ABSTRACT
The Indonesian cinema is on the rise once again and this time it has gone further by going international. Sincere appreciation needs to be extended to the deserving independent film directors who pioneered the rise of Indonesian cinema and put the country’s name on the map of world cinema. More and more Indonesian films are shown in the international film festivals and they often won awards. The European film festivals became one of the important factors behind these recent successes. Their involvement is shown in the fund they provide to the Indonesian directors. Unfortunately, it raises the issue of a hegemonic practice. The concern here is that the directors have to comply, albeit reluctantly with what the film festivals want to say. The focus of this article is to analyse the responses and strategies of the Indonesian directors with regard to the hegemonic practices associated with the European film festival funding. Interview with the directors and reading of the funded films revealed two important findings; firstly, how Indonesia’s identity is shaped from two different perspectives, namely the Indonesian directors as recipient of the fund and Europe as the funder. Secondly, the practice of hegemony should not be seen solely as domination by one of the parties and subordination of another. The directors in this regard are active agents who constantly strategizing and negotiating, despite their position as subordinates who must rely on the funding from the European film festivals.
