A MOVING EXPERIENCE:
RELOCATING
THE SINEMATEK INDONESIA COLLECTIONS
by MISBACH YUSA BIRAN (SI)
and EDIYAMI BONDAN ANDOKO (NLI)
INTRODUCTION
Firstly, I would like to express my gratitude thanks to President of SEAPAVAA: Mr. Ray Edmondson and Secretary General: Ms. Bel Capul also particularly to the National Film and Sound Archive of Australia for their support and shoulder of my attending to this Fourth Conference and General Assembly of SEAPAVAA in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
Secondly, on behalf of my colleagues in Indonesia i.e.: Sinematek Indonesia, National Archives, National Library, Indosiar TV Productions. I stand here to take opportunity making apologize that they could not come here attending the SEAPAVAA due to the economic situation in my country.
SINEMATEK INDONESIA IS MOVING TO THE NEW BUILDING
As you know, Sinematek Indonesia established in 1975 by the Academy of Cinematography in Jakarta, with support from the JAKARTA SPECIAL TERRITORY ADMINISTRATION, NOWADAYS UNDER the FILM CENTER HAJI USMAR ISMAIL FOUNDATION.
It’s activity such as: film archives, photgrafics documentation. Collecting scripts, biography, film equipments, music and sound recording, automated film cataloguing, research and supporting film clubs.
Mr. Ray Edmondson suggested us to make a brief report about Sinematek Indonesia moving to the new building in HAJI USMAR ISMAIL FILM CENTER – KUNINGAN JAKARTA SELATAN. Herewith. I want to read the paper of Mr. HAJI Misbach Yusa Biran entitled: ANNUAL REPORT SINEMATEK INDONESIA FOR 1990 – 1999.
Annual Report
Sinematek Indonesia
for 1998-1999
Status
The Sinematek Indonesia (SI) since 1995 officially placed under the "H.Usmar Ismail Film Center Foundation" (Yayasan Pusat Perfilman H.Usmar Ismail). But really effective since the middle of 1997, after we moved to the new building.
The status under the foundation just to provide a formal basis. But we still autonomously free.
Facilities
As of July 1997 SI move to the new building. This five stories luxurious building built by Municipal Government of Jakarta. But the Municipal does not give us the cost for maintenance. That's why we are forced to rent out the first until third floor.
Our office is in the fourth floor, the library on the fifth, and the film vault is in the basement.
The vault is now full, because of the increasing volume of collection. It become now highly urgent that we should have a new film vault. The tempt. is now about 7-80C, humidity 40-60%. The physical condition of the vault an ever increasing problems. At the corner between floor and wall there are always water; inside and out side vault. We don't know how to tackle
Collection
Our collection rose during 1998-1999. The producers now putting their faith to SI. The film negative which were in storage of Laboratories in Hong Kong has been sent back to Jakarta in last March 1998. Additional numbers of SI's collection in the form of feature film negative is 320 titles.
Preservation
What we have from the seminar in Hanoi last year, are now being implemented, with the consulate of Mr.Fahmi Wardi, who was present at the seminar. Our experiment of the "Dry Treatment" produced good results. A special room is now being prepared. We have also already used Zeolite, Paraformal Dehide and Bifenyl intensively.
Cooperation
A MOU cooperation between SI and National Archive will be signed in this month, in particularly regarding preservation. We are also preparing the similar official cooperation with the National Library.
MAVIS
The filling up of MAVIS from the SI collection amount only 35 titles of feature films. The reason is the shortage of manpower of the SI. And for the collection of National Archive will just start in this month.
Medal
On the occasion of the "National Film Day", March 30, 1999, the Director of SI receive Medal of Honor from the President of The Republic of Indonesia.
Expectation
1. Film Archive can be included in Film Law, which now being revise. SI has sent a concept proposal to the Government.
2. To receive consultation assistance, who can give advise to overcome the problem of our film vault.
3. To get continuos information of film and video preservation with minimum cost, as pointed out during the Vietnam Seminar.
Proposal
1. To propose that Australia and Vietnam undertake research to find the proper way on film preservation for tropical areas in a cheap way with the aid of ASEAN COCI.
2. To ask SEAPAVAA to obtain funds from UNESCO, to be used for the development of film archive in South East Asia through assistance of ASEAN ambassadors at the Unesco Headquarter in Paris.
3. To urge the exchange information among the SEAPAVAA members be excelled via internet, so that the development among us continuously known.
Jakarta, April 14, 1999
RELATED EXPLANATION
Some items on the report above, I want to extend the information such as:
As we have already in HANOI CONFERENCE, Sinematek Indonesia Collections is composed of:
a. Feature film - 455
b. Non Feature Film - 1,484
c. Videos - 836
d. Laser Disc - 2g
e. Scenario - 5.344
f. Sound Recording - 463
g. Photographics/slide - 42.98g
h. Poster - 5.21gAll of the collections get additional numbers about 5 – 10%
The film negative from HONG KONG Laboratories since back to Jakarta were still kept in packages. Due to the lack of budget, neither inspection and rewashing work.
The name of the medal in Bahasa Indonesia is "SATYA LENCANA PEMBANGUNAN" or MEDAL OF HONOUR FOR DEVELOPMENT in the field of the Indonesian FILM LIBRARY/ARCHIVES.
- While the National Library of Indonesia has DEPOSIT ACT since 1990 and in 1999 (Last Week – first week of April) Regulation for feature films and documentary films has been already come out. But it is still difficult to collect them. We still discussing about that with another related institutions in Indonesia.
- A training program for Indonesian A.V. archives personnels are coming up to broad their experiments through the aid of SEAPAVAA.
Re locating the collections of Sinematek Indonesia into the new building especially by the storage room lies underground not yet finished because there are not budget for processing, inspection and re-washing.
Finally, we hope through this 4th Conference and General Assembly of SEAPAVAA in Kuala Lumpur give more benefit and strengthen the cooperation and working together to solve the problem in preservation our heritage.
Thank you.
JAKARTA, APRIL 14, 1999.