Tahun 2021, MILISIFILEM Collective, Forum Lenteng, menginisiasi Candikala (akun IG: @candikala.id), sebuah inisiatif jelajah masa lalu kultur visual dalam dimensi sejarah, sosio-politik regional dari artefak arkeologis candi. Berawal dari konsep proyek berbasis penelitian dan kemudian dikembangkan menjadi salah satu platform Forum Lenteng, Candikala menghasilkan tiga film dokumenter panjang yang berfokus pada Candi Prambanan, Situs Arkeologi Batujaya, dan Candi Panataran..

Berdasarkan penelitian para akademisi, candi adalah bangunan yang dibangun dengan sistem falsafah yang paling komprehensif. Pembangunannya dipengaruhi dan memengaruhi susunan masyarakat sekitar, mitologi, ekspresi artistik, konstelasi alam, geopolitik dan kejadian sezaman yang membekas dalam memori kolektif bangsa Indonesia. Komposisi aspek yang ada di dalam candi tersebutlah yang perlu diekstraksi, selain menjadi pengetahuan sejarah, tapi juga nilai-nilai universal dan strategi menavigasikan hari ini dan masa depan. Rekontekstualisasi nilai dan falsafah nenek moyang ini bukan dalam artian kembali pada yang tradisional, akan tetapi menjadi unsur penting dalam mensinergikan paradigma modern dengan kearifan lokal yang dirasa masih relevan dengan realita hari ini. Medium yang paling tepat untuk rekontekstualisasi ini adalah film.

Film sebagai medium audiovisual memiliki potensi untuk merayu massa untuk berefleksi. Apalagi jika melihat kebutuhan menonton dan kefasihan masyarakat dalam mengapresiasi film hari ini. Ia dapat mempertemukan gagasan masa lalu dalam kerangka pemikiran modern, khususnya dalam film bergenre essay film atau film esai. Film esai telah digunakan sejak periode awal sinema untuk mengkomunikasikan gagasan yang “kompleks” ke dalam bahasa sinema yang spekulatif, menawan, dan pada akhirnya ikut menyulut perubahan sosial. Genre ini digunakan oleh para sineas dan aktivis kebudayaan di seluruh dunia untuk membahas tema anti perang, anti rasisme, kesetaraan gender, dan toleransi beragama. Bukan tidak mungkin menjadikan film esai candi ini berbicara secara global mengenai apa yang perlu kita perbaiki dan perjuangkan sebagai warga dunia.

Untuk memulai menjelajah ke masa lalu, sejak bulan April 2021, MILISIFILEM Collective mulai membaca buku-buku yang berkaitan dengan arkeologi dan candi. Kegiatan membaca mandiri tersebut dilanjutkan dengan kuliah umum yang mendatangkan Prof. Dr. Agus Aris Munandar dan Dr. Ninik Susanti Tedjowasono dari Fakultas Ilmu Budaya, Universitas Indonesia, dan Drs. Bambang Budi Utomo dari Pusat Penelitian Arkeologi Nasional, sebagai pengajarnya. Berdasarkan dari pengayaan literatur dan pemaparan dari para ahli tersebut, tim candikala memulai riset lapangan untuk menjelajahi masa lalu.

Riset lapangan dimulai pada Juni 2021, diawali oleh kunjungan tim Candikala ke Yogyakarta dan Jawa Tengah. Situs-situs yang dikunjungi di Yogyakarta dan Jawa Tengah adalah Candi Prambanan, Situs Ratu Boko, Candi Ijo, Borobudur, Candi Pawon, Candi Mendut, Candi Kalasan, Candi Sambisari, Candi Sari, Candi Sojiwan, Candi Plaosan Lor, Candi Sewu, Candi Barong, Candi Sukuh, Candi Cetho, Candi Bima, Candi Arjuna, Candi Gatutkaca, Candi Dwarawati, Candi Dieng, dan Situs Liyangan. Kemudian, tim Candikala melakukan perjalanan ke Jawa Barat dan mengunjungi Situs Batujaya.

Perjalanan riset lapangan yang kedua diadakan di bulan Juli 2021. Di riset ini, tim Candikala mengunjungi candi-candi di Jawa Timur. Situs-situs yang dikunjungi adalah Gapura Bajang Batu, Candi Tikus, Museum Trowulan, Candi Brahu, Candi Jawi, Candi Belahan, Candi Gununggangsir, Gapura Wringin Lawang, Candi Cungkup, Petirtaan Jolotundo, Candi Badhut, Candi Singosari, Candi Jajaghu, Candi Kidal, Candi Naga, Candi Panataran, Candi Sawentar, dan Candi Rimbi.

Kegiatan pengambilan gambar di situs Prambanan, Batujaya, dan Panataran dilakukan selama bulan Agustus hingga Oktober 2021.

Candikala

Research, Documentation, Historiography, Activation, and Recontextualization of Classical Indonesian Cultural Heritage (Hindu–Buddhist Period)

In 2021, MILISIFILEM Collective, under the auspices of Forum Lenteng, initiated Candikala (Instagram: @candikala.id), a long-term endeavor dedicated to exploring the visual cultures of the past through the historical, socio-political, and regional dimensions embedded within Indonesia’s archaeological temple heritage. Conceived initially as a research-based project and later developed into one of Forum Lenteng’s platforms, Candikala led to the production of three feature-length documentary films focusing on Prambanan Temple, Batujaya Archaeological Site, and Panataran Temple.

According to numerous archaeological and historical studies, the temple (candi) represents one of the most comprehensive manifestations of philosophical thought in the Indonesian archipelago. Its construction was both shaped by and instrumental in shaping the surrounding social order, mythological systems, artistic expressions, cosmological understandings, geopolitical constellations, and contemporaneous historical events that continue to resonate within Indonesia’s collective memory. It is these interwoven dimensions that Candikala seeks to excavate—not merely as historical knowledge, but as repositories of universal values and strategies for navigating the present and imagining the future. Such recontextualization does not imply a return to tradition in a nostalgic sense; rather, it recognizes ancestral philosophies as vital elements in forging meaningful dialogues between contemporary paradigms and forms of local wisdom that remain relevant to present realities. Within this framework, film emerges as a particularly potent medium for such acts of recontextualization.

As an audiovisual form, film possesses a unique capacity to invite collective reflection. Its relevance is further underscored by contemporary viewing cultures and the widespread visual literacy of today’s audiences. Film can bridge past ideas and present modes of thought, particularly through the essay film—a cinematic form that has, since the early history of cinema, served as a vehicle for communicating complex ideas through speculative, evocative, and intellectually engaging visual languages. Throughout the world, filmmakers and cultural activists have employed the essay film to address issues ranging from anti-war movements and anti-racism to gender equality and religious tolerance. Likewise, temple-based essay films hold the potential to articulate globally resonant reflections on the challenges humanity faces today and the values worth preserving and advancing as citizens of an interconnected world.

The journey into this historical inquiry began in April 2021, when members of MILISIFILEM Collective undertook an extensive period of independent study focused on archaeology and temple heritage. This process was subsequently enriched through a series of public lectures featuring distinguished scholars, including Agus Aris Munandar, Ninik Susanti Tedjowasono of the Faculty of Humanities at Universitas Indonesia, and Bambang Budi Utomo from the National Archaeological Research Centre. Drawing upon these scholarly engagements and extensive literature reviews, the Candikala team subsequently embarked on a series of field investigations to further explore Indonesia’s cultural past.

Field research commenced in June 2021 with an expedition across Yogyakarta and Central Java. The team visited numerous archaeological sites, including Prambanan Temple, Ratu Boko Archaeological Site, Ijo Temple, Borobudur Temple, Pawon Temple, Mendut Temple, Kalasan, Sambisari, Sari, Sojiwan, Plaosan Lor, Sewu, Barong, Sukuh, and Cetho Temples, the Dieng temple complex, as well as the Liyangan Archaeological Site. The research journey then continued to West Java with a visit to the Batujaya Archaeological Site.

A second phase of field research took place in July 2021, focusing on the temple heritage of East Java. During this expedition, the Candikala team surveyed a range of significant sites, including Bajang Ratu Gate, Tikus Temple, the Trowulan Museum, Brahu Temple, Jawi Temple, Belahan Temple, Gununggangsir Temple, Wringin Lawang Gate, Cungkup Temple, Jolotundo Sacred Bathing Complex, Badhut Temple, Singosari Temple, Jajaghu Temple, Kidal Temple, Naga Temple, Panataran Temple, Sawentar Temple, and Rimbi Temple.

Principal photography at the Prambanan, Batujaya, and Panataran sites was conducted between August and October 2021, forming the basis for the three feature-length documentary works produced through the Candikala initiative.

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