Chocolate Strawberry
An Indonesian film breaks new ground on the subject of teenage sexuality
Ben Murtagh
In mid-2007 Coklat Stroberi (Chocolate Strawberry), a new movie for 17-25 year olds, hit the cinema screens in Indonesia's big cities. Drawing on the themes and marketing techniques that have proved a formula for commercial success in other recent Indonesian films for young people, it was a romantic comedy about the lives of university students, starring four young and attractive actors (Nino Fernandez, Marrio Merdhithia, Marsha Timothy and Nadia Saphira). The soundtrack featured some of Indonesia's most popular bands, and it included cameo appearances by a number of well-known stars and the rock band Ungu. The release of the film was accompanied by the launch of a novel closely based on the film, and a pop video of Ungu's song Untukmu that included clips from the movie. What set Coklat Stroberi apart from the significant number of other romantic comedies and teenage movies of recent years was that it had a prominent gay storyline.
Indonesia's Q!Film Festival
Young Indonesians are using an alternative film festival to promote awareness of sexual diversity
Maimunah
It's the opening night of the Q!Film Festival, and a long queue is forming in front of the Blitz Megaplex in downtown Jakarta. There's a sense of excitement in the air, as the line of trendy-looking young couples starts to file into this luxury cinema complex in the city centre. The much anticipated alternative film festival is about to get underway.
The annual Q!Film Festival lasts for nine days. Apart from film screenings, the program also includes discussions on film and literature, photo exhibitions and the launch of new books on topics dealing with gender and sexuality. Events take place across a wide range of venues, from galleries and discussion hubs to the premises of some of the cultural missions on Jakarta's diplomatic circuit. In terms of the number of films screened, it is now the largest queer film festival in Asia, and since 2006 it has been an official part of the Teddy Award section of the Berlin Film Festival. Outside Jakarta, it has spawned similar events on a smaller scale in Yogyakarta and Bali.
The high profile which the Q!Film Festival now enjoys is the result of years of hard work by 'Q-munity', an organisation originally set up by a group of freelance journalists and others involved in the arts community in 2001. Q-munity began as a group of ethnic Chinese Indonesians with an interest in contemporary Chinese cinema – reflecting the important role Indonesians of Chinese descent have played in the broader movement for recognition of alternative sexualities in Indonesia.
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