Interview with Bonny Lanny, a West Papuan filmmaker

My name is Bonny Lanny

I joined Papuan Voices Wamena

Ealier, I made film in my hometown in Wamena

I made video as song clip, Christian songs

Some indigenous songs in 2014

Sorry, actually I made my first film on 2011 more like video clip.

But my first documentary video only started when I joined Papuan Voices

About video, documentary video, from Papuan Voices Wamena

My first video was about a report for Forum Masyarakat Jayawijaya the issue was about the denoucing of the

creation of military building in Wamena.

In which I also involved in the movement

I also did photo documentation, shoot demontrations,

and all of my friends activities,

I wrapped it all in a video report

From the beginning I made film earlier without any training,

I just made it spontaneous, acted by my own plan

I made it just like that putting this and put words in that picture

After I joined Papuan Voices, and started to understand

the steps like we need to to create a script first to make a film and all sort of techniques

For people outside to understand, we are in here, there is a delay of information and technology for us here, it's slow

So in this kind of situation, we need to do it step by step, slowly

If we want to make the change quckly, it become more hard

Now, we have so many papuan children study outside this island

But rarely any who study on music, or film

They mostly apply for Law, Economic, but no link to this kind work

So it is only us who maybe a bit understand about the situation

this is we try to teach to our brothers and sisters, based on what we knew

our experience, the most important we pass this to our brothers and sisters

I every did a screening in University Negeri Jakarta

I played several video in there

I played one film about Freeport (mining company)

Freeport

At that time, many local indigenous people held a demonstration an kidnapped Freeport employee

And the been shot by the police at that time

After that event, I was beginning to understand that people in Jakarta

the don't know anything about the situation in Papua

the real situation

So they have an understanding that Papua is so rich

all the people in Papua live in luxury life

especially 7 tribe which got some yearly donation from Freeport

so they must be wealthy, got a fancy houses and cars, all that sort of things

These thinking,

because Freeport broadcast their owned information

and only presented the good things

and all of the bad side that happened to ordinary people

they don't open it.

The audiences even asked me, these friends from other island

So how about you, you are a succes person also rights?!

I told them, are you kidding, I only live by becoming ojek driver

Like yesterday we're having a screening

in Bali, and then in Yogyakarta, after that

people (Indonesian audience) started to understand that

that the situation in Papua is not like what they think

because national and local media in Papua,

it belong to someone

or owned by the government, we called it "red plate" media.

because it is only publish the beautiful image of Papua

but they rarely exposed the many failure policy conducted by the government

So my film is about these failures, minor issues, and that are so many

so we can exposed their failure policy in Papua,

so the outsider can see what really happened in Papua

it's not like what they tell in these media

So by my previous example about the Freeport film

after the audience watched it, after we played it then we dicusses these matters we them.

They can see the truth.

I think by using film, it is much more suitable,

because nowdays most of young generation who are still studying in University or had any education

they don't read much, let alone they who don't have any high education or drop out

If you're dropped out you won't read books

but they like to watch movie.

I analyze the situation nowadays, people like to watch movie about an issue and they quickly understand it

and the influence is much wide than reading books. It's more slow with books

because there are low eager to read

In Papua, in Wamena for example,

in Wamena there's no many people who can make audio album just like what I did.

make their own video and so on

or create their own music

It's still hard to find this kind of people, for now we think it will need time and steps

I made song in produce DVD album and sell my own music

For most people, even if they can create music or song, after that they will need people from outside Papua

to help them to record and produce their album.

All of video music clip, shooting and editing must be done outside Papua.

Now I make these all by myself.

Now I have watched film, that been produced by young local, even though it is still very rough and elementary.

It's a progress for young people in Papua.

If you compare us with outside, we have a delayed of information and technology. It's slow, indeed.

So to be able to compete with other, we still need steps, slowly

if we force it quickly, it's hard.