A film is being produced on Mgr A Soegijapranata SJ, the first native Catholic bishop in Indonesia. Mgr Soegijapranata was appointed Bishop of Indonesia in 1940.
The film will focus on Mgr Soegijapranata’s life during the revolution after the independence of Indonesia. He was closely involved in the nation’s struggle to defend its freedom against a second foreign occupation. When the central government moved from Jakarta to Yogyakarta, Mgr Soegijapranata moved his office so that he could fight alongside the country’s leaders – the then President Soekarno and Vice President M Hatta – to preserve the sovereignty of the republic.
“This initiative is important because it adds to the story of Indonesia’s story of independence,” said Fr Iswarahadi SJ of Studio Audio Visual (SAV) Puskat, which will be producing the film. “One of Mgr Soegijapranata’s most famous sayings was despite being in a time of war, there should be no hatred in our hearts.”
Mgr Soegijapranata trained as a child under the Dutch Jesuit missionaries in Muntilan Central Java from 1909 to 1919. He embraced Catholicism in 1910 and joined the Society in 1920. Twenty years later, he became the first native Indonesian to be appointed bishop.
“Behind the idea for the film is a courageous group of people who believe that in this world of intolerance and religious fanaticism, Indonesia is hungry for the spirit of pluralistic and peace-loving figures. Mgr Soegijapranata is one of those figures and one of the many unsung heroes of Indonesia’s struggle for independence,” said Fr Greg Soetomo SJ, chief editor of HIDUP, the national Catholic magazine based in Jakarta.
The creative team comprises three Jesuits, Fr Y Iswarahadi, Fr Murti Hadi Wijayanto, and Fr Budi Subanar, and lay partners, Catholic and non-Catholics. The artistic chief is Garin Nugroho, an open-minded Muslim and graduate of Jesuit-run Loyola College in Semarang who is one of the most reputable Indonesian film directors and screenwriters.
Filming begins in mid-2011 and the film is expected to be ready by Christmas.
SAV Puskat is known for supporting community development rooted in traditional values through activities such as training and film production. This venture goes a step further by proclaiming multiculturalism, tolerance and peace throughout the archipelago. It manifests what the Luke Gospel (5:2-6) suggests, Duc in Altum (“Put out into the deep”).
“This is a new frontier for SAV and for the Indonesian Jesuits,” said Fr Riyo Mursanto SJ, Provincial of the Indonesian Jesuits. “People in this country and all over the world are becoming less tolerant and more violent, and local cultures centred on fundamental beliefs like honesty, simplicity, generosity, friendliness and unity in diversity are vanishing. This film on Soegijapranata’s spirit of nationalism and loving peace will show what can be done for the greater good in the midst of egoistic tendency and religious radicalism.”