Director Wregas Says Film Must Go On, Despite Censorship
Jakarta. The Jakarta Institute of Arts will hold "Focus on Wregas Bhanuteja" at their Cikini campus in Jakarta on Saturday (04/05) highlighting five short films by the 23-year old director, including a recent Cannes winner "Prenjak."
Returning from Cannes on Thursday, Wregas said the Saturday event is like a homecoming party, as he feels the Institute is "just like a family."
"Prenjak" was filmed in hometown Yogyakarta earlier this year, when Wregas took a break from filming behind the scenes of Indonesian box office hit "Ada Apa Dengan Cinta 2." Armed with 5D camera and a small crew of 15 people — all of them his high school friends — Wregas poured his thoughts and imagination in a story inspired by match sellers commonly found in Yogya back in the 80s and 90s.
Compared to his other films "Senyawa," "Lembusura," "Lemantun" and "The Floating Chopin," "Prenjak" stands out for featuring frontal nudity. Wregas said the nude scenes were played by body doubles, not his actors, and filmed in a rented room.
"It was a tough thing to do. We went to a prostitution area in Yogya to find body doubles, but it didn't work out. We had cameras in our hands, so we stood out like a sore thumb and people were afraid. Someone finally got me in touch with nude models, who refused to be named in this project and they were willing to do it," he said.
He is not worried about censorship.
"If Indonesia cannot accept my films, that's alright with me. I can play my film at other places. Every country in the world has its own rules that we must follow," he said.
The Ministry of Education and Culture sponsored his travels to France to attend Cannes film festival. Wregas, cast and crew were invited to a ceremony to celebrate the Cannes win with minister Anies Baswedan on Sunday.
Kolektif Film and Institut Francais d'Indonesie (IFI) will be playing his short films including "Prenjak" at IFI Jakarta studio on Thursday, June 2, 4.30 p.m. Registration opens at 3.30 p.m. Ticket is Rp 35,000 ($2.55) per person and Rp 50,000 for a couple.
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