minikino - about minikino

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Minikino is not a Japanese word.

"Oh. It's that new Japanese manga film thing, isn't it?"

Nope.

Minikino is not at all Mononoke. And Mononoke is not new.

Minikino, dear moviebuffs, is your healthy dose of short films.

Minikino lives with its partners.

Minikino started as a little pseudo cinema showing short films on a 21-inch TV set in a small hall in Denpasar, Bali, Indonesia, in September 2002. In the beginning, with the support of its first venue partner, the Griya Musik Irama Indah, Denpasar, the crowd was a mix of artists, filmmakers, and their groupies, who took turns presenting their works in front of each other. After several intense weekly and bi-weekly meetings and discussions, Minikino declared its commitment to a "healthy dose of short films".

The first organization in Indonesia to declare its focus on short films, Minikino soon attracted attention. In March 2003, Minikino began to screen and discuss in its first venue partner outside of Bali, the Oktagon Fotokine Gallery, Jakarta. Around the same time Minikino also started its monthly screening and discussion of short films in QB World Books Kemang, Jakarta. In September 2003, Minikino began partnering with the Tobucil to hold the same program in Bandung.

Minikino focuses on short films.

Pulling itself out of the "indie films" romanticism, Minikino decided to focus on the format and medium of storytelling rather than the potentially misleading spirit of "independency". With the pretext of making "independent" films, thousands of films - that happened to be short in duration - have been made in Indonesia since 1998. Little, however, was considered qualified enough to reach international audience.

The problem might be a quite simple one: focusing on the spirit, people are making "independent films", not realizing the format of storytelling that they're using. The result is a great number of feature-length-wanna-be masqueraded as short film. A cut version of a big film. An unconscious imitation of the most popular format in Indonesia: TV soaps. A lengthy, boring version of one idea that could be simple and smart had it been treated the proper way.

Minikino believes that to break free from this circle, a focus first had to be decided, simple and sweet: short films.

Minikino promotes exchange and networking.

The next problem lies in the first problem: people are not aware about the short film format. This came from lack of exposure to short film culture. Therefore Minikino focuses on creating a short film culture in Indonesia, by holding a regular screening and discussion of an international selection of short films. These screening and discussion of short films are attended by the filmmakers in whichever possible ways; including intercontinental online chats arranged directly after a screening.

At the same time, Minikino believes that culture can only exist and develop with exchange, not isolation. Through Minikino's monthly screening and discussion, Minikino promotes exchange and networking amongst filmmakers and the audience. Some filmmaking groups have been established by filmmakers who met as audience in Minikino's regular screening and discussion activities.

Minikino talent-scouts, distributes, and supports.

Through its regular events designed to support exchange and networking, Minikino keeps finding new short films and even more talented filmmakers. This ensures a continuity of excellent selections of short films to distribute all around Indonesia and the world.

In 2003, Minikino started producing and distributing short film compilations, sold in Indonesia and other parts of the world through its network. These compilations are distributed in digital format (VCD and soon DVD), as well as in the form of special programs in festivals worldwide. Minikino also works with festivals outside Indonesia to collect entries from Indonesia for their competition section and send them in one batch. And, as much as possible, Minikino takes the effort to support Indonesian filmmakers to visit screenings of their films in international festivals.

Minikino believes that what people see will affect what people make or do. By distributing and encouraging people to see what other people are doing, Minikino ensures that the circle of creation can be elevated into a spiral, in which better and better work are continuously being created.

Minikino then smiles, and the whole world smiles with it.

:-)

m i n i k i n o - your healthy dose of short films