Tracing the 30-Year Trail of Magis Music Miles Films at Lokananta Gallery

Miles Films Music Exhibition at Lokananta (doc. Ist)

JAKARTA - The production house Miles Films officially opened the history of their three decades of creative journey through an exhibition titled "MUSIK MILES FILMS: 30 Years of Hearing".

This exhibition, which highlights the intimacy between tone and visuals, is held at the Temporary Exhibition Room of the Lokananta Gallery, Surakarta, from January 27 to September.

This slick collaboration between Miles Films, .this/PLAY, and Lokananta is not just a regular archive exhibition. Visitors are invited to explore how music becomes the soul in Mira Lesmana and Riri Riza's works, from the era of Sherina's Adventures (2000) to the latest film Rangga & Cinta (2025).

Miles Films' Creative Director, Riri Riza, emphasized that the music in their production films is not just a background complement. According to him, the tone is a fundamental element that merges with the dialogue to build an emotional rhythm for the audience.

"Music in the film plays an important role as an element that blends with dialogue and sound design - building emotions and rhythms and supporting scenes," Riri said in a statement.

"The tones in Miles' films are not just complementary, but an important element that shapes the audience's emotional experience and marks its time," added Riri.

For 30 years, Miles has collaborated with a row of top composers such as Elfa Secioria, Melly Goeslaw, to Sherina Munaf. Not only that, names such as Eross Candra, Mocca, Float, to Iwa K also colored this exhibition through creative artifacts in the form of lyrics, original music notation, to physical releases which are now rare items.

One of the main attractions of this exhibition is the recording studio installation designed by .this/PLAY Studio. Here, visitors can feel the sensation of being behind the scenes of the audio production process, where the sound and music echoes blend with moving images. The room design is thematic and experimental to ensure every corner has a deep story.

The selection of Lokananta as the exhibition location also has strong historical value. As the zero point of the Indonesian music industry, Lokananta is considered the most relevant space to celebrate Miles' contribution to popular culture. Lokananta CEO, Wendi Putranto, called Miles Films the spirit of the times (zeitgeist) for national cinema.

"For three decades, Miles Films has been the zeitgeist of Indonesian cinema, giving birth to breakthroughs that revive national cinema, opening up space for new narratives, and affirming the strong relationship between film, music, and cultural ideas," said Wendi.

Meanwhile, Producer Mira Lesmana hopes that this exhibition can provide a new perspective for the public regarding the complexity of the collaboration process between filmmakers and musicians. He said that the search for music is a long process that begins even when the first draft of the script is made.

"Hopefully, through the sounds, tones, and images we present in this exhibition, the public who visit can feel our spirit in working, how this creative journey is a challenging and fun process!" said Mira.

For those of you who want to reminisce or just want to know how a legendary film soundtrack is created, this exhibition is open every day from 10.00 to 20.00 WIB. Visitors are advised to make a reservation in advance through the official website of Galeri Lokananta.