What happens when a university film club decides that watching movies just isn't enough? For the team behind Pasar Malam Films, the answer was to pick up cameras and start filming.
Initially formed by a group of friends studying Politics, Media, and Film at the University of Melbourne, the group quickly evolved from a viewing party into a full-fledged production collective. We spoke with Idzan Hasan, a Producer and Writer for the organisation, to trace their journey from passion project to serious cinema.
The group’s transition from consumption to creation was explosive. In the summer of 2018, they completed their first two short films within a span of just three weeks.
The first, Departures (directed by Nabil Swara), is a tense narrative about a janitor racing against time to return a missing bag he was accused of stealing. The second, Chlorine (directed by Andrew Kose), takes a different approach as a coming-of-age story. While different in tone, both films capture a distinct youthful energy and a commitment to sharing uniquely Indonesian stories.
Pasar Malam Films is careful with how they define themselves. They are a 'production collective,' not a 'production house.'
The distinction is vital: this is an outlet to create without restrictions. Rather than operating as a pressure-filled, profit-first enterprise, they treat the 'Pasar Malam' label as a home for passion projects. Each member pursues full-time work elsewhere, converging only when inspiration strikes or when opportunities—such as government grants—arise to bring their collective imagination to the screen.
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Cinema, Music, and History
From their expansion into a record label to their award-nominated films tackling the 1998 riots, there is much more to uncover about this dynamic group. To read the full feature, check out EMERGENCE, the 1st volume of INTERLUNAR’s zine.
