Kay Mander and Mardi and the Monkey (1953): Woman’s Agency, Children Film, and Transnational Film Production in Indonesian Cinema

Abstract

Kay Mander (1915, British continuity specialist born in Germany, is an invisible figure in Indonesian film history. In the early 1950s, Kay Mander made two films during her stay in Indonesia: Mardi and The Monkey (1953) commissioned by Children's Film Foundation (CFF) and the New Boat (1955) commissioned by Perusahaan Film Indonesia (State Film Company, PFN). This research traces Kay Mander agency in Indonesian cinema and the importance of Mardi and The Monkey as a transnational production film in Indonesia. By examining the significant role of Kay Mander as well as her film using the new film history approach, this article offers a revision in the Indonesian film history. Kay Mander is not only playing an important role when she participated in FFI 1955 in shaping the canonization of Indonesian cinema, but she also brought the formula of Children's Film Foundation to produce children film in Indonesia. Besides that, the importance of Kay Mander's films is related to the global circulation of Mardi and the Monkey in the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, and Uruguay during the Cold War.