabi
Ousmane Sembène | Drama | 1968 | 92 min | France, Senegal | Sub : English | 13+
An out of work man from Senegal is sent a money order by his nephew. Unfortunately, the uncle has no identity card which will enable him to cash the check. He tries to obtain a card, but is stymied because he lacks a birth certificate. In order to get this valuable document, he must have a photograph taken. and on and on and on it goes. The poor man’s nightmarish foray into the honeycomb-like world of African bureaucracy is all part of his nephew’s plan to avoid paying a long-standing debt.
Awards:
Nominee Golden Spike, Best Film Valladolid International Film Festival 1969
Beirutu al Lika
Borhane Alaouié | Drama | 1981| 125 min | Lebanon, Tunisia | Sub : English | 13+
Beirut, 1977. Zeina (Nadine Acoury) is about to leave the country, just like many Lebanese are doing again today. Haydar (Haitham El Amine) hasn’t been in the city for very long; he had to leave his village because of the civil war. The two haven’t seen each other in years, although a sense of longing has endured. The nature of their relationship–whether friendship, romance, or something in between–is deliberately left vague by the film’s director, Borhane Alaouié, who died in September. The camera follows the two of them for around 24 hours, past checkpoints and ruins, stuck in traffic, waiting in vain in a café. Suspense arises from the question of whether they will manage to see each other one last time.
Awards:
Nominee Golden Berlin Bear, Berlin International Film Festival 1982
Nominee, Golden Lion, Venice Film Festival 1981