Title: Cinema as a Political Propaganda Tool: New Order Strategies in Shaping Power Narratives Through Film
Authors: Muhammad Iqbal, Nurul Umamah, Akhmad Ryan Pratama, Fachri Zulfikar
Volume: 9
Issue: 6
Pages: 360-366
Publication Date: 2025/06/28
Abstract:
Cinema during the New Order era (1966-1998) served as an effective political tool to bolster regime legitimacy through anti-communist and pro-development discourses. This study analyzes three films, namely Janur Kuning (1979), Serangan Fajar (1982), and Pengkhianatan G30S/PKI (1984), which consistently portray Soeharto as a narrative and historical hero in the events of the March 1, 1949 General Offensive and the 1965 Gestapu affair. The research aims to examine how New Order cinema produced dominant discourses through film narratives that glorified Soeharto and to evaluate the role of funding and distribution policies in disseminating propaganda. The study employs a historical research method, comprising 1) heuristics, 2) criticism, 3) interpretation, and 4) historiography. Findings reveal that the three films elevated Soeharto through scenes depicting his personal sacrifices, such as leaving his heavily pregnant wife, his military leadership against the Dutch, and his suppression of the PKI coup, portrayed as a greedy act. Selective funding policies ensured the production of propaganda films, while mass distribution, including mandatory screenings in schools and on TVRI, expanded the reach of anti-communist discourse. This cinema shaped public perceptions, particularly among the younger generation, that Soeharto was the nation's savior while demonizing the PKI as an ideological enemy. Discourse analysis demonstrates that film narratives were a New Order strategy to maintain hegemony, with cinema functioning as a coordinated political instrument to shape collective memory in support of regime legitimacy. This study affirms that New Order cinema was not merely entertainment but a deliberate political tool to consolidate Soeharto's power through militaristic nationalism.