What is The First Slasher Movie from Indonesia?

Macabre is considered as the first slasher movie that made by Indonesian movie makers and become one of the most successfull movie, regionally and internationally. Released in January 22, 2010, Macabre has became a nightmare for all audiences. The movie itself also gain a lot of appreciation from many of international critics and received international awards, such as Pucheon International Fantasic Film Festival (PiFan 2009, held in Bucheon, South Korea). At this festival, Shareefa Danish had been choosed as the Best Actress.

Directed by Mo Brothers (Timo Cahyanto and Kimo Stambul) and starred by well-known Indonesian artists such as Shareefa Danish, Julie Estelle, Ario Bayu, Imelda Therinne, Daniel Mananta, and Mike Lucock, Macabre - also known as Rumah Dara (Dara's House) in Indonesia or Darah (Blood) in Singapore - tells a story about 6 youngsters who meet a strange girl called Maya (played by Imelda Therinne) that lost her way. Soon they took the girl back to her house which located in the middle of forest (and nowhere).

Then they meet Dara (Shareefa Danish), Maya's mother. Since they helped Maya, Dara insisted them to stay in her house and having dinner with her. They also been introduced to Adam (Arifin Putra) and Arman (Ruli Lubis), both are Maya's brothers. While having the meal, suddenly all of them passout. When gaining their conciousness, all of them found out that they were been set-up by psychopathic cannibal family. And the youngsters are going to be their next meals.

Macabre is actually the expansion of the story called Dara which been made and released before in a anthology movie called "Takut : Faces of Fear" (released in November 2008).

Overall, Macabre has shown the most gorriest, scarriest, and bloddiest movie ever made in Indonesia. It becomes one of the most talk-about movie because of it scarriest theme.

The film has been released in Indonesia and Singapore. In Singapore, Macabre has been rated M18 (for Gore and Violence). Meanwhile Malaysia banned this movie due to the extreme scenes that fill more than half of the movie. This is the first time Malaysia banned Indonesia's movie. Meanwhile for North Asia and Europe, it will be distributed soon by Overlook Entertainment.

Everything About Batik

October 2, 2009 will be remembered by all Indonesia people as Batik's Day because today, UNESCO designated Batik as a Masterpiece of Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity. For Indonesian people, this acknowledgment also a statement and recognition from the world that Batik Cloth is originally belong to Indonesia, and not to other country such as Malaysia and others. Batik Cloth is the third cultural product from Indonesia named a World Intangible Heritage since Wayang (shadow puppet, status certified in November 2003) and Keris (ceremonial dagger, status certified in November 2005).

What is Batik? Why this cloth sound soooo special and interesting?

Batik itself is the name for cloth which traditionally uses a manual wax-resist dyeing technique. It's been developed in Java (Central Java, precisely) since 6th century. The most popular pattern, called The Gringsing Pattern was made in Kediri, East Java, & start to be well-known in 12th century. This pattern is only be created by means of the canting (the tools to draw batik's pattern), in which invented & only available in Java around that time.

Thanks to Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles, whose brought and published batik cloth in London in 1817, people from all around the world start to know and like batik very much. One of Dutch Merchant, Van Rijekevorsel, gave one piece of traditional batik to the ethnographic museum in Rotterdam in 1873. The cloth still there till today. Batik has been exposed to the Exposition Universelle at Paris in 1900, and it impressed the public and the artisans that time.

There are several kind of Batik cloth. The most expensive and the finest one is Batik Tulis Halus cloth, which can fetch several thousand dollars. It also takes several months to make. You can find this fine batik cloth in Laweyan and Kauman ares in Surakarta, Central Java, Indonesia. Meanwhile the cheapest one is batik cap (hand print batik) and usually use mechanical automation print.

Some batik designs are reserved for brides and bridegrooms as well as their families. Some others are reserved for the Sultan and his family. A person's rank also can be determined by the patter of the batik they wore. In some occasions, batik formerly decorated with gold lead or dust. It called Prada (in Javanese language, it means Gold).

There are some way to make batik. Besides hand-drawing, it also can be done in etching, discharge dyeing, or stencils methods. It also can be made is several different tools for waxing and dyeing and can be done in many kind of fabric, such as silk, cotton, wool, leather, or even wood and ceramics.

Batik has become part of fashion for young people in Indonesia, mostly for casual wear. For formal occasion, women normally wears it as part of kebaya (traditional cloth from Indonesia).

Recently, Batik has found worldwide popularity. Nelson Mandela wears batik shirts on formal occasions. Siti Nurhaliza, one of Malaysian singer, wore Indonesia batik on her wedding day. Ann Duhnam, the late mother of President Barack Obama, was a avid collector of batik. The flight attendants of Indonesian, Singaporean and Malaysian national airlines all wear batiks for their uniform.