Battle of Surabaya (film)

Last updated

November 10th
Battle of Surabaya.jpg
Battle of Surabaya
Directed by Aryanto Yuniawan
Written by
Produced by
  • M. Suyanto
  • Aryanto Yuniawan
Starring
Production
companies
Distributed by
Release date
  • 20 August 2015 (2015-08-20)
Running time
99 minutes
Country Indonesia
LanguagesIndonesian
English
Japanese
Budget IDR 15 billion (US$1 million) [1]

November 10th (titled Battle of Surabaya in Indonesia) is a 2015 anime-influenced Indonesian animated war drama film, produced by MSV Pictures. It is directed by Aryanto Yuniawan and produced by M. Suyanto. [3] It won Most People's Choice Award in the International Movie Trailer Festival (IMTF). [4]

Contents

Plot

The film opens with the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, followed by Japan's surrender to the Allied powers aboard the USS Missouri. Though Indonesian President Sukarno proclaimed Indonesian independence, the Dutch wanted to restore control over the Dutch East Indies, resulting in the Indonesian National Revolution. With the Dutch lacking the manpower to reoccupy their former colony, British and Indian forces land in Java including Surabaya to restore order on behalf of the Dutch.

Prior to the Battle of Surabaya, thirteen-year old Musa works as a shoe shiner to support his ill mother. Having lost his father, Musa finds a father figure in a Imperial Japanese Army captain named Yoshimura, who is later killed in a fight between Indonesian youths and KNIL soldiers. Musa befriends an adolescent Indonesian Chinese girl named Yumna, an orphan who works as a spy for the Indonesian nationalists and is a former member of the secretive Kipas Hitam (Black Fan) militia group. In addition, Musa also befriends an older youth named Danu and an Indonesian soldier named Solehudin.

To help the Indonesian struggle, Musa and Yumna work as couriers for Resident Sudirman, traveling behind Allied and Japanese lines. Musa initially considers quitting his work as a courier but changes his mind after his mother is killed in a fire, leaving him orphaned. In her final moments, she tells her son that there is no glory in war. As the Indonesian Republic negotiates with the British under Brigadier A.W.S. Mallaby, a new captain named John Wright arrives in Surabaya and takes increasingly active measures against the Indonesian nationalists and local supporters.

Based on information from his Kipas Hitam contacts, Captain Wright takes an interest in capturing Musa, who is couriering an encrypted instructions from the Indonesian political leadership to the military leaders organizing the resistance against the Allied forces. Following a lengthy pursuit, Musa is captured by the British and imprisoned at the Kipas Hitam base. Musa also learns that Danu is a traitor but resists Wright's interrogation. Wright reveals that his hatred for war stems from the loss of his son in the European Theater during World War Two. Indonesian forces led by Solehudin and Yumna mount a rescue mission with the two being killed during the fighting. Changing sides, Danu rescues Musa and agrees to help him deliver the message to atone for his treason.

Following the assassination of Brigadier Mallaby, full-scale hostilities break out between Allied and Indonesian forces in Surabaya, devastating much of the city. During the fighting, Musa saves captain Wright from a snake. While couriering the coded message on a motorcycle sidecar, Musa and Danu are pursued by captain Wright and British forces. Danu gives his life to delay the pursuers by ramming his vehicle into a jeep. Commandeering a bicycle, Musa flees the British forces and manages to jump over a bridge. Out of respect for his foe, Wright allows Musa to escape.

Years later, an older Musa visits Japan and meets Captain Yoshimura's daughter Kioko. As the years pass, Musa becomes a grandfather. While attending a parade, he sees the faces of his fallen friends and imagines a world living in peace together.

Cast

Production

November 10th was jointly produced by MSV Pictures and Amikom Yogyakarta as a 2D animated film. [9] Mohammad Suyanto and Aryanto Yuniawan wrote the script for the film in November 2012 with production beginning in early 2013. While developing the film, Suyanto and Yuniawan conducted research including visiting historical sites in Surabaya and interviewing veterans and eyewitnesses of the Battle of Surabaya. Suyanto, who also served as the film's producer, said that the film tells the story of how a thirteen year old shoeshiner named Musa becomes a courier for Indonesian freedom fighters during the Indonesian National Revolution. Suyanto said that the film's tagline "There is no glory in war" reflected its anti-war and humanist message. Fellow script writer Aryanto also stated that the film be a coming of age story focus on the protagonist's inner conflict and psychological journey. [10]

While the November 10th was initially scheduled to be released in April 2014, [10] the lengthy production process meant that the film took three years to produce at a cost of IDR 15 billion (US$1 million). The film's cast featured several Indonesian celebrities including Reza Rahadian and Maudy Ayunda. November 10th's soundtrack was sung by Angela Nazar, the third-placed winner of the 2013 X Factor Dutch. [1] Walt Disney Asia-Pacific also advised the filmmakers during the production process, ensuring that the quality of the film and production was up to international standards. [9]

Release

By November 2013, the November 10th trailer had won several awards including the Ministry of Communication and Information Technology's 2012 INAICA award. The film's trailer was also screened at the International Movie Trailer Festival. [10]

November 10th was released in Indonesia on 20 August 2015. [9] [1] Walt Disney Asia-Pacific expressed interest in distributing the film to a wider audience. In August 2015, Director Aryanto Yuniawan confirmed that MVS Pictures was in the process of dubbing voice roles in English and changing the soundtrack to English. [1] [2]

Awards

Related Research Articles

The Academy Award for Best Animated Feature is given each year for the best animated film. An animated feature is defined by the academy as a film with a running time of more than 40 minutes in which characters' performances are created using a frame-by-frame technique, a significant number of the major characters are animated, and animation figures in no less than 75 percent of the running time. The Academy Award for Best Animated Feature was first awarded in 2002 for films released in 2001.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Norman McLaren</span> Scottish Canadian animator (1914–1987)

William Norman McLaren, LL. D. was a Scottish Canadian animator, director and producer known for his work for the National Film Board of Canada (NFB). He was a pioneer in a number of areas of animation and filmmaking, including hand-drawn animation, drawn-on-film animation, visual music, abstract film, pixilation and graphical sound. McLaren was also an artist and printmaker, and explored his interest in dance in his films.

The Animation Show is a touring festival of animated short films that was first held in fall 2003. It was sponsored by MTV, and was created by award-winning animators Mike Judge and Don Hertzfeldt. Due to its association with MTV, the showcase was not intended for children, as the festival was more aimed at adult audiences, with its main kid-friendly equivalent being Nickelodeon's Nicktoons Film Festival, presented by Frederator Studios.

<i>For the Birds</i> (film) 2000 American film

For the Birds is a 2000 American computer-animated short film produced by Pixar and written and directed by Ralph Eggleston. It won the Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film in 2001. It debuted on June 5, 2000, at the Annecy International Animated Film Festival in France, and was shown alongside the theatrical release of the 2001 Disney/Pixar feature film Monsters, Inc.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Battle of Surabaya</span> Battle between British and Indonesian forces

The Battle of Surabaya was fought between regular infantry and militia of the Indonesian nationalist movement and British and British Indian troops as a part of the Indonesian National Revolution against the re-imposition of Dutch colonial rule. The peak of the battle was in November 1945. The battle was the largest single battle of the revolution and became a national symbol of Indonesian resistance. Considered a heroic effort by Indonesians, the battle helped galvanise Indonesian and international support for Indonesian independence. 10 November is celebrated annually as Heroes' Day.

Fantastic Animation Festival is a package film of animation segments, set mostly to music and released in theaters in 1977. It was one of the earliest of the sort of collections typified by Computer Animation Festival and Spike and Mike's Sick and Twisted Festival of Animation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cartoon Saloon</span> Irish animation studio

Cartoon Saloon is an Irish animation film, short film and television studio based in Kilkenny which provides film TV and short film services. The studio is best known for its animated feature films The Secret of Kells, Song of the Sea, The Breadwinner and Wolfwalkers. Their works have received five Academy Award nominations, their first four feature length works all received nominations for Best Animated Feature and one for Best Animated Short Film. The company also developed the cartoon series Skunk Fu!, Puffin Rock, Dorg Van Dango and Viking Skool. As of 2020, the studio employs 300 animators.

Rob Shaw is an American film director, television director, commercial and music video director, and animator. He is a graduate of University of the Arts (Philadelphia).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">University of Amikom Yogyakarta</span> Higher education institution in Sleman, Indonesia

The University of AMIKOM Yogyakarta is a private IT college in Sleman Regency, Special Region of Yogyakarta, Indonesia. The college was established on December 29, 1992, under the auspices of the Yogyakarta AMIKOM Foundation. It has 2 diploma programs, 13 undergraduate programs, and 1 postgraduate program; all are accredited. The university concentrates on efforts to become the world's leading university in the field of the creative economy based on entrepreneurship. The university currently has more than 11,000 active students, and has more than 3,000 new students every year.

<i>Me and My Moulton</i> 2014 film

Me and My Moulton is a 2014 Canadian-Norwegian animated short film written and directed by Torill Kove. It premiered at the 2014 Annecy International Animated Film Festival on 10 June 2014. It was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film at the 87th Academy Awards. Me and My Moulton won the Golden Sheaf Award for Best Animation at the 2015 Yorkton Film Festival.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yeon Sang-ho</span> South Korean film director and screenwriter

Yeon Sang-ho is a South Korean film director and screenwriter. He gained international popularity for working his adult animated films The King of Pigs (2011) and The Fake (2013), and the live-action film Train to Busan (2016), its animated prequel Seoul Station (2016) and live-action sequel Peninsula (2020), and first South Korean superhero film Psychokinesis (2018).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aryanto Yuniawan</span>

Aryanto Yuniawan is Chief Executive Officer of PT Mataram Surya Visi Sinema, a multimedia and animation movie company located in Jogja Indonesia. Ary is best known as a director of Battle of Surabaya, the first 2D animation movie in Indonesia which got some awards i.e. Gold Remi Award USA 2016, GrandPrize Winner of SICAF 2016 in South Korea, Winner of Nice International Filmmaker Festival 2017 in France, Winner of Nioda International Film Festival in India and others. He is also acclaimed as a writer, a producer, and currently working on several articles and books related to his job and hobby. He started his career from directing and producing independent animation films including music videos. He was trusted to be one of the juries of several film festivals such as Festival Film Indonesia, Noida International Film Festival, and Seoul International Cartoon and Animation Festival.

<i>The Last Fiction</i> 2018 Iranian film

The Last Fiction is an animated film adaptation of the story of "Zahhak", a page from the historical identity of Iranians and one of the central tales of Shahnameh by Ferdowsi. Ashkan Rahgozar is the director of The Last Fiction. The main idea of the recounting of this tale is to lend a different perspective to the legends and heroes of ancient Iranians. Production started in 2010, and since then over 100 animators have worked on the film.

M. Suyanto is the Rector of University of AMIKOM Yogyakarta, an Indonesian movie producer and writer known for Battle of Surabaya. He is a producer, director and writer under United Talent Agency, Beverly Hills, California. He is also Professor of Strategic Management, Marketing and E-Business. He has written 40 books and he has received more than forty international awards in the field of film.

David Fine is a Canadian filmmaker, who works in animated film alongside his British wife Alison Snowden. The couple are best known as the creators of the Nelvana animated television series Bob and Margaret, and as the directors of several animated short films which have won or been nominated for Genie Awards and Academy Awards.

<i>Late Afternoon</i> 2017 Irish film

Late Afternoon is an Irish animated short film directed by Louise Bagnall and produced by Cartoon Saloon.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alberto Vázquez (artist)</span> Spanish comic book artist and filmmaker

Alberto Vázquez Rico is a Spanish (Galician) comic book artist and filmmaker. He has received three Goya Awards for his animated films. His most famous work is Birdboy: The Forgotten Children, a feature-length animated movie based on his own graphic novel. He is also a drummer in the Mano de obra band.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Edwin (director)</span> Indonesian filmmaker

Edwin is an Indonesian film director, producer, and screenwriter. He has won a total of four Citra Awards: Best Short Film for Kara, Anak Sebatang Pohon (2005), Best Director for Posesif (2017), as well as Best Director and Best Adapted Screenplay for Vengeance is Mine, All Others Pay Cash (2022). His feature film debut Blind Pig Who Wants to Fly (2008) earned critical acclaim and won several international festival awards. In 2012, Edwin received the Edward Yang New Talent Award at the 6th Asian Film Awards.

<i>Flee</i> (film) 2021 animated documentary film

Flee is a 2021 independent adult animated documentary film directed by Jonas Poher Rasmussen. An international co-production with Denmark, France, Norway, and Sweden, it follows the story of a man under the alias Amin Nawabi, who shares his hidden past of fleeing his home country of Afghanistan to Denmark for the first time. Riz Ahmed and Nikolaj Coster-Waldau serve as executive producers and narrators for the English-language dub version.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 "Battle of Surabaya premieres, attracts Disney's interest". The Jakarta Post . 20 August 2015. Archived from the original on 10 September 2015. Retrieved 24 May 2020.
  2. 1 2 Pabudi, Luhur (19 August 2015). "Battle of Surabaya Catches Disney's Attention". Tempo . Retrieved 24 May 2020.
  3. Afifah, Mahardini Nur (24 July 2013). Yustiningsih, Rini (ed.). "BATTLE OF SURABAYA: Film Animasi Kisah Musa di Pertempuran 10 November". Harian Jogja (in Indonesian). Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 6 April 2017.
  4. Aini, Nur; Hazliansyah (2 January 2014). "Animasi 'Battle of Surabaya' Raih Penghargaan Internasional". Republika (in Indonesian). Archived from the original on 14 October 2018. Retrieved 6 April 2017.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 Battle of Surabaya (November 10th) (Animated film) (in Indonesian and English). Yogyakarta: MSV Studio. Event occurs at 99 minutes.
  6. "Musa's Character". MSV Studio. Archived from the original on 30 October 2019. Retrieved 24 May 2020.
  7. "Yumna's Character". MSV Studio. Archived from the original on 30 October 2019. Retrieved 24 May 2020.
  8. "Danu's Character". MSV Studio. Archived from the original on 29 October 2019. Retrieved 24 May 2020.
  9. 1 2 3 Marbun, Julkifli (19 August 2015). "'Battle of Surabaya' animated film of Indonesia history". Republika . Archived from the original on 24 May 2020. Retrieved 24 May 2020.
  10. 1 2 3 Lim, Sylvia (10 November 2013). "Battle of Surabaya: the movie". The Jakarta Post . Archived from the original on 26 February 2017. Retrieved 24 May 2020.
  11. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 "Awards". Battle of Surabaya official website. Archived from the original on 19 November 2019. Retrieved 24 May 2020.