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Indonesia
Editor's note: In March 1999, the Fukuoka City Public Library Film Archive held a one-day seminar devoted to Indonesian cinema. Here are two important contributions from this seminar.
May our colleagues from Fukuoka be thanked for making these essays available.
En mars 1999, la Fukuoka City Public Library Film Archive organisa un séminaire consacré au cinéma indonésien. Grâce à nos amis de Fukuoka, nous sommes en mesure de publier deux contributions importantes au séminaire.
En marzo 1999, la Fukuoka City Public Library Film Archive organizó un seminario dedicado al cine indonesio. Gracias a nuestros amigos de Fukuoka hemos podido publicar aquí dos contribuciones importantes al seminario.
Until the middle of the 20th Century, Indonesia was a Dutch colony. The last regions were Aceh and Bali. The Dutch colonial period ended with the invasion of the Japanese Army in 1942. In 1945, two days after the Allied Forces defeated the Japanese, Indonesia proclaimed its independence. The Dutch, however, tried to regain their authority in Indonesia, as a result of which fighting flared up until 1949, when the Dutch finally recognized the independence of Indonesia. Under Dutch colonization, the Indonesian people had no chance to develop their creative capabilities. At the end of the Dutch hegemony, the number of literate people was less than 10%. Most Indonesians made their living by farming and small traditional trading.
Film Comes to Indonesia
Films were shown for the first time in Indonesia by the Dutch. They were projected in mobile theatres or rented houses. Later on the film business was dominated by the Chinese. In 1925 they owned most of the movie theatres in Indonesia.
Film-making has been known in Indonesia since 1911, beginning with documentaries made by film crews from Europe, initiated by the Dutch, G. Kruger and F. Carli among them.
The First Feature Films
The first films were made in Indonesia in 1926 by the Dutch citizens G. Kruger and L. Herveldorp, soon followed by F. Carli.
Although high-tech films from Hollywood and Europe had frequently entered Indonesia, indigenous film-making was still primitive. The marketing of domestic films was quite difficult. The Chinese became involved in the film business in 1928. Their first aim was to upgrade the quality of home-made films. Their boldness and...