History Panel

Exploring the role of women in the Indonesian film history and exploring the history of women film in Indonesia

The presentation and paper gives a brief overview about the Indonesian women filmmakers from the beginning until today.

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Mainstream perspectives regarding gender issues, both in popular and scholarly works, underline that generally films in Indonesian New Order (1966-1998) apply State Ibusim theories. On and off-screen, women were marginalized and represented as weak, silent, negative, housewificationed, dan domestificationed. State Ibuism theory was coined by Julia Suryakusuma, formulated based from PKK program (Pembinaan Kesejahteraan Keluarga (Family Welfare Movement), “azas kekeluargaan” (Family Principle), amd and Dharma Wanita (official organization for the wives of civil servants), which were officially issued in 1978. The theory highlight the official attempt of domistification of Indonesian women during New Order era.
However, Lisa (M Syariefuddin A, 1971), produced 7 years before the programs, is anomalous one. I argue that the film can be read as the window opportunity for producing the progressive film culture. I will answer how different the film with State Ibuism theory by undertaking textual analysis or a close reading of the film. And I will answer why it is different by undertaking New Cinema History approach and highlighting the paradoxes of New Order’s policies.

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My paper was motivated by my interest in film, especially horror and the issue of feminism. I believe horror movies can show the subconscious mind of a society built by a dominating system. The film is directed by Sisworo Gautama Putra, titled Sundel Bolong which I think can describe gender injustice during the New Order era. With Barbara Creed’s monstrous feminine perspective, I tried to reexamine the film with two broad outlines, namely Sundel Bolong as a victim of castration and castrater. The depiction of women as both is built by a strong patriarchal culture. In the film, Alisa’s conflict of gender injustice is depicted in almost every aspect of her life. Therefore, this paper seeks to describe the relationship between Sundel Bolong as a victim and the perpetrator of castration from what is on the screen when we watch the film Sundel Bolong by Sisworo Gautama Putra.

Keywords: Sundel Bolong film, castration, abject, patriarchy, monstrous feminine