Gustaff Iskandar and Wahyu Aditya won top spots as Indonesia’s next Creative Champions competing in our 2007 IYCEY Awards in the UK.

A panel of juries consisting of leading figures from Indonesia’s design and film industries announced the two winners at our CreatiFest! at the Blitzmegaplex, 13 July.

Over 300 guests from the creative industries and media participated in the all-day party celebrating UK-Indonesia partnership in support of tomorrow’s Creative Champions.

Gustaff Iskandar (b. 1974) was selected from among 9 other equally impressive Design Finalists by a panel of jury that included Ridwan Kamil (architect and 2006 IYCEY Design Indonesia winner), Irvan Noe’man (designer and head of the Indonesia Design Power), and Bina Nusantara University’s  marketing expert Amalia E.Maulana, Ph.D.

A media artist, researcher, and director of the Bandung Centre for New Media Arts and the Common Room Networks Foundation, Gustaff is the initiator and driving force behind a number of international film, music, and new media art festivals, events, and workshops.

A Fine Arts graduate of the Bandung Institute of Technology, Gustaff is also the co-author of the first-ever cultural mapping of Bandung’s creative industries.

“Gustaff is that rare talent,” enthused Ridwan Kamil. “He is both a leader and an agent of change. He has a strong track record in leading the development of various emerging creative practices, particularly among Bandung’s arts, music and design communities."

Wahyu Aditya (b.1980) --last year’s IYCEY Design top three finalists and this year’s finalist for both the Design and Film Awards-- finally took home the top spot as Indonesia’s Film Champion through a tight competition with the nine Film Finalists. One of the youngest contender, the award-winning animator and filmmaker started his career in the television industry before setting up his own company at the wee age of 24.

Adit is the founder and director of the HelloMotion animation film school and HelloFest –a festival of short and animation film that attracts 10,000 young professional audiences annually. He regularly teaches and promotes the art of animation to students across Indonesia and is active in the Indonesian Animator and Content Provider Association and the International Animation Association.

To the film juries – maverick film producers Mira Lesmana, Erwin Arnada and Bina Nusantara University’s entrepreneur expert Toha MS - Wahyu Aditya represents the true creative entrepreneur.

“He proved to everyone that creativity could have both economic value and idealism. He runs the HelloMotion school and HelloFest simultaneously as a growing business with marketable products as well as part of his social commitment to further the country’s creativity,” stated juror Mira Lesmana.

Gustaff and Aditya now follow in the footsteps of Yoris Sebastian, Ridwan Kamil and Leo Rustandi (IYCEY Music 2007), to become Indonesia’s fourth and fifth Creative Champions engaged with our creative industry programme 20006-2009.

Christian Duncumb, acting for the director, spoke of our commitment to facilitate the development of Indonesia’s creative and knowledge economy.

Following its success in 2006, this year Indonesia’s is the only country to compete for four IYCEY Awards (Music, Design, Film and Fashion)

The sixth Champion –a Fashion Entrepreneur— will soon complete the group by early September. The evening saw Retno Murti the eminent Brand Development Director of Indonesia’s leading fashion magazine Dewi, officially announcing the partnership between BC and the Femina media group in the IYCEY Fashion Award 2007 competition (application starts 16 July).

Yoris, Ridwan, and Leo, who also used the CreatiFest! to launch their respective projects post-IYCEY, were visibly excited. “There will be six of us this year,” said Yoris. “Imagine the power we will have to push Indonesia’s creative industry.”

The vibe is positively infectious. The Jakarta Post, Indonesia’s leading English-language daily, promptly placed the IYCEY Awards on its front page.

Kompas, the widest-read national newspaper, wrote that: “While Indonesia has been suffering from bad press about terrorism, piracy, and economic problem, this project presents a golden opportunity for the country to shine on internationally. We need to learn from the UK, which turned around their moribund economy in the early 1990s through the creative industry.”

Gustaff will visit London and Glasgow in September for the IYCEY Design Awards. He will attend events such as the 100% Design Show, meet UK industry leaders, and network with other national winners from Argentina, China, Estonia, India, Nigeria, Poland, Slovenia, Thailand and Venezuela.

Wahyu Aditya departs for the UK in October for the IYCEY Film Awards. He will attend the London Film Festival tour UK’s film and television industry, and meet his peers and competitors from Brazil, China, Georgia, India, Lebanon, Lithuania, Nigeria, Poland, and Slovenia.

IYCEY national winners will compete to win the £7,500 project grant, which will be used to take a course in the UK, fund a placement in UK industry, bring over UK specialists to run workshops in-country, or work on collaborative projects with contacts from their visit to the UK.

The IYCEY Awards 2007 is supported in Indonesia by Bina Nusantara University, Blitz Megaplex, Hewlett-Packard, Grand Kemang Hotel, Monik Clothing, Metro TV, Femina Group, Visual Arts, Business Week, SWA Sembada, Hard Rock FM, Trax FM, I Radio, Cosmopolitan FM, Laras, Behind the Screen, and Mu-phi Magazine.