“I Saw A Ghost and It Was Beautiful” Film Successfully Nominated for an International Film Festival

“I Saw A Ghost and It Was Beautiful” (Doc. UMN Pictures)

BALI – After being completed in 2022, this year, the animated film “I Saw A Ghost and It Was Beautiful” began actively participating in several festivals. Now, the film “I Saw A Ghost and It Was Beautiful” has successfully entered the National Competition nominee at Minikino Film Week 9 in Bali and received a Special Jury Mention. In addition, this animated film was also included as an Official Selection at the 2023 Neuchâtel International Fantastic Film Festival in Switzerland. 

Minikino Film Week 9, this year’s International Short Film Festival, takes place September 15-23, 2023. In 2023, UMN Pictures has the opportunity to participate as an Official Selection and in the Toast Your Short and Open Screen sessions. This is a good opportunity because we can network with many short film stakeholders, starting from fellow filmmakers, both domestic and foreign. In addition, “I Saw A Ghost and It Was Beautiful” had the opportunity to be screened in various countries and venues that can be a place to see the quality of Indonesian animation films. 

There is a big difference in the development of animated films, short story films, and short documentary films. Based on the data of registrants at the 2023 Indonesian Film Festival, short story film registrants amounted to 336 films, short documentary films amounted to 118 films, and short animated films amounted to 89 films. 

This then becomes one of the indicators that animation film production is still relatively low compared to other film categories. This reason motivates UMN Pictures to produce more work, considering that animation, for us, has freedom of expression, and the medium used is more free. 

As the producer, Kemal Hasan, revealed, “This is inseparable from how we not only want to convey our ‘statement,’ but also through our visual expression. And most importantly, film is a cultural product. We want the world to know more about the cultural expression of animated films from Indonesia. In the movie ‘I Saw a Ghost and It Was Beautiful,’ we aim for that.”

Poster of the animated film “I Saw A Ghost and It Was Beautiful” (Doc. UMN Pictures)

As the director and writer of “I Saw A Ghost and It Was Beautiful,” Bobby Fernando mentioned that he was interested in the concept of “ghosts.” In a fictional context, Bobby sees it as a narrative element with flexible visual qualities that can be shown to convey a specific story, history, or theme. Then, he poured it with a surrealist art style inspired by Leonora Carrington, Remedios Varo, and Max Ernst. 

Bobby wants to take a visual approach that can present a work with strong visual appeal with an abstract approach, but at the same time, it is intimate; it looks alien and has roots in a human perspective and soul so that it fits the exploration of the genre concept that he wants to do.

The movie “I Saw A Ghost and It Was Beautiful” is implicitly intended as a “pandemic movie.” According to the director, the increasing number of cases involving mistreatment faced by workers in various fields from corporations or other large institutions does not only occur during the pandemic. Such a view gives him a concrete and relevant foundation for the story idea he has had since 2019. 

The movie’s development sometimes became a means for the director to reflect on his relationship with the topic, “is this idea based on a genuine sense of solidarity, or is it just an outlet for the frustrations or personal difficulties that I feel in life?”.

The animated movie “I Saw A Ghost and It Was Beautiful” (doc. UMN Pictures)

All the ideas and hard work in making this animated movie hold the hopes of everyone involved in it. Kemal and Bobby hope that “I Saw A Ghost and It Was Beautiful” can be a medium to convey creative identity without territorial boundaries, creating resonance for other short animation works and inviting everyone to explore the meaning and visual composition that has been presented.

UMN Pictures is an Indonesia-based creative production studio (since 2017) that focuses on 3D animation services under the auspices of Universitas Multimedia Nusantara. UMN Pictures strives to create its work through attractive characters and interesting visuals to convey the message of the designed work. UMN Pictures focuses on building a professional production house with industry standards, both locally and internationally. 

by UMN Pictures

English translation by Levina Chrestella Theodora

Kuliah di Jakarta untuk jurusan program studi Informatika| Sistem Informasi | Teknik Komputer | Teknik Elektro | Teknik Fisika | Akuntansi | Manajemen| Komunikasi Strategis | Jurnalistik | Desain Komunikasi Visual | Film dan Animasi | Arsitektur | D3 Perhotelan , di Universitas Multimedia Nusantara. www.umn.ac.id