Riri Riza’s Film Works Retrospective in Prague

With his successful latest film which has also become Indonesia’s biggest box office, THE RAINBOW TROOPS (LASKAR PELANGI), Riri Riza’s outstanding skill in directing is out of question.

The film, which has broken the record as Indonesia’s most viewed film in theaters with more than 4 million audiences has also begun to gain international acceptances. Selected in the Panorama section of the prestigious Berlin International Film Festival (Berlinale) 2009, and nominated for Best Film and Best Editor categories at the 3rd Asian Film Awards 2009, THE RAINBOW TROOPS flares radiantly, illuminating Riri’s previous film works.

SHERINA’s ADVENTURE (PETUALANGAN SHERINA) Riri’s debut feature film was viewed by 1 million theater audiences in 2000. ELIANA, ELIANA, which he directed in 2002, seized the attention of film critiques worldwide. It was screened in a number of international film festivals and gained a few credits, as Best Young Cinema in Singapore International Film Festival 2002 and Special Mention for Dragons & Tigers Award in Vancouver International Film Festival 2002.

Riri’s endeavor in 2005 was a present for the Indonesian cinema, since he came up with 2 films; DEAR RENA (UNTUK RENA) a family movie, and GIE, a film which depicts the contradictions in the mind of a young political activist who lived in the ’66 era, Soe Hok Gie. GIE won Pusan Promotion Plan as The Most Promising Project for Hubert Bals Fund, received Best Film in the Indonesian Film Festival (FFI 2005), and proudly won the Special Jury Prize Award at The 51st Asian Pacific Film Festival 2006.

Riri released 3 DAYS TO FOREVER (3 HARI UNTUK SELAMANYA) in 2007, and it rapidly became the talk of domestic and international society, proven by its being screened in more than 15 international film festivals throughout Asia, Australia, Europe, and America. The film, which won the Best Indonesian Film Award of Jakarta International Film Festival 2007, underlined Riri’s proficiency in film directing,  as he came out as the winner of The Best Director Award in 35th Brussels International Independent Film Festival.
The distinctive idiosyncrasy of Riri’s works successfully lures the Indonesian Embassy in  Prague to promote  a film festival solely for Riri’s works, which will be screened in theaters in Prague – Czech, and also scheduled to be expanded to a few other European cities, Vienna – Austria, Beograd – Serbia,  and Hamburg – Germany. The initiative is in line with the desires of Indonesian film industry enthusiasts who are eager to boost Indonesian film industry’s competitiveness in the international arena. It is their goal that the event could become a milestone, starting the journey toward a more aggressive Indonesian film industry, and rewarding additional values to Indonesia’s competitiveness as a nation.

The course of activities is titled ’Indonesian Film Festival 2009: Focus on Riri Riza’. It’s a retrospective; a term commonly refers to an art exhibition assembled to allow a look back at an individual artist’s career. The film festival, which is scheduled to run in spring, from May 19th to 21th, became an important agenda of the Indonesian Embassy in Prague to display and to specifically point out the characteristic of Riri’s art works, which has always been faithful in reflecting the rich details of Indonesian contemporary society. In honor of Riri Riza, Jiri Menzel, Czech’s Oscar winning film director, has agreed to engage as a patron in this year Indonesian Film Festival in Prague.

Salim Said, The Indonesian Ambassador for Czech Republic, commented, ‘The Indonesian Film Festival in Czech has been conducted by the Indonesian Embassy in Prague for the past three years, since 2007. The festival this year decided the theme ‘Riri Riza’s Film Work Retrospective’ as a tribute to Riri Riza’s works of arts and the recognitions he has achieved from various international film festivals. With these celebrated films, the Indonesian Embassy in Prague would like to introduce the culture of Indonesia to the people of the Republic of Czech. Of course, on the other side, this will also highlight Indonesian films’ competitive film qualities which are as competent as films made by every other country.”

It took the last 6 months to plan and to construct the event which was once only a small glimpse of hope and desire, a solid proof of the raising international interest in Indonesian’s works of art. The event shall introduce the valuable Indonesian culture and promote the quality of Indonesian films in the European countries.

Contact Details:
Andanari – Publicist MILES Films
Pangeran Antasari 17
Jakarta, INDONESIA
p. +62 21 7500 503 / 7500 739
f. +62 21 7581 7755
e. milespublicist@yahoo.com