Elementary-SMP Students In Surabaya Have An Obligation Apart From Learning, Nobar Film "Soera Ing Baja"

Photo via Antara

JAKARTA - The Mayor of Surabaya, Eri Cahyadi, requires elementary school (SD) and junior high school (SMP) students in the City of Heroes, East Java, to watch the film "Soera Ing Baja: Revolutionary Revolutionary 45" together.

"This film is really extraordinary, as told in it about Arek-Arek Suroboyo's extraordinary struggle with Bung Tomo's enthusiasm," said Eri Cahyadi while watching the film "Soera Ing Baja" at one of the XXI studios in Surabaya, Monday, January 2.

During the nobar, Cak Eri, Mayor Eri Cahyadi's nickname, also invited all levels of Regional Apparatus (PD), sub-district head, village head, and the historical activist community involved in making the film.

According to Cak Eri, the 60-minute drama documentary (doudrama) must be watched by the nation's next generation, especially Arek-Arek Suroboyo. By looking at the film, the soul of the younger generation of the city of Surabaya will automatically be imprinted on a sense of heroism.

Embedding heroism in the nation's future generations today, he continued, is no longer to fight the occupation of the invaders, but to fight poverty, malnutrition, stunting, dropping out of school, and ignorance.

"All elementary-sMP students who are under the authority of the city government, we require the release of this film. We will prepare two studios later," he said as quoted by Antara.

Cak Eri also said that the city government would also show the film "Soera Ing Baja" at the Education Museum. He asked his staff at the city government to prepare a big screen, so that people can enjoy the film.

Film hasil kolaborasi antara pemkot dengan komunitas pegiat sejarah dan TVRI Jawa Timur yang disutradarai Faizal Anwar dan Achmad Zaki Yamani itu diharapkan bisa memberikan manfaat bagi generasi muda Kota Pahlawan. Setelah sukses tayang, Cak Eri berencana membuat film sejarah yang lebih memahan lagi.

Cak Eri added that playing President Soekarno in the film "Soera Ing Baja" is very different from the previous film "Kusno". "I'm nervous (grogi) playing the figure of Bung Karno. Because this film is truly heroic and describes the history of the battle in the city of Surabaya," he said.

Previously, director Achmad Zaki Yamani said the film he worked on this time was based on a battle story taken from archives and historical data.

Some of the archives include the Jihad Resolution news archive in newspapers, the official file for the death of Brigadier Mallaby which was only available in 2022, the archives of the Government of the Republic of Indonesia's Determination of Heroes' Day in 1946, as well as the original document of President Soekarno's speech at the inauguration of the Hero Monument on November 10, 1952.

"This film is a picture of events that occurred after the proclamation of Indonesian independence in Surabaya until the national match of the Surabaya battle. Until finally the central government at that time set November 10 as a commemoration of Heroes' Day and built the Hero Monument to commemorate the big event," said Zaki.