Chineseness, belonging and cosmopolitan subjectivities in Post-Suharto independent films
Publication Type
Book Chapter
Publication Date
1-2012
Abstract
Following the demise of the New Order in 1998, Chinese Indonesians have made a dramatic "reappearance" on Indonesian cinema screens. As a number of scholars (Heryanto 2008; Sen, 2006; Tickell 2009) have observed, if Chinese Indonesians were virtually absent from Indonesian films during the 32 years of Suharto's rule, their renewed cinematic presence in the past decade is hard to miss. Beginning with Niadi Nata's Ca-bau-kan (Courtesan) in 2002, and Riri Riza's Gie in 2005, there have been at least 17 films of various genres made in the recent years that centrally feature ethnic Chinese characters, or have raised issues concerning Chinese Indonesians as their subject matter. A number of these films, such as Babi Buta Yang Ingin Terbang (The Blind Pig Who Wants to Fly, 2009, to be discussed in this chapter), have gained considerable notoriety on local film circuits, both for the contentious themes that they raised and their successes in international film festivals.
Keywords
Chinese Indonesians, Film, Indonesia, Identity politics
Discipline
Asian Studies | Film and Media Studies
Research Areas
Humanities
Publication
Chinese Indonesians Reassessed: History, Religion and Belonging
Editor
Sai Siew-Min and Hoon Chang-Yau
First Page
65
Last Page
82
ISBN
9780203095362
Identifier
10.4324/9780203095362
Publisher
Taylor and Francis
City or Country
London
Citation
SETIJADI, Charlotte. (2012). Chineseness, belonging and cosmopolitan subjectivities in Post-Suharto independent films. In Chinese Indonesians Reassessed: History, Religion and Belonging (pp. 65-82). London: Taylor and Francis.
Available at: https://ink.library.smu.edu.sg/soss_research/2790
Additional URL
https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203095362