Lava Lounge
Enjoy a cocktail in this cool setting. Located on Jl Danau Toba. Your hosts are from Australia and will make you feel most welcome.
Grantang
Located with Bali Hyatt, a sophisticated cocktail bar, serves up live jazz every night except Wednesday from 8pm-1am.
Pergola
Head down to Pergola on a Thursday evening for their Salsa night from 8pm onwards. Enjoy a drink or two at the bar!
Jangger Disco
Formerly Subec if you're after a friend for the night this just might be the place to go.
Jazz Bar & Grill
Sanur Raya Complex serving great food and Monday night Jazz session is excellent. Jazz and cover bands 7 nights from 9.30pm
Kafe Wayang
Greatest jam session on the Island every Friday night. Good food and bunch of people hang out there. Located opposite the Radisson Bali hotel in the Sanur Raya shopping complex.
Koki Pub
Missing the pub dinners while on holiday this is the place to go. Pool table and cable TV. Located on Jalan By Pass Ngurah Rai Sanur. Open till late.
Trophy Bar
Good place to have pre-dinner drinks located next to Sanur Beach Hotel.
The Wine and Cigar Bar at Pala
Bringing air-conditioned elegance to Sanur. A large range of moderately priced wines from allover the world can be drunk in comfort here or taken home.
A Bar
Jalan Dhyana Pura Gado-gado Seminyak. Named after Absolute Vodka, mature crowd, real drinks, cozy atmosphere. 8pm till late.
A Club
Situated on Jl Basangkasa-Seminyak, This trendy club is open Tuesday-Saturday 10pm till late with DJ house music and special Friday night parties.
Aina
Jl oberoi. Bali's first "fully unconditioned" cocktail bar. Good music friendly atmosphere. Opens early till late.
Apache Reggae Bar
Reggae cover bands 7 nights a week, 11pm - 2am, Jl Legian.
Bali Globe Cafe
A selection of International DJ's open each night from 10:00pm till dawn. Jl. Dyana Pura, Seminyak.
Bali Peanuts Club
One of the most popular venues in the Kuta area, the scene is young and sprinkled with locals, who all take to the huge dance floor in the cave-like air-conditioned interior. Pool tables and plenty of entertainment, compliment the very reasonably priced drinks, live music every night Sunday-Friday. DJ music Saturday night from 9pm on Jalan Raya Legian.
Bali Rock Cafe
Live music by popular cover bands 7 nights a week. 9.30-12pm.
Bahiana
Open from 7pm until very late. Hear the latest Latin tunes from the resident DJs.
Benny's Bistro
Benny's has become the venue for Salsa dancing to live latin acoustic music Of the 7-piece Buena Terra Band. Jl Dyana Pura, Seminyak. Enjoy the food the ambience and that infectious salsa rhythm.
Bush Telegraph
Live music every Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights, 9.30 -12pm. Situated in the heart of Seminyak's hot spot on Jl Dhyana Pura.
Cafe Del Mar
Jalan Dhyana Pura Gado-gado Seminyak. Cool cocktail bar, great drinks, relaxed atmosphere, funky music, open air, super smooth crowd. Open from 9 until late.
Café Exiles
in Pengosekan has a live band and is worth the visit. Local laws determine that live music at all bars in Ubud stop by 10:30pm.
Cafe Luna
Stylishly decorated with an Italian menu, indoor/outdoor seating and two bars make this a popular choice. Open until 2.30am, Jl. Raya Seminyak.
De Ja Vu
Same owner as Spy Bar. Newly opened with a fantastic interior design playing great tunes. Nice place to hang in the afternoon or the early cocktail hour.
Double Six
Open every night until 6am. The music is pure dance and there is always a good crowd. Opens at midnight it usually starts to fill up at around 1am. Three bars and late night pizzas. Open till sunrise. Entry cost Sunday - Friday Rp40.000, Saturday's Rp50.000. Featuring the only night bungee jumping in the world with AJ Hackett from 2.00am.
Espresso Pizzaria
Cover bands 7 nights a week from 10pm-2am on Jl Legian.
Euro Club
Situated on Jl 66, Seminyak. The latest DJ Music from 8pm till late.
Fidels
Fidel's cigar bar and lounge at the popular Ku De Ta restaurant. Jl Lasmana, Seminyak
Fuel
Award winning two storey club/restaurant in the heart of Kuta. One of the hottest house venues with resident and visiting DJ's.
Full Moon Parties
Usually held down Yang Yang Beach at Hotel Puri Bali and Padang Padang Beach sometimes held down in Nusa Dua. Check out our calendar for full moon dates.
Gado Gado
An excellence renovation of this ex-club now provides a stylish beachside setting. Well recommended. Jl Dhyana Pura.
Hard Rock Cafe
Located right on Kuta beach. The regular live bands draw big crowds. The bands are usually good. They start at 11pm and go until 2am.
Hard Rock Hotel - Center Stage
Bali's coolest unplugged bar with live bands nightly at center stage, from 7.30-11pm.
Hulu Cafe
Hulu Cafe is the only really gay bar in all of Bali. Okay, some of our non-gay friends stop in and join in the fun, but you won't have any hassles like in some other on-again, off-again venues in Bali. Live dance show Wednesday-Sunday 10pm till late. http://www.ozemail.com.au/~hulucafe/index.html
JP's
Stylish bar on Jl Dhyana Pura, offering live music Friday & Saturday nights from 8.30pm
Kama Sutra
Club restaurant and lounge. Happy hours each day from 9-11pm. Jl. Pantai, Kuta.
Kori Restaurant
Gg Poppies II - Relaxed & Cozy atmosphere, imported wines, chilled cocktails and ice cold beers. Cigar salon complete with a pool table, great place to spend an evening.
Ku De Ta
The newest talk of town with a great location, great food, cigar lounge and loads of style. Definitely somewhere to check out.
Lips
On Jl Seminyak. Live music Wednesday- Saturday from 10.30pm.
Liquid
Jl Dhyana Pura-The latest cool bar on this happening strip, with funky tunes and a killer cocktail list. The coolest illuminated bar.
Loco Bar
Situated on Jl 66, open 7 nights with special international DJ Wed-Sat, 10pm till late.
Lush
A comfortable lounge bar located on the corner of Jalan Kunti. Good place to chill out for a few aperitifs before proceeding on for the evening.
Maccaroni
Italian restaurant and club located on Jalan Legian. Starts from 11pm.
Millertime
Situated in the middle of town on Jl Legain with cover bands every Saturday night from 10pm-12pm.
My Way
Cover bands Friday, Saturday & Sunday from 9.30pm till 2am. On Jl Legian
Musro
Nightclub with spectacular cabaret shows. Located at Discovery Kartika Plaza Hotel in Tuban from 10:30pm onwards.
Oxygen
Fantastic sounds kick from the bose sound system and freaky projections across the wall and ceiling upstairs sets the mood.
Paddy's Reloaded
A solid, no-frills pub set-up combined with reasonably priced cocktails and drinks. Located in front of Bounty.
Planet Hollywood
DFS Bali Galleria complex - Great burgers and grills to go with a long drinks list and excellent cinematic memorabilia.
Poco Loco
Jalan Padma Utama tequila shots and jugs of margaritas and make your own fajitas.
Q Bar
Abimanyu Arcade Jl Dhyana Pura, Seminyak. Bali's premier gay watering hole with alternative style DJ music nightly.
Santa Fe
Open 24 hours serving everything, need we say more.
Space Lounge
Jl. Dhyana Pura Seminyak. Bali's newest bar and lounge.
Spy Bar
This club has an indoor and outdoor vibe with top local DJ's - Jl Dhyana Pura
Stadium Café
Live cover bands each Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday from 9pm. Jalan Kartika Plaza, Kuta.
Sugar
Formerly Club Inc. A variety of funky music and drinks are served from 5pm until dawn.
Taj Mahal
Bar with a chill-out lounge and guest DJ's. Jl. Laksmana Seminyak.
The Oriental
The first and only exclusive cabaret theatre in Bali created by International Production Team. Enjoy the unique atmosphere and out standing performance. Be dazzled and entertained by the breathtaking and spectacular cabaret with our first class dancer, magnificent costumes, exiting music and the most beautiful and amazing female impersonators you have ever seen. Wednesday-Sunday 8.30pm. Jl. Srirama Legian Kuta-Bali Tel/Fax : 62-361-756-604
TJ's
Located in Poppies Lane famous for it's TJS Frozen Margaritas and great Mexican food. Has been in operation for 15 years.
The Bounty Ship 1 & 2
Both on Jalan Legian Kuta. Home to the famous "Jam Jar". A popular restaurant/bar/club. Bounty Ship 1 has a great DJ from 10pm until late everynight. Bounty Ship 2 is open 24 hours with 2 for 1 drinks from 5-7pm.
The Jaya Pub
Jalan Raya Legian Kaja Seminyak. Jaya Pub is an entertaining venue with an interesting blend of tourists and locals. Around for quite a few years it is still as popular as ever. The live bands are often joined by visiting musicians both professional and amateur. Open until 2am.
Venue at the moon
An elegant restaurant with lounge and bar. Serving cocktails and drinks with visiting DJ's and special theme nights.
Warung Music
Situated on Jl Raya Kerobokan with live music 7 nights a week, 9.30 till late.
Woodstock - "The Lounge"
Open 7am till late. Situated on Jl Oberoi, Seminyak. Good place to chill out.
Body Massage, Mandi Lulur, Foot Massage, Body Scrubs...
The Balinese believe that the body is a sacred temple for the soul. Visit any Bali Spa for an experience that brings peace to the spirit, calm to the mind and vitality to the body.
Bali Spas offer many traditional treatments which use local herbs and healing oils. Balinese massage oil is usually made from extracts of ginger (jahe), frangipani (jepun), sandalwood (cendana) and coconut (kelapa).
Mandi Lulur
Among the traditional beauty remedies, Thalasso treatments with sea minerals and Indian Ayurvedic rituals is the famed Mandi Lulur massage. Meaning "lulur bath", the Mandi Lulur massage originated from Java, and was traditionally part of the Javanese prenuptial ceremony. This famous treatment is actually an exfoliating and body polishing exercise. A paste of sandalwood, turmeric, ground nuts, rice and other scented woods is prepared, painted on to the body for exfoliating purposes and left to dry. The dried paste is then gently rubbed off. This process polishes and exfoliates the skin. After a hot shower, a yoghurt mix is spread over the body to restore balance to the skin. The Mandi Lulur ends with a warm flower-scented bath.
Foot Massage
Foot massages can be surprisingly relaxing. Releasing accumulated tension in the feet helps the entire body to release stress via the various pressure points located at a person's feet.A foot massage begins with relaxing the feet in flower-scented water. Feet are then gently cleaned and rough and callous areas carefully scrubbed away with a natural volcanic pumice stone. This helps restore smoother touch and also rejuvenates skin growth.
The massage proper then begins by pressure being applied to specific areas of the feet to achieve total relaxation. The application of pressure to the feet's sensitive points relaxes muscles and improves blood circulation, apart from restoring energy to the entire body.
Traditional Body Massage
Bali's traditional body massage encompasses four types of massage, sensual, relaxing, body contour and the reviving massage. The sensual massage uses carefully chosen oils essential to the massage - jasmine as mood enhancer, sandalwood to lift anxiety and depression, rose and ylang-ylang to balance mind and body creating a feeling of peace. The sensual massage makes the body feel warm and soothed and is extremely comforting after a stressful and tiring day. It also relieves nervous tension.
The relaxing massage is suitable for anyone, as its main focus is to create balance and harmony through cleansing. Among the essential oils are geranium, used for its uplifting effect as a natural anti-depressant; nutmeg, to relief muscular aches and pains, which aids blood circulation and digestion; and rose, to give a feeling of fulfillment and well being. This soothing massage emotionally heals and cleanses all ages.
The body contour uses lemon and patchouli, astringents, which when blended together, create an effect of well-being, and counter depression and anxiety. It's also useful for disappearing fluid retention. The massage is a natural detoxifying process with tremendous therapeutic effect. It is perfect for reducing cellulite, tightening skin and rejuvenating skin growth for a younger looking skin.
The reviving massage enables relaxation and general well being. The essential oils are ginger, which comforts the senses and aids memory; nutmeg, for a warm, stimulating, effect which also strengthens the immune system; and Eucalyptus for its cleansing and harmonising properties, capable of soothing nervous tension.
Back Massage
Bali's spas' back massages are a wonderful way to relieve muscle tension on the upper part of the body. A back massage starts with a soothing massage to warm up fingers, palm, hands to shoulder, neck and back areas. When the massage areas are warmed, massage oil is applied before proceeding with the full routine. This can be adapted to focus on areas according to individual needs.Body Scrubs
Body scrubs, are great way to make smoother, cleaner and glowing skin. Natural extracts are used to help rid the body of rough patches by exfoliating. The massage focuses on dry patches of the elbows, knees, front of shins and elbows. For an optimum effect, this enjoyable scrub is best followed by a traditional massage.Bali's spas also offer revitalising full body and facial treatments, sauna foot massage and manicure, pure volcanic mud baths, traditional Indonesian floral baths perfumed with essential oils, steam baths in exotic whirlpools and also swims in fresh water pools.
Whitewater Rafting in Bali
The spectacular Ayung gorge provides the setting for one of the most exhilarating of white water rafting adventures. The shallow winding river Ayung offers an adrenaline pumping ride with stops along the truly idyllic shoreline.
A number of experienced companies run by veteran river guides operate tours including the adventure specialists SOBEK who also operate mountain treks and cycling tours.
Bali Cycling Tours
A perfect way to see the countryside - these "gentle adventures" offer a ride through rainforest, ricefields and the Bali backwaters with a few climbs up one or two hills!Local guides will give you an insight into Balinese rural life, customs and religion, en route. An excellent way to quietly slip into the Balinese lifestyle.
Trekking in Bali
Some places you simply can't take a bike.... like a volcano. Bali's ancient and rugged landscape is well represented by Danau Batur, also known as Gunung Batur. The volcanic cones of Gunung Batur are located in massive bowl-shaped calderas. The majestic Gunung Batur rises to a towering 1,717 metres, and remains one of Bali's natural wonders. Best viewed in the early morning at sunrise, Gunung Agung Bali's highest and most revered mountain, is the island's ultimate trekking challenge. It is not difficult to climb, but you need a reasonable level of fitness. Start really early - a few hours before sunrise. You'll need a guide to take you up in the dark. The locals are well used to starting at 3am so don't worry. They'll show you a trick or two about avoiding loose shale under your feet, and even demonstrate how to boil an egg on the hot rocks!
Some of the locals (obviously triathlon candidates) will climb ahead of you (actually they whizz past) just to have a coke or water ready when you reach the top. They've made the effort to climb, so don't begrudge the slightly higher price for a drink! After all, how many people can say they sat on a volcano at sunrise and were waited upon?
Do remember to report to the police station at Selat before start off on your excursion, and drop by again on your return. A guide is necessary, and one can be pre-arranged in Selat or Muncan by just asking around the markets, or by contacting the Selat police station. (Bali's Forrests, Mountains & Parks)
Bali Waterfalls & Hot Springs
Splashing around... The cascading Gitgit Waterfalls close to Singaraja, present a spectacular 40 metres of crystal clear water rushing headlong into a seemingly bottomless pool. This alluring pool carries its own tale which can only be unlocked by a visit. The Blahmantung Waterfalls in Pupuan takes long walk to reach but is really worth the effort. The Air Terjun Singsing west of Lovina, actually means Daybreak Waterfall, gushes will all the possibilities and strength of a refreshing brand new day.
Another spot well known for its waters are the pools of Yeh Sanih. The attractions here are freshwater springs channeled into clean and tempting swimming pools, amid charming garden surroundings.
The steaming Hot Springs of Banjar in south-eastern Bali are also worth a few days of heavenly soaking. Located close to the Brahmavihara Arama in Banjar, Bali's only Buddhist monastery, with a handsome structure offering inspiring views of land and sky meeting sea. (Bali Waterfalls & Springs)
Rambling & Adventure Challenges in Bali
Wandering around... It is truly a treat to be able to wander freely around the Bali Botanical Gardens in Bedugul, deep in the heart of northern Bali. Established in 1959, it is a rambling 120 hectares, high on the slopes of Tree Mountain; with a massive collection of trees; and five hundred species of exotic orchids! Western Bali's Taman Nasional Bali Barat is a conservation park spread over almost the whole of the island's western tip. It is bordered by open savannahs, dense rainforests, tangles of mangrove swamps, and the colourful coral reefs of the renowned Deer Island, locally called Pulau Menjangan, habitat of the rare Java Deer.
Outward Bound, recognised in team building programmes offers high and low rope challenges over the Ayung river canyon together with a variety of other challenging team-building exercises.
Bali Horse Riding
Canter through ricefields, gallop on the beach or gently trot through villages. Organised by Umalas stables on a spectacular beach north of Kuta.
Ubud's many restaurants probably offer the best and most interesting food on the island. You can get excellent western and Indonesian meals and authentic Balinese dishes. There are dozens of restaurants and warungs along the roads heading north of Jalan Raya, and along Jalan Sugriwa, Jalan Hanoman and Jalan Jembawan.
Right across the road is the Lotus Cafe. A leisurely meal over their lotus pond is still an Ubud institution. Casa Luna, with its superb international menu, is very popular, not least for its freshly baked bread and cakes. Two extremely popular places along Jalan Suweta are the Coconut Cafe and Cafe' Angkasa, which maybe Ubud's best coffee house.
Run by endearing Ibu canderi, Canderi's Warung serves generous portions. The Ibu Rai Bar & Restaurant, Noni orli, Lilies Garden Restaurant and Cafe' Bali all have an elegant setting and a worth the money. The Dian Cafe has a good range and affordable prices, and so does Jaya Cafe and Yogyakarta Cafe.
The new Bali Buddha Health Food Shop is a popular place to meet other travellers and relax with something healthy to eat or drink. Three Brothers Restaurant is one of several good places along Jalan Hanoman. For views, it's hard to beat. Charming but pricey is Murni's warung or Begger's Bush Pub.
Sanur Bar & Restaurant - tempting meals and tantalising 3-course set menus while the Puri mango Guest House nearby has a restaurant serving a superb pizzas and value for money 3-course menus. Warang Wina, also called Vienna Cafe, along the northern end of Jalan Danau Tamblingan, offers reasonable prices and will definitely appeal to lovers of German cuisine. The Kuri Putih is a hit with its reasonably priced 'mexi-bali' food for lunch; and Taman Bayu has a range of generous main courses.
Other appetising and budget-satisfying places include the friendly Warung Balisun and Made's Kitchen, a charming and cheap place to grab snacks and drinks. Most of the walkway along central Sanur has cafes and restaurants like the Mango Bar & Restaurant, Benno's Corner Cafe and Sanur Beach Market & Bar Restaurant.
Places to eat in Kuta are really countless. There are tiny hawker's carts, gourmet hotel restaurants and well-known fast food outlets. Kuta also offers international and multicultural cuisine. You could stay in Kuta for a whole month, eat in a different place for every meal and still wouldn't eat the same thing twice!
If budget is a concern, try places catering to local workers, like food stalls or warungs along Legian Beach in the afternoon, and opposite Hard Rock Cafe in Kuta. These places serve filing yet delicious fare and you'll be assured of your money's worth.
Poppies is one of oldest and most popular restaurant in Kuta, located in a tiny lane between Jalan Legian and the beach. TJ's is the deservedly popular Mexican restaurant, has a good ambience and mouth-watering main courses.
Made's Warung, in the same area, is also popular while the Nusa Indah Bar & Restaurant is the perfect place for succulent seafood in a friendly atmosphere at very reasonable prices. The quaint Bamboo Corner is another good place to try seafood special. Service is friendly at Bali Asi.
There are almost endless possibilities along Jln Legian. Sushi Bar Kunti serves authentic Japanese set menus, the Espresso Bar & Pizzeria serves a hearty pizza in a pleasant setting; and the Gemini continues to get rave reviews for fragrant Chinese food. Or visit the Bounty II, a replica of the famous ship, for good-value buffets. Aroma Cafe is a mid-priced vegetarian restaurant with tantalizing food in a delightful garden setting. Or check out the Mama Lucia Italian restaurant.
Legian warung Kopi is well regarded for its varied menu of European, Asian and vegetarian dishes, hearty breakfast and sinful desserts. Taman Garden for its very popular and delicious meals, decent happy hours and effusive staff. This is one place which attracts lots of repeat business. Other good places are the ever popular but pricey Orchid garden Restaurant and the Garden Restaurant with an excellent happy hour and cheap breakfasts.
Joni Sunken Bar & Restaurant offers the unique experience of eating and drinking while semi-immersed in a swimming pool. They also have live music and good-value buffet breakfasts. Further north it gets more expensive but standards are higher at fashionable end of town. Some of the Bali's most interesting places are Mexican restaurant Poco Loco and Topi Koko Restaurant, with pretty good French cuisine. Swiss Restaurant is adjacent to the Swiss consul, so should have some credibility.
Finishing a film is a target, but winning in a festival is something unpredictable. That must have been what filmmakers Dave Arnold and Tyrone Lebon felt after their documentary film Mengejar Ombak (Chasing Waves) grabbed two awards at the X-Dance Festival in Salt Lake City, Utah last January.
The film won the awards for Best Original Music and Best Emerging Filmmakers at the X-Dance Festival, the sports documentary festival that runs in conjunction with the Sundance Film Festival. 
Different from other films about surfing, the 45-minute film is more character-based as it unravels the life of professional surfer Dede Suryana from Cimaja, West Java.
Arnold, who had been making films as a hobby, met Dede when he went to Cimaja to go surfing for the weekend. He decided it would be a great idea to film the young surfer.
“Dede has an amazing talent and an incredible story. He started surfing when he was very young. He breaks the stereotype that often associates surfers with partygoers. He hardly goes out. I don’t see that in other surfers,” Arnold told The Jakarta Post recently.
The young Dede first tried surfing in 1993 at the age of 7, using a borrowed surfboard. Since there were no local good surfers, he learned the ropes from surfing videos. His natural talent propelled rumors about a young surfer in West Java with “supernatural” surfing powers.
In 1997, 12-year-old Dede went to Bali with his brother to compete in the Bali Open contest. The youngest competitor went home with the Rookie Award and made an impression on Rizal Tanjung, one of the famous Indonesian surfers, who hooked Dede up with a local sponsor.
Dede moved to Bali at 15. Although he had to juggle his school studies and his surfing, Dede won the Bali Pro Junior contest in his first year there.
“When I first came to Bali, it was a bit hard for me, because I’m a Muslim and Bali is predominantly Hindu. But difficulties exist in every stage of life, and I have just had to deal with them,” Dede said.
In 2003 he went to Hawaii – the birthplace of surfing – and impressed everyone by beating Kelly Slater, an eight-time world champion. He went on to win two gold medals at the Asian Beach Games held in Bali last year.
His aim is to compete in the World Qualifying Series in 2010.
Dede said that he agreed to participate in the film because he believed the movie would promote a good image of Indonesia internationally.
“Most people only recognize Bali as a surfing location, but we actually have a very long coastline and great waves in places such as Nias, in Aceh, Pangandaran and other beaches in the south. The film shows that Indonesia has much more than just natural disasters and unstable politics,” he said.
“When attending the film’s world premiere, I was afraid the audience would not like it because there is huge gap between our culture and their culture. But they were actually impressed with the simple lifestyle in Indonesia.”
Dede hoped the film would make the government pay more attention to surfing. Despite having big waves, Indonesia has yet to have many professional surfers because sports equipment is so expensive.
In a way, the film has shaped Dede.
“At first, I felt a bit odd to have Arnold and his team following me with cameras. They told me to just talk to the camera, without a script. However, it has helped me get used to interviews.”
The film, which started as an idea in 2004, was finally finished by the end of 2008, just a few days before being submitted to the festival. One of the things which slowed down the production process was the funding.
“We had to raise funds. We had other jobs in between the shoots and the money then went to finance the film. I don’t see us making a lot of money but things have started going fine,” Arnold said.
“I have plans to submit it to other festivals. Since winning the awards, I have been approached by many festivals, four in the United States, two in Australia and two in Europe so far. I plan to submit it to Asian film festivals and Muslim film festivals as well.”
As the film opens with a call to prayer from a small mosque in Dede’s hometown, the audience can follow Dede’s journey across five continents. The obstacles and triumphs along his journey come not only from the competitions, but also from his response to new places and cultures, the volatile situation in Indonesia, the financial gain and the growing attention he receives.
Moving from this central narrative, the film interweaves interviews with leading cultural, historical and industry figures to explore the underlying issues Dede’s story raises.
The film will be screened in Jakarta and Bandung’s Blitz Megaplex cinema group on April 29. The DVD will be released in June.
Closed by a score composed by The Epstein, Sam Murray and Tano Iozzi, the film gives the audience not merely a simplistic portrayal of a competition with winners and losers, nor is it a naïve tale of small-village heroes against the villains of globalization.
Rather, it is an insight into the life of a young man attempting to assimilate the challenges to his faith and identity, a personal story that gives the audience a wider vision of the changes occurring in many developing countries, such as Indonesia, today.
Finishing a film is a target, but winning in a festival is something unpredictable. That must have been what filmmakers Dave Arnold and Tyrone Lebon felt after their documentary film Mengejar Ombak (Chasing Waves) grabbed two awards at the X-Dance Festival in Salt Lake City, Utah last January.
The film won the awards for Best Original Music and Best Emerging Filmmakers at the X-Dance Festival, the sports documentary festival that runs in conjunction with the Sundance Film Festival.
Different from other films about surfing, the 45-minute film is more character-based as it unravels the life of professional surfer Dede Suryana from Cimaja, West Java.
Arnold, who had been making films as a hobby, met Dede when he went to Cimaja to go surfing for the weekend. He decided it would be a great idea to film the young surfer.
“Dede has an amazing talent and an incredible story. He started surfing when he was very young. He breaks the stereotype that often associates surfers with partygoers. He hardly goes out. I don’t see that in other surfers,” Arnold told The Jakarta Post recently.
The young Dede first tried surfing in 1993 at the age of 7, using a borrowed surfboard. Since there were no local good surfers, he learned the ropes from surfing videos. His natural talent propelled rumors about a young surfer in West Java with “supernatural” surfing powers.
In 1997, 12-year-old Dede went to Bali with his brother to compete in the Bali Open contest. The youngest competitor went home with the Rookie Award and made an impression on Rizal Tanjung, one of the famous Indonesian surfers, who hooked Dede up with a local sponsor.
Dede moved to Bali at 15. Although he had to juggle his school studies and his surfing, Dede won the Bali Pro Junior contest in his first year there.
“When I first came to Bali, it was a bit hard for me, because I’m a Muslim and Bali is predominantly Hindu. But difficulties exist in every stage of life, and I have just had to deal with them,” Dede said.
In 2003 he went to Hawaii – the birthplace of surfing – and impressed everyone by beating Kelly Slater, an eight-time world champion. He went on to win two gold medals at the Asian Beach Games held in Bali last year.
His aim is to compete in the World Qualifying Series in 2010.
Dede said that he agreed to participate in the film because he believed the movie would promote a good image of Indonesia internationally.
“Most people only recognize Bali as a surfing location, but we actually have a very long coastline and great waves in places such as Nias, in Aceh, Pangandaran and other beaches in the south. The film shows that Indonesia has much more than just natural disasters and unstable politics,” he said.
“When attending the film’s world premiere, I was afraid the audience would not like it because there is huge gap between our culture and their culture. But they were actually impressed with the simple lifestyle in Indonesia.”
Dede hoped the film would make the government pay more attention to surfing. Despite having big waves, Indonesia has yet to have many professional surfers because sports equipment is so expensive.
In a way, the film has shaped Dede.
“At first, I felt a bit odd to have Arnold and his team following me with cameras. They told me to just talk to the camera, without a script. However, it has helped me get used to interviews.”
The film, which started as an idea in 2004, was finally finished by the end of 2008, just a few days before being submitted to the festival. One of the things which slowed down the production process was the funding.
“We had to raise funds. We had other jobs in between the shoots and the money then went to finance the film. I don’t see us making a lot of money but things have started going fine,” Arnold said.
“I have plans to submit it to other festivals. Since winning the awards, I have been approached by many festivals, four in the United States, two in Australia and two in Europe so far. I plan to submit it to Asian film festivals and Muslim film festivals as well.”
As the film opens with a call to prayer from a small mosque in Dede’s hometown, the audience can follow Dede’s journey across five continents. The obstacles and triumphs along his journey come not only from the competitions, but also from his response to new places and cultures, the volatile situation in Indonesia, the financial gain and the growing attention he receives.
Moving from this central narrative, the film interweaves interviews with leading cultural, historical and industry figures to explore the underlying issues Dede’s story raises.
The film will be screened in Jakarta and Bandung’s Blitz Megaplex cinema group on April 29. The DVD will be released in June.
Closed by a score composed by The Epstein, Sam Murray and Tano Iozzi, the film gives the audience not merely a simplistic portrayal of a competition with winners and losers, nor is it a naïve tale of small-village heroes against the villains of globalization.
Rather, it is an insight into the life of a young man attempting to assimilate the challenges to his faith and identity, a personal story that gives the audience a wider vision of the changes occurring in many developing countries, such as Indonesia, today.
