Nikkei Asia Prizes 2002

Christine Hakim

Actress relishes role of activist Indonesian filmmaker tries to depict lives of oppressed in her films

BY YOICHI IWAMOTO
staff writer

JAKARTA - "Films aren't just lengths of celluloid," said Indonesian actress and producer Christine Hakim. "I think they're a means to connect with people from all walks of life." Her strong social convictions brought tears to her eyes as she spoke.

Hakim has tackled the reality of Indonesian life, including poverty, discrimination and political oppression, sometimes incurring the government's wrath.

She began working in film in her second year of senior high school when part-time work as a fashion model caught the eye of leading movie director Teguh Karya. She received a movie offer, however she wanted to decline as she planned to go to university. She ended up interviewing with a producer, and "because I was careful not to be impolite to my elders, I didn't have a chance to say 'no'," she said.

She received the Best Actress award at Indonesia's main film festival for her debut movie "Cinta Pertama" ("First Love") in 1973, determining her career. She has appeared in 30 films, including works that have won many awards in Indonesia and overseas, including the Special Jury Prize at the Tokyo International Film Festival in 1998.

Prize role

The prizes played a major role in promoting Indonesian movies overseas, and Hakim was chosen as a jury member for the Cannes Film Festival in May.

In Indonesia, Hakim is known as the "national actress," and following her teen debut she was called the "Elizabeth Taylor of Indonesia" in the 1970s. Today, however, she is known for her involvement in social causes.

She doesn't compromise when developing roles. When she played a prostitute, she spent time on the streets at night. When she was in a movie about the Aceh independence movement, she visited the area over a three-year period. "I drive myself until I get a feeling for the character," Hakim said. When she doubts a director's vision, she discusses her ideas until she is satisfied.

Her activities are not limited to acting. She produced the movie "Pengemis Dan Tukang Becak" ("The Beggar and the Trishaw Driver") in 1978. "I was tired of being a romantic movie idol," she said. "I wanted to work on other themes."

In 1998, she produced and starred in "Daun Di Atas Bantal" ("Leaf on a Pillow"), which was released in Japan. She played a woman who supports three street children in Yogyakarta, an ancient city in Java. Before shooting the movie, she visited slums to experience slum life first-hand.

The movie led Japanese and Indonesian volunteer groups to set up a joint foundation whose secretariat works out of Hakim's office in Jakarta. The foundation's "moshi moshi selamat pagi (good morning)" movement has been delivering milk to poor children since 1999.

"My role as an actress is to speak for the weak," Hakim said. Her movies depict the societal contradictions in a developing nation in which women want independence in a feudalistic society, and menial laborers in cities struggle to make ends meet.

"I am not a politician so I'm not campaigning," she said. "However, I want people to know the reality of life in Indonesia." Asked if she felt she was a journalist, she simply smiled, her cheeks shining with tears.

Hakim was born in 1956 on the major island of Sumatra. Her father was a customs officer and her mother a homemaker. Hakim led a normal life until she was scouted as a model while ice skating in Jakarta.

She acted in Kohei Oguri's film "Nemuru Otoko" ("Sleeping Man") in 1996. When she returned to Indonesia after shooting finished, "I became homesick for Japan," she said. "Daun Di Atas Bental" won the grand prize at the Asia Pacific International Film Festival and enjoyed wide release.

In 1990, Hakim received an Art award from the Indonesian government. She has also been named a "Chevalier de l'Ordre des Art et des Letters" by the French government.

Two years ago, Hakim married a Dutch man who works for an insurance company. "I am tasting the magnificence of having someone with whom to share life's joys and sorrows," she said.