Lukman Sardi could face legal action for his directorial debut, Di Balik 98 (Behind 98) before the movie even hits theaters. Former political activists involved in the 1998 democratic reforms are unhappy over certain depictions of protests involving university students in the movie’s trailer.
The former activists are threatening to sue Lukman Sardi as they say the film inaccurately depicted university students waving Democratic People’s Party (PRD) flags in the May 1998 protests. According to the activists, student protests at the time were not affiliated in any way with political parties.
Lukman Sardi said he hopes the activists would not draw conclusions from just watching the movie’s trailer. He said the movie, after all, is not a documentary but rather a work of fiction.
“Regarding [allegations of] twisting historical accuracy, I hope [the activists] watch the complete version [of the movie], not just the trailer. Then we can talk,” Lukman said at a press conference after a screening of the movie at the Djakarta Theater in Central Jakarta, as quoted by Merdeka yesterday.
Lukman added that he hasn’t even sought legal help, as he is adamant that the movie was not created to mislead its viewers.
“I don’t know about the legal action, so I can’t comment on that. At this time, many organizations are popping up [to scrutinize the movie]. But it’s their right to sue. I don’t have ulterior motives in making this film. I didn’t even seek legal assistance,” Lukman said.
Di Balik 98 will be released nationwide on January 15, 2015. To see what all the controversy is about, check out the trailer here:
