Consistency and Explorative Spirit in Making Artwork

— Interview
FFD 2021

Piring Tirbing is a collective artist group from Yogyakarta focusing on cinema. Piring Tirbing has been run by young people who have been actively making films since 2016. In this production house, they make explorative films. In their journey, the Commission Artist chosen by FFD always explores the artistic range and alternative medium limitless.

 On one chance, FFD interview some of the members of Piring Tirbing, Aditya Krisnawan, Achmad Rifqon, Agge Akbar, Arief Budiman, Bagas O. A., and Muhammad Erlangga Fauzan. They shared their perspectives until the lore of their work for this year’s FFD.

 How does Piring Tirbing see FFD in general?

If we talk about film festivals in Jogja, FFD has a great impact. All of us are majoring in audiovisuals. At film festivals, we can learn, watch films that we don’t watch yet. Then, FFD also eases access to the films.

Talking about film festivals in Jogja, FFD can survive pretty long. FFD becomes one of the documentary film festivals that are important to talk about and be followed. I think there is no festival that focuses on documentary films as FFD does.

 How is it related to your works?

Related to our works, it pretty much talks about FFD’s existence for 20 years. 20 years is not a short time for holding festivals. FFD is also not a festival that has much budget. As long as I know, FFD works collectively.

 Can you explain further about “existence”? Why did you want to put it into your work?

Chronologically, earlier, we were given a passage about FFD’s retrospective. Then we took some keywords that portray FFD. We took empowerment and persistence. Then we developed them to find a way to make a figure consisting of the spirit of empowerment, criticism in the world of documentary film, and about the documentary film itself. We were discussing and developing ideas until we decided the concept and production technique. The idea was about a starving documentary filmmaker who got helped by his interviewee. About the production technique or the artistic concept, we portrayed two things that can represent the existence of empowerment and persistence.

 First, if we talk about filmmaking, the equipment is already sophisticated, advanced. Tripod, camera, many things. Well, in this film, the tools are portrayed as human. Someone is becoming the tripod, another one is becoming the camera, another one is becoming the mic, etc. But, the filmmaker was not ready. Then the conflict happened and the filmmaker got helped by his interviewee. Like that.

 

The point is, this film talks about whether the production tools are on the same page or not with humans. Is it right?

Actually, if we derive the topic to be more general, we talk about FFD as a festival that is impossible to survive without people behind it. Twenty years, what the people behind it have been through? I believe it is not easy. It is like that if we want to talk about empowerment and persistence.

 So, production tools actually are made to support audiovisual work production. In this film, to support the human. Derived to the FFD, the people behind it took our interest.

 “Jangan Lupa Makan” also portrays our critics towards the world of documentary films. Represented by the starving filmmaker. In the film, we use durung pondasi. The tools are on set, but the director is starving.

How does Piring Tirbing see FFD in the middle of the hype for art festivals?

The more the events, the better it gets. It is more fun, even more in Jogja. No problem at all.

 But, if we want to talk about FFD in the middle of the hype for the art festival, We think FFD is a must-done event each year. Even though there are other festivals that provide places for audiovisual works, there is no other festival that provides documentary film as FFD does. Especially in Jogja, FFD is a must.

 This is also about consistency. Twenty years since 2002, began from watching films then become a festival now, I think FFD is a must. It is also important for updates on documentary films. Even we do not often watch documentary films besides from the FFD and Internet.

 How to see the FFD’s dream which consistently delivers issues and discussion to the public through documentary films as the medium?

FFD that presents documentary films becomes the entrance gate for many people to see what happens in Jogja, this country, even in other countries. We see this as the media to open their eyes. FFD helps to see that. Whether it is an issue surrounding the world of documentary or the themes carried out by the movies presented by FFD.

 We think that that FFD needs to be appreciated more. For the choices on festivals that bring documentary films are limited, FFD has been consistently held each year and becoming our place for us to update ourselves on the world of documentary films.

 What do you think about the access or reach of the public towards documentary films?

It is quite accessible. If we come to a festival, what we do mostly is to have some chitchats outside the screening room, to meet friends from other areas, to meet other filmmakers, or to accompany colleagues to watch films. Then, to watch a film. With those activities, we have a comfortable distance to see something, especially FFD. Access is also OK, not very far. Even if it is widened for the more general public. FFD has become a terminal or rendezvous point; whether we want or don’t want to watch films, we meet there. That is festive. Later, it becomes a challenge on how we trick the pandemic problem. The word “festival” later becomes “how do they use the hybrid manner”. Then, where is the festival? The question itself became something interesting to discuss.

 

Written by Dina Tri Wijaya

Translated by Anggito Cahyo Nugroho