The film “Setan Alas” (The Draft!) which is the result of collaboration between vocational high school students, vocational college students, and lecturers, has successfully passed the selection and won the prestigious Indonesian Screen Awards at the 18th Jogja-Netpac Asian Film Festival (JAFF) with the categories of Best Editing, Best Storytelling, to the most prestigious, Best Film on Saturday night (2/12).
“The Draft!” is a work that illustrates the spirit of cross-disciplinary collaboration in the creative industry. In this film, there is an extravagant synergy between vocational high school students who are still in the learning stage, passionate college students, and lecturers who are experienced in directing the creative process. Yusron Fuadi as the director of “The Draft!”, is also a lecturer at the Department of Electrical Engineering and Informatics Vocational College Universitas Gadjah Mada as well as a Phd student in Performing Arts & Visual Arts Studies UGM. The film was also produced by Fani Pramuditya, a lecturer at the Department of Economics and Business Vocational College UGM, along with several lecturers at Vocational College UGM, and Munandar Aji Wibowo, an alumnus of Vocational College UGM. In addition, more than 200 vocational high school students, college students and lecturers from various schools and colleges were involved in the production process of this film, including SMKN 6 Yogyakarta, SMKN 7 Semarang, SMKN 6 Solo, SMKN 3 Batu, SMKN 2 Palu, SMK Wikrama Bogor, Vocational College UGM, Faculty of Social Sciences UGM, Forestry UGM, Agricultural Technology UGM, Gadjah Mada Theater, Jogja Film Academy (JFA), MMTC Multimedia College Yogyakarta, UMY, AMIKOM, UDINUS, BINUS, UAS, ISI Bali, and ISI Jogja.
This film is a work of Project-Based Learning (PBL) involving high school students, college students, as well as lecturers and practitioners in the field of film art and media production. “In the production process of this film, many collaborations were established through PBL, students of the Department of Economics and Business worked on market research and film marketing through Market Research and Digital Business courses,” said Fani Pramuditya, as the producer of the film. “Students of the Department of Electrical Engineering and Informatics Vocational College UGM worked on the Ganyang Setan Alas game as a film marketing effort. In addition, they also assist in the production process related to lighting, talent coordinator, make up, wardrobe, special effects, visual effects and animation making in films. And there are also vocational high school students who help with zombie makeup, become zombie extra talents, and help in the editing and shooting process as crews,” she added. This also further proves that Vocational Education can produce collaborative work through the Project-Based Learning learning method launched by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology.
The achievements of “The Draft!’ in the best editing category is a great milestone for all parties who make this film a success, starting from the people behind the scenes and the actors in front of the screen. “The Draft!” caught the judges’ attention with its strong narrative, precise editing, and for its success in combining comedy and horror as a meta-commentary about suffering and ultimately, the joy of filmmaking. This film is not like horror films in general, Yusron Fuadi or Mas Yos as the director of this film announced that “The Draft!” is a horror film that is “somewhat different”, of course, the audience will be encouraged to think a little bit more throughout the film to find out what surprising thing that threatens the main character.
In an interview regarding this achievement, Mas Yos stated, “We are very grateful and proud to be able to present this collaborative work on the stage of a prestigious competition. This is clear proof that collaboration between the younger generation with the right guidance can create works that have great impact and potential in the Indonesian film industry.”
The film “The Draft!” has attracted the attention of audiences since it was first screened at regional film festivals. Its three wins at the Indonesian Screen Awards at Jogja-Netpac Asian Film Festival (JAFF) 2023 become proud milestones for the entire creative team behind the scenes because several competing films come from the production of a large PH in Jakarta. Moreover, according to critic, Hikmat Darmawan, this film is an original reckless horror and does not care to deeply understand humans and is engrossed in understanding the medium of film and the horror genre, fresh, and insane.
The winning of “The Draft!” is not only an achievement for those involved in film production, but also an inspiration for Indonesia’s young generation to explore the potential of cross-generational collaboration in creating high-quality creative works. The winning then becomes a turning point of appreciation for unlimited imagination.
Text: Public Relations of Vocational College UGM