{"id":217,"date":"2025-09-23T06:24:59","date_gmt":"2025-09-23T06:24:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/binus.ac.id\/techtransfer\/?p=217"},"modified":"2025-09-23T06:24:59","modified_gmt":"2025-09-23T06:24:59","slug":"from-trash-to-treasure-dr-ekky-imanjaya-on-indonesian-cult-cinema","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/binus.ac.id\/techtransfer\/spotlight\/from-trash-to-treasure-dr-ekky-imanjaya-on-indonesian-cult-cinema\/","title":{"rendered":"From \u201cTrash\u201d to Treasure: Dr. Ekky Imanjaya on Indonesian Cult Cinema"},"content":{"rendered":"

Dr. Ekky Imanjaya: Celebrating Indonesia\u2019s \u201cGuilty Pleasures\u201d in Film<\/b><\/p>\n

\"\"
Dr. Ekky Imanjaya interviewed online through Zoom meeting by Technology Transfer’s representative.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Indonesian cinema has many stories to tell, and Dr. Ekky Imanjaya has dedicated his career to uncovering some of its most surprising chapters. A faculty member at BINUS University\u2019s Film Department, Dr. Ekky is not only a lecturer but also a film critic, author, and cultural advocate.<\/span><\/p>\n

One of his most talked-about works is The Real Guilty Pleasures (2022), a book that explores Indonesia\u2019s exploitation films of the 1970s\u20131990s\u2014low-budget horror and action movies once dismissed as \u201ctrash.\u201d While critics and cultural elites ignored them, these films won over audiences and even gained fans abroad. \u201cIt\u2019s fascinating,\u201d Dr. Ekky says, \u201cthat the films seen as lowbrow at home were the ones circulating internationally.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"
One of Dr. Ekky Imanjaya\u2019s recent books, The Real Guilty Pleasures: Menimbangulang Sinema Eksploitasi Transnasional Orde Baru<\/em> (2022).<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

For him, these films reveal more than entertainment\u2014they reflect the politics of taste in Indonesia. They show how audience demand, state censorship, and cultural perceptions clashed, shaping what kinds of movies were made and remembered. Today, thanks to global cult film communities, many of these forgotten titles are being rediscovered, with Dr. Ekky often invited to provide expert commentary.<\/span><\/p>\n

Beyond his research, Dr. Ekky also contributes to film policy as a member of the Jakarta Arts Council\u2019s Film Committee. His work includes developing ideas for a Jakarta Film Commission, supporting film criticism, and fostering film appreciation through platforms like Kineforum.<\/span><\/p>\n

He also keeps a close eye on today\u2019s horror boom, led by filmmakers like Joko Anwar. Indonesia\u2019s horror, he notes, draws strength from rich folklore and spiritual traditions\u2014stories that are uniquely local yet told with a global cinematic language. Looking ahead, he sees great potential in exploring horror tales from beyond Java, opening space for stories from Papua, Sulawesi, and beyond.<\/span><\/p>\n

When asked what advice he would give young filmmakers, Dr. Ekky keeps it simple: piknik. Not a holiday, but a call to go out, watch films, join communities, and stay humble. \u201cFestivals and discussions show us where we stand and where we can go,\u201d he says.<\/span><\/p>\n

From writing books and academic papers to supporting festivals and mentoring students, Dr. Ekky embodies the spirit of a public intellectual. His passion ensures that Indonesia\u2019s cinema\u2014whether celebrated classics or so-called \u201cguilty pleasures\u201d\u2014continues to be studied, appreciated, and shared with the world.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Dr. Ekky Imanjaya: Celebrating Indonesia\u2019s \u201cGuilty Pleasures\u201d in Film Indonesian cinema has many stories to tell, and Dr. Ekky Imanjaya has dedicated his career to uncovering some of its most surprising chapters. A faculty member at BINUS University\u2019s Film Department, Dr. Ekky is not only a lecturer but also a film critic, author, and cultural […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":219,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[19],"tags":[41,21,47,50,48,49,46],"class_list":["post-217","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-spotlight","tag-binus-research-point","tag-binus-university","tag-cult-films","tag-dr-ekky-imanjaya","tag-exploitation-movies","tag-horror-films","tag-indonesian-cinema"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/binus.ac.id\/techtransfer\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/217","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/binus.ac.id\/techtransfer\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/binus.ac.id\/techtransfer\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/binus.ac.id\/techtransfer\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/binus.ac.id\/techtransfer\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=217"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/binus.ac.id\/techtransfer\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/217\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":221,"href":"https:\/\/binus.ac.id\/techtransfer\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/217\/revisions\/221"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/binus.ac.id\/techtransfer\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/219"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/binus.ac.id\/techtransfer\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=217"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/binus.ac.id\/techtransfer\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=217"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/binus.ac.id\/techtransfer\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=217"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}