Yogyakarta, 13 September 2019—Due to the rapid advancement of technology, the media industry grows at a remarkable pace. “Today, Indonesia has one of the world’s highest number of media,” as stated by Luviana, the director of the “More Than Work” film. This film was screened in the Mandiri Auditorium at the 4th floor of the Fisipol UGM building.
As a woman, Luviana has experienced the ups and downs throughout her career in the media industry. “I have worked in various jobs in the media industry, such as on the radio, printed media, online media and the television.” Currently, she works as a journalist in Metro TV. Her film acts as a platform to share her experiences to the public.
This film screening was a part of the Association of Communication Studies Students of UGM’s (KOMAKO) monthly discussion. This event was attended by around 100 participants, including students from the Department of Communication Studies.
In addition to Luviana, several other guest speakers, such as Shinta Maharani (reporter from Tempo and the Secretary General of the Alliance of Independent Journalists of Yogyakarta) and Melia Nurul (a public defender at the Yogyakarta Legal Aid Foundation) also participated in this event. This discussion was moderated by Altri Dayani (member of the Socialist Studies Circle).
The “More Than Work” film focuses on the representation of women in the media industry in Indonesia. As a journalist, Luviana believed that in the media industry, women often become an object that is being exploited, or at least being taken advantage of. “The sensuality of women often becomes the main attraction of our national TV stations,” she conveyed.
“In my early days as a soap opera actress, I only ate two pieces of bread a day,” as stated by an interviewee who preferred to be anonymous. Furthermore, in order to win a role, an actress is often obliged to lose a drastic amount of weight. This demand greatly exhausts them.
According to Luviana, these problems that are featured in her film are a public secret in the media industry. Discrimination against women happens often, and not many people outside of the media industry are aware of this issue.
Hence, she believed that it’s important to raise awareness on this matter. Luviana needed a platform that can spread her stories to the public. To her, the “More Than Work” film is indeed the right choice. Hopefully, we won’t see any more discrimination against women in the media industry anymore.