Tips for Building a Film Community Ecosystem: Learning from Ade Hidayat’s Experience in Kalimantan
The film ecosystem in Kalimantan is underdeveloped and arguably non-existent. In fact, Kalimantan has abundant storytelling despite the lack of insight into the ecosystem and film traditions. That was before Ade started pioneering the film culture there. Ade Hidayat, UII Communications Alumni, class of 2005, shared his experience with live viewers of UII’s IP Communications Instagram (@ ip.communication.uii).
His presentation was delivered in the 12th episode of the routine talk show “Teatime” on September 18, 2020. The event hosted by M. Iskandar T. Gunawan, UII Communication Laboratory Assistant, also explored Ade Hidayat’s inspirational experience. For example, how he assembled his skills in film since he was in college in the first semester.
The story shows Ade is not a new player in the world of film. He is also a pioneer since his activities in the film community at UII Communication Department several years ago by building Kompor.kom (student community in film). His story soared to the story of his persistence in building a film culture in his hometown.
Lack of community and people who care about the film ecosystem is the most important issue why Ade wants to revive the film ecosystem in Kalimantan. Turning on the film ecosystem that Ade did not produce results so quickly. It took him seven years.
For 2 years observing the film ecosystem in Kalimantan, Ade finally got friends who matched his passion. Initially he made film screenings and a large map of film activity plans. This took five years. The first year, he created a program called Ngofi. (film talks) The second year, the film education year. The third year, he made a simple film production. Then in the fourth year, film production was carried out again and at the same time intensified its distribution. Unfortunately, the plans for the fifth year have stalled due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
The Consistency of Film Production
Ade’s spirit did not just appear. Many filmmakers in other areas also influenced it. For example, the Makassar film entitled Uang Panai, which cost about 450 million rupiah to produce. The target audience for this local film production can reach 550 thousand viewers.
Not only that, Uang Panai received a special award for Regional Film Production from the Indonesian Box Office Movie Award (IBOMA) in 2017. Ade Hidayat felt motivated and finally pioneered the film ecosystem in Kalimantan with Uang Panai’s success. The hope is that someday all the filmmakers in Kalimantan have films that deserve to be known throughout Indonesia and even the world.
In simple ways, Ade can now experience the strong film culture in the area. Absolutely, it doesn’t come out of a vacuum. The key to Ade’s success in the world of film lies in how during college he created social networks, collaborations, and has goals to stay consistent. “Communication is the key to everything, ”said Ade.
Gunawan, the Host in this discussion, shared a similar view. Lecture is a field to cultivate relationships, practice collaboration, and not forgetting consistency. “Get as much experience as possible while in the world of campus,” concluded Gunawan.
Writer: Ridwan Ainurrahman, UII Communication Science Student 2016, Internship at the UII International Communication Program.
Editor: A. Pambudi W.
