| Ucu Agustin | |
|---|---|
Ucu Agustin receiving a grant in 2011 |
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| Born | August 19, 1976 Sukabumi, West Java, Indonesia |
| Nationality | Indonesian |
| Alma mater | Jakarta Islamic State University |
| Occupation | Documentary filmmaker |
| Known for | Journalism, documentary filmmaking |
| Height | 1.55 m (5 ft 1 in) |
| Religion | Islam[1] |
Ucu Agustin (born Sukabumi, Indonesia, on 19 August 1976) is an Indonesian journalist, writer, and documentary filmmaker.
Educated in an Islamic boarding school, Ucu became interested in journalism after realizing that there were many prostitutes from her hometown. Beginning in the print media, she moved to making documentaries after she saw a lack of opportunities for human interest pieces in newspapers. Her first documentary, Death in Jakarta, was produced with the help of funds from the Jakarta International Film Festival. Other documentaries include Ragat'e Anak and Konspirasi Hening. She has also written several children's books and short stories.
Ucu has been described as "one of Indonesia’s top documentary filmmakers"[2] and often deals with social issues in her work. Ragat'e Anak was screened at the Berlin International Film Festival in 2009.
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Ucu was born in Sukabumi, West Java, on 19 August 1976 to a strict Muslim family.[1] As a child, she studied in the Darunnajah Islamic boarding school in Jakarta for six years; as she was removed from the outside world, she felt shocked when she learned that many of the women in her hometown worked as prostitutes.[1][3] Previously believing that everything was a gift from Allah, this discovery led her to become more critical of the world around her; she cites it as the reason she became interested in journalism.[1] Ucu later attended the Jakarta Islamic State University.[1]
After graduation, Ucu began working with print media,[1] contributing to Pantau magazine after several short stories and articles were published in the national media.[4] However, as she was dissatisfied with the lack of opportunities for writing human interest pieces dealing with social issues she later switched to audio-visual media;[1] she has also cited the intense amount of editing that her works went through as a reason for the change, noting that there "always seemed to be a wide space between the reality that happened and the 'reality' that was reported".[4]
Ucu also became active in writing. She published five Islamic-themed children's books in 2003, insisting on receiving royalties rather than the standard flat rate.[5] She has also written a short story, entitled "Lelaki yang Menetas di Tubuhku" ("The Man That Hatched Inside My Body"), for inclusion in the short story collection Un Soir du Paris (An Evening in Paris).[6]
Ucu's first documentary was Pramoedya: Last Chapter.[4] In 2005, Ucu made her next documentary, the 28-minute Death in Jakarta.[1] This documentary, dealing with what poor people experience when a loved one dies in Jakarta, was inspired by her observations when passing the public cemetery in Utan Kayu, East Jakarta.[7] It was produced after it was one of four finalists in the Jakarta International Film Festival Script Development Competition.[7] With the Rp. 25 million (US$ 3,000) in prize money from the competition, Ucu shot the documentary using a camera loaned to her by the competition; it was her first time using a professional-grade camera.[7]
Her next film, Ragat'e Anak (For The Sake of Children), dealt with the lives of two part-time prostitutes in a cemetery in Tulungagung, East Java.[1] Ragat'e Anak was included in Pertaruhan (At Stake), a compilation of documentaries produced by the Kalyana Shira Foundation.[2] On 4 June 2009, the Tulungagung government shut down the prostitution district as a result of losing face because of the documentary; in response, Ucu said that she regretted his decision.[8]
Her next documentary, Konspirasi Hening (Conspiracy of Silence) was produced by Nia Dinata and drew its title from a statement by Kartono Mohamad, former head of the Indonesian Doctors Association, that a "conspiracy of silence" had led to rules about healthcare being essentially unenforceable.[9] The feature-length film, Ucu's first, explored healthcare issues in Indonesia by following the lives of three people, two who had suffered from malpractice and a poor man without access to healthcare.[9] It drew the conclusion that the ignorance of the health authority and the government was to blame.[2]
In 2011 Ucu collaborated with Dinata again on Batik: Our Love Story, a documentary on the traditional textile batik.[10] Dinata directed, while Ucu served as screenwriter.[10] As of September 2011[update], Ucu is working on three documentaries: Knocking The Door, about the Indonesian Bill for Public Information; Thank You for Loving Me, about deforestation in Indonesia; and Where Did You Go My Love, about kidnap victims.[4]
Through the Cipta Media Bersama program, run by the Ford Foundation in collaboration with several other groups, in November 2011 Ucu received a Rp. 700 million (US$100,000) grant to produce a new film.[11] The film, entitled Tidak Bermula [dan Tidak Berakhir] dengan Berita (Not Starting [and Not Ending] With News) will compare the habits of the press during the death of former president Soeharto and the media in 2012, drawing light on issues faced by the press in both periods and promoting media literacy.[11]
Ucu's Islamic children's books take a moderate stance.[5]
Ika Krismantari, writing for The Jakarta Post, notes that Ucu tends to deal with "challenging" themes such as social injustice, healthcare, and gender inequality in her documentaries;[1] gender issues are present in most of her works.[2] Ucu considers social justice and human rights other key themes of her works.[4]
Ucu has noted that "inspiring" individuals make for better documentaries, as the audience may be influenced by the hard lives faced by the subjects.[1] In September 2011, she noted that Death in Jakarta, Ragat'e Anak, and Konspirasi Hening were the works she was most pleased with.[4] Much of her documentaries are spread online.[4]
Krismantari describes Ucu as "one of Indonesia’s top documentary filmmakers".[2]
Ucu was one of the winners of the 2005 Jakarta International Film Festival Script Development Competition, which led to her being able to make Death in Jakarta.[7] Pertaruhan, containing her documentary Ragat'e Anak, was shown in the Panorama section of the Berlin International Film Festival in 2009; together with Laskar Pelangi (also shown that year), it was the first Indonesian film shown in Panorama.[12] Ucu went to Berlin with Dinata to attend the showing.[12]
Krismantari describes Ucu as being "a petite woman who can pack a fair punch", in reference to Ucu's 1.55 m (5 ft 1 in) frame and strong mind.[1]