The media is considered to be the fourth pillar of any democratic society due to its role in shaping public opinion. But when it is controlled by powerful men who have certain interests, people may start to question its true purpose. The documentary film Di Balik Frekuensi (Behind the Frequency) tries to capture stories that happen when the media is controlled by people who use it for their own interests. The movie, directed by documentary filmmaker Ucu Agustin, focuses on the stories of media outlets in Indonesia, especially two television news channels, Metro TV and TV One.
Ucu said that the two channels were often used by their respective owners for political and business interests that were far from the public interest. “Fourteen years after the reform era and now the press can be bought? Is that what is really happening in our media today? We’re trying to answer that question through this movie,” Ucu said at the movie’s premier on Thursday. The 144-minute movie tells two parallel stories related to the two television channels. The first story is about Luviana, an assistant producer with Metro TV, who was fired in 2011.
The second story focuses on the Lapindo mudflow victims Hari Suwandi and Harto Wiyono who walked from Sidoarjo, East Java, to Jakarta to obtain the remaining compensation promised by oil and gas company Lapindo Brantas. The movie starts with the beginning of Luviana’s fight in getting a clear explanation from Metro TV management on why she was discharged from her post after forming a labor union within the company. Di Balik Frekuensi follows almost every step of Luviana’s journey in seeking the truth. Accompanied by her friends from Jakarta at the Alliance of Independent Journalists (AJI) and with help from legal foundations, the reporter insists on righting the wrong despite the obstacles she faces.
Audiences are invited to see with their own eyes Luviana’s struggle as she attends meetings and holds negotiations with the management and the owner of the Metro TV, Surya Paloh, who promised to rehire her. However, instead of getting her job back, Luviana received a letter of dismissal. Yet, as the first story delves deeper into Luviana’s fight, the plot feels like it starts to shy away from the big theme; the misuse of the media. The second story follows Hari Suwandi, a native of Tanggulangin, Sidoarjo, East Java, who is one of the thousands of victims of the mudflow there as he and his friend Harto set out on foot to seek justice on June 14. After walking 847 kilometers to Jakarta, the pair arrived on July 8. In Jakarta, they hope to see President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono to ask about the compensation that was promised by Lapindo. But as has been reported in the media, a few days after their arrival in Jakarta, Hari appeared on TV One to say that he regretted his act and apologized to Aburizal Bakrie, one of the leaders of Bakrie Group, which owns TV One and Lapindo Brantas. Unlike the first story, which provides direct footage of Luviana and her struggle, much of Hari’s story is taken from media reports, including TV One coverage. “It was a little bit hard when it came to Hari’s part. In Luviana’s, I could film it directly, but in Hari’s, we could not find the time to film it all,” Ucu said. In the documentary, the director brilliantly captures emotional scenes, complete with heart-wrenching songs that almost bring some viewers to tears.
In addition, the movie is enriched with graphics that show the current constellation of the media conglomerates as well as snippets from journalists and media observers about the current condition of press. Dinita Andriani Putri, who was invited to attend the premier, said that the documentary was brave enough to speak the truth about the condition of media today. “We may all realize that TV channels have been used to voice the interests of the owners, but no one is brave enough to say it out loud,” she said.
The Rp 750 million (US$76,530) documentary film is part of the Cipta Media Bersama project, a collaboration between the non-profit organizations Wikimedia, ICT Watch and AJI and is fully funded by the Ford Foundation. The movie was produced from Dec. 5, 2011 through Nov. 25, 2012 with scenes shot in Jakarta, Bandung (West Java), Indramayu (West Java), Malang (East Java) and Sidoarjo (East Java). Ucu worked together with producer Ursula Tumiwa (Generasi Biru and Metamorfoblous).
Di Balik Frekuensi is not Ucu’s first documentary film. She has produced documentaries on gender inequality, social injustice and healthcare problems in Indonesia, and has attracted attention at many film festivals at home and abroad. Di Balik Frekuensi will not be screened in cinemas. Ursula said that they would conduct road shows for screenings at universities, film communities and AJI branches in several cities starting in February. And at the end of the movie, one question lingers: Can we still trust the media?
source : the jakarta post
source : the jakarta post
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