The Communication Studies Program at Universitas Muhammadiyah Yogyakarta (UMY) held a documentary themed webinar titled Documentary Film Production in Pandemic Situation on Monday (13/7). The webinar that was moderated by Fajar Junaedi became an oasis in the middle of sluggish film production during the pandemic.

“During this pandemic, documentary film production must continue to be carried out by recording various things that are around us,” explained Dandhy Dwi Laksono. Dandhy, who actively produces documentary films through Watch Doc, invited the participants to be critical of the existing conditions and record them as documentaries. “Use whatever recording devices are available, including cellphones and laptop cameras,” he explained.

Another speaker, Yuda Kurniawan from Doc Records, said that during a pandemic, documentary film production must not cease. “There are many phenomena that occur around us that can be recorded and used as documentaries,” he explained. The UMY Communication Science Alumni who won the 2019 Citra Cup for Long Documentary category added that in the production of documentary films, filmmakers should have an attachment to the topic. “Recording what is around us in a pandemic can be valuable in the future,” he explained.

The webinar which became a part of a series of annual documentary events was attended by eighty participants from various cities, such as Medan, Banda Aceh, Palembang, Lampung, Jakarta, Bandung, Pangandaran, Yogyakarta, Magelang, Ponorogo, Sumbawa, Luwuk and Buton. The head of the UMY Communication Studies laboratory, Budi Dwi Arifianto, hoped that with this webinar activity, students would be encouraged to produce a documentary about the Covid-19 pandemic.