The steps taken by media are intentional actions. Even in the selection of issues in films close to the public––with a restlessness that feels familiar and ancient like an old song: history. The screening of the film Tour on Mud (Winner Wijaya, 2017), 1880 MASL (Riyan Sigit Wiranto and Miko Soleh Budiman, 2016), Mentawai Tattoo Revival (Rahung Nasution, 2010), Salmiyah (Harryaldi Kurniawan, 2015) in Lanskap: Terraform was screened at Ruang Seminar Taman Budaya Yogyakarta on November 4, 2024, at 15.00 WIB. Despite having different themes, the four films intersected one another, in which the directors and producers attempted to exhibit the relationship of people, nature, and the repetition of history. After the screening, the audience had the opportunity to participate in a question-and-answer session with the filmmakers. Salmiyah (2019)’s director, Harryaldi Kurniawan, and producer Wulan Putri attended the session.
How did you begin making the film, Salmiyah (2019)?
(Wulan) When I was studying history, I read a quite memorable book, entitled Menjinakkan Sang Kuli (Taming the Laborer) by Jan Breman. His book tells the story of female labourers in Deli. It depicts a strong practice of colonialism, even hundreds of years later.
(Harryaldi) I discussed this with Putri, and I thought that there is a gap in the interpretation of history. My unease led me to create that film, Salmiyah (2019).
Why historical archives, such as photos or other documents were not used in the production of Salmiyah (2019)?
(Harryaldi) When we were conducting the research, it was not easy to access the archives that could build the plot of the story. Therefore, we captured history that is “scattered” and at the end of the day, it was delivered verbally.
Why was Salmiyah (2019) produced in black-and-white instead of color?
(Harryaldi) Because we wanted to neutralize this film. If it was in color format, there would be some colors that are more dominant than other colors. If it’s black and white, it would not reveal the real color.
Are the cigarette factories and warehouses used as filming locations in Salmiyah (2019) still operating, and are there still workers working in that company?
(Wulan) During the production process in 2018, some factories and tobacco warehouses in Buli Cina were still operating. When Harry was in college, we got a permit to conduct the research and to make the film there (Tobacco Curing Warehouse PTPN2, Bulu Cina Village). A lengthy procedure is performed to process tobacco. It must be sorted and classified before it is packed. In addition, there is an assumption that female workers are better at this job as they are considered more precise in assessing the quality of tobacco.
(Harryaldi) In the film, we use repetitive scenarios and video cuts. This shows that historical events tend to repeat over time.
Is Salmiyah a fictional character?
(Wulan) Salmiyah is her name (a character featured in several film scripts), or they usually call her Mak Nyah. Out of all the workers, she has the most varied stories and the clearest memories of the past––even the names of people who were involved in the historical stories. She is the fifth generation of Deli workers who sailed from Johor to Sumatra.
(Harryaldi) We discussed the stories with some of the old women who work in that tobacco warehouse to decide who would be the most suitable person to tell the story, and the answer was Mak Nyah. We also interviewed some workers and had some talks, and Mak Nyak has a strong memory.
Did Putri and Harry manage to come back to Deli to meet the interviewees?
(Harryaldi) When we came back to visit them (including Mak Nyak), instead of discussing the film production, we ended up talking about life as Mak Nyak had missed us. She told new stories. Especially, (she missed) Putri.
(Wulan) That’s true. I wanted to show the film, but Mak Nyak said the most important thing was that she had met her “children” (Wulan and Harry).
In the film, Bumi Manusia (Hanung Bramantyo, 2019) was mentioned. Who exactly is the target audience from the film Salmiyah (2019)?
(Wulan) We want to talk about today’s issues through past events––the exploitation practices that are still performed even now. In this film, we strive to be able to “interact” with various audiences through the questions thrown in the film. In late 2019, we prepared the film distribution; it turned out that Bumi Manusia was also in the process of distribution.
(Harryaldi) What is in our film, the context of Deli is attached. It is better for us to re-read the events (colonial era) in Deli than to dramatize them.
Why was this film narrated by Wulan Putri rather than by the perpetrators of history itself?
(Harryaldi) This film was initiated based on our doubts about the historical narrative that circulates in which we consume. We mapped out the issues and decided to use a narrative style.
(Wulan) At that time, we were interested in one of Gayatri Spivak’s writings––and we came to the conclusion that in the end, we represent the people we can represent. Hopefully, our experiment can be a self-critique for us.
The audience of Festival Film Dokumenter can witness the narrator’s remarks in the film Salmiyah (2019) at Militaire Societeit, Taman Budaya Yogyakarta on November 9, 2024 at 15.00 WIB in Lanskap: Terraform.
Covered by Tuffahati Athallah on 4 November 2024. (Ed. Vanis/Trans. Shafira Rahmasari)
