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The Ballads of Cinema Lovers

Cinema Lovers Community (CLC) Purbalingga, established by Bowo Leksono in 2006, has so far generated a number of young filmmakers with a lot of national-level achievements. Moreover, CLC Purbalingga has been consistently and independently holding the Purbalingga Film Festival, presenting a “Celebration” of Film Festival amidst society, holding the open-air cinema in many villages in Banyumas Raya. Purbalingga is so far away from the luxurious, cutting-edge theaters and the frenetic film industry of the Capital; yet, there is where the zest to present the best for Indonesian cinema keeps alive and propagating. This is a documentary about their passion, militancy, and simplicity – the Ballads of Cinema Lovers.

  • yuda kurniawan
    Director
    the ballads of cinema lovers, the song of grassroots
  • yuda kurniawan
    Writer
    the ballads of cinema lovers, the song of grassroots
  • yuda kurniawan
    Producer
    the ballads of cinema lovers, the song of grassroots
  • Damar Ardi
    Producer
    The Ballads of Cinema Lovers
  • Bowo Leksono
    Key Cast
    "Bowo Leksono"
  • Project Type:
    Documentary
  • Runtime:
    1 hour 43 minutes 56 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    June 10, 2017
  • Production Budget:
    20,000 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    Indonesia
  • Country of Filming:
    Indonesia
  • Language:
    Indonesian
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital HD 1080p
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
  • Digital Cinema Package:
    Unavailable
  • 28th Singapore International Film Festival 2017
    Singapore
    Singapore
    November 25, 2017
    World Premiere
    Official Selection
  • 37th Indonesian Film Festival 2017
    Jakarta
    Indonesia
    November 11, 2017
    Indonesian Premiere
    Best Documentary Feature nominee
  • 12th Jogja-NETPAC Asian Film Festival 2017
    Yogyakarta
    Indonesia
    December 5, 2017
    Indonesian Premiere
    Official Selection
  • 16th Yogyakarta Documentary Film Festival 2017
    Yogyakarta
    Indonesia
    December 14, 2017
    Official Selection
  • 2nd Solo Documentary Film Festival
    Solo
    Indonesia
    December 16, 2017
  • Indonesian On Screen 2017
    Berlin
    Germany
    March 27, 2018
  • 6th Asian Film Festival Barcelona 2018
    Barcelona
    Spain
    November 1, 2018
    European Premiere
    Competition in Netpac Section
Director Biography - yuda kurniawan

YUDA KURNIAWAN is a documentary film producer and director has received Citra Award, the highest achievement for Indonesian filmmakers given by Indonesian Film Festival. He is also founder of Rekam Docs. His documentary films have been screened in various film festivals both domestic and overseas and has won several awards, one of them is NETPAC Award (Network for the promotion of Asia Pasific Cinema), this is an award given to Asian film director who shows important contributions to the new Asian cinema movement. Some of his documentary film include: "Pesantren Way's of Dakwah" (2016), "The Ballads of Cinema Lovers" (2017) and "The Song of Grassroots" (2018). Currently he is completing his latest documentary feature entitled "Roda-Roda Nada".

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Director Statement

CLC Purbalingga is a must-mention in a discussion about Film Communities in Indonesia. It is possibly the only Indonesian Film Community with the capacity to perform all its functions as a media for film literacy. Not only do they produce shorts, they also open the spaces for discussions and workshops as well as independently hold a full-month Film Festival for 10 years with no financial supports either from the government or private sectors. Now, that is something nobody will call easy. However, thanks to the determination of Bowo Leksono and his comrades, they could wholeheartedly and patiently overcome everything.

I made and dedicated this documentary to them – those incredible people with the forbearance to build a tradition of film appreciation among society, the ones who tirelessly keep bringing up the new generations of talented filmmakers. From 2006 to present, CLC Purbalingga has been facilitating Junior and Senior High School students in producing 245 shorts, 80 of which have gained a lot of recognitions at the national film festivals.

Watching this documentary, not only do we follow how Bowo Leksono established CLC and the Cinema Culture in Purbalingga, we can also see the condition of Indonesian Cinema today, from the point of view of film communities. Moreover, I do hope someday this documentary can at least be a sign of age that depicts the social, economic, and political conditions of the people of Indonesia.