15 May, 2025
Behind Filmmaker Deo Mahameru's Award-winning Always Until Victory!
By Amadeus Yeo
Winner of the Second Prize at the inaugural CinemaSHORT Competition in 2023, Deo Mahameru’s Always Until Victory! is a scathingly satirical look into campaigning during Election Year in Indonesia. Taking place during a critical period during which an opposing contender is gaining popularity, a political candidate attempts to stage a video, in which residents would cry on camera. The problem, however, is that none are successful in crying convincingly.
The film is a hilarious indictment of the false sincerity that seems prevalent in Indonesia’s political scene, where contending politicians pull out all the stops just to gain favour, and in turn, votes. Deo’s direction is laid-back and observational, taking on a documentarian approach to view the situation from a distance, revealing the farcical nature of the entire affair.
I had the pleasure of sitting down with Deo virtually to delve deeper with him on the film and all that revolved around it.
Inspiration Behind the Film
Amadeus: What was the core inspiration behind this? I would not want to assume but as I was watching this I got the feeling that there was probably a strong parallel to a real-life political figure, or at least the local political scene in a broader sense.
Deo: The film is basically half-based on a true story. My producer and I were childhood friends, and back when we were still kids playing video games in a cyber cafe, because we were broke, we would go to help out some campaigns during Election Year. If there were any candidates campaigning in our neighborhood, we would help so that we could get paid. During all this, one candidate stood out – I won’t mention any name or year – by paying this old lady to look sad in front of a camera. It was at least 10 years ago, but the memory really struck my producer and I, who have been childhood friends so further down the road it eventually led to us making this film, which was directly inspired by that incident. Funnily enough, the film’s funds came from the government, so it also served as an indicator of the change in how the Indonesian government progressed in regards to what films could be supported.
Amadeus: It’s such a great hook, with the sense of staged sincerity. I was wondering if the occurrence of political candidates still going to such lengths to gain support is still something that’s prevalent today?
Deo: Sadly yes, at least in the latest election. It’s like an open secret during election year, we call it “Serangan Fajar”, which, if directly translated to English, means “attack at dawn”. Basically, people from the candidate’s campaigning team would go knocking doors in the neighbourhood and give out money in exchange for votes. It still happens today. Nobody wants to admit it, but it happens. So sadly, it’s still a part of today, but the incident that we used in the film was special; it’s not every day you see (someone being paid to cry on camera).
Amadeus: Do you think this culture will change in the future?
Deo: It will take at least 100 years; maybe during my great-grandchildrens’ generation. I hope I’m wrong, but looking at the news and seeing the way things are, it seems far.
Mahameru's Documentary Style
Amadeus: I really enjoyed the documentary approach to this, what led you to choosing such a style for this film in particular?
Deo: Maybe this is just my opinion, but I do think that real life is kind of funny. If you see people just as they are, like I’m looking at someone right now as we speak, right in front of my car. His hand is stuck under his belly and scratching. This action could be funny when presented from an observational point of view. The documentary style where you also are aware that it isn’t a documentary, sort of like Adam McKay, that always made me laugh, which was why I decided to take this approach.
Amadeus: I’m curious as to how you worked with the long queue of actors that appear in the film to get them to cry in so many different ways.
Deo: I approached it the way an amateur would, without giving them the full context behind the scene, and just asking them to force out tears. It led to many great instances of some of them trying to hide their laughter. All they knew was that they would get paid at the end of it, so in a way they were pushing through just so that they could receive the fee that we had promised them, and from that we managed to get the exact expressions that we needed.
Amadeus: Was any of the crying scripted?
A: Everything was unscripted. All that was planned was simply the edits that would take place later on.
Amadeus: Is this style of filmmaking one that you would see yourself returning to in the future?
Deo: Always. Most of my films share this aesthetic; the first film of mine that went to festivals was a documentary. I did not come from film school, so the documentary approach is the one I know best. My eyes are trained to see films as close to the reality I am in. When I’m interpreting my script, that’s naturally the style in which I can see the film.
What's Next in Mahameru's Filmmaking Journey?
Amadeus: What are you working on next?
Deo: I’m currently developing my first feature, which is about an ex-convict who finds himself in a “Battle Royale” situation in real life. It’s a black comedy thriller, and I’m hoping it can get made next year.
Amadeus: Looking back, how would you describe your experience participating in the 2023 CinemaSHORT Asian Short Film Competition?
Deo: I’m surprised that it was two years ago – it honestly felt like six months (laughs). But it really helped, in that after winning (the second prize), screening offers from within Indonesia started to come up. There began to be a number of provincial screenings of the film as a result of the prize. Ilango Ram, the Sri Lankan filmmaker and judge at the first competition, gave a lot of nice comments about the film later on. He said something that really stuck with me — that one can tell a serious story in a light-hearted way. That was my intention.
Amadeus: Any advice you would give to aspiring filmmakers preparing their short films for competitions like CinemaSHORT?
Deo: Watch films. A lot of films, and read the news. I wouldn’t consider myself to be in the position to be giving advice per se, but this was what I did that worked for me. The news in Jakarta is very triggering, cause you’re just reading about stupidity after stupidity, but after digesting all of that I then have material to funnel into my projects in a, like I said, light-hearted comedic way.
Amadeus: To cap all this off, why do you think platforms like CinemaSHORT are important for Asian filmmakers today? What do you think about the potential of this platform for short filmmakers like yourself?
Deo: Well, it’s very important. Singapore and Indonesia are two different islands and without this type of platform, there’s no bridge. You could still find an audience on the other side, but to get there would be like swimming with sharks and waves. It could kill you in the process. This platform for distribution is essentially a bridge between two different places, almost like the Causeway. (laughs)
Watch the full short film Always Until Victory! here. If you’d like to enjoy our wide range of Asian short films for free, check out CinemaWorld on mewatch (available in Singapore).
The CinemaSHORT Competition 2025 is currently open for submissions till 31st July 2025. Submit your short film now.
