Amit Virmani did not expect that his documentary film, “Cowboys in Paradise”, will land him in so much trouble. Premiered at the DMZ Documentary Film Festival in South Korea on April 21 this year, the film is about one aspect of life on Kuta Beach, arguably Bali’s most popular holiday destination. It speaks of women tourists seeking male companionship and finding it in a paradise called Kuta Beach in the arms of gigolos dubbed the Kuta Cowboys. Already Amit Virmani has received several hate mails and many of them from critics who have not seen the full film, but only a couple of trailers on YouTube.
Bali Survived 2 Real Terrorist Attacks
Bali is called the Island of God in Paradise in most tourist literature. On October 12, 2002 Bali was the target of Indonesia’s most deadly terrorist attack. A total of 202 people lost their lives, the majority were foreigners. Of the 152 foreigners killed, 88 were Australians. 38 Indonesians also lost their lives. And a further 240 people were injured. A suicide bomber had exploded a bomb in Paddy’s Pub that caused this deadly death toll. But Bali refused to die. Now, along the same street, a new pub has opened, aptly called, Paddy’s Reloaded. Bali was again the site of a second terrorist attack on October 1, 2005 which killed 20 people. But Bali has survived the 2 terrorist attacks, and tourists are flocking back to Bali again.
The Kuta Cowboys
Who are these cowboys from Kuta Beach? Amit Virmani said: “As for the Cowboys, you can find all kinds of articles calling them gigolos. People even make fun of them for saying they are not gigolos. But I’m with the Cowboys on this one. I see a distinction and the film does what it can to make the point. Simple reasons. They have primary jobs, usually on the beach or as tour guides or whatever. And they never charge for sex. So they’re not sex workers to me.”
Do the Kuta Cowboys really exist? Gusti Ketut Sudira, Kuta traditional village chief said: “The gigolo phenomenon has been around for some time in Bali, maybe 20 years or so.” But Gusti Ketut Sudira also added that these gigolos are not local men, but rather are men from other regions of Indonesia.
The Female Sex Tourists
Amit Virmani said: ”Obviously not all women on a Bali beach are looking for sex. Even the ones who end up with a guy. Sometimes attraction just happens. Urges are wonderful things that no one has control over. But Wikipedia defines female sex tourism as travel by a woman with the full or partial intention of having sex. So I’d say if you’re going to Bali with the intention of getting yourself a Cowboy, then yes, you’re a sex tourist.”
Amit Virmani said that each year thousands of women travel to Bali in search of paradise. Then he added: “And many find it in the arms of Kuta Cowboys. Masters at peddling holiday romances, these bronzed beach ambassadors have made Bali one of the world’s leading destinations for female sex tourists.”
And more shocking, some of the Kuta Cowboys are married. One wife said: “When my husband’s guests come, he stays with them. For a night or two, I don’t sleep with him. I don’t mind that.”
What prompted Amit Virmani to make this documentary about the Kuta Cowboys? Amit Virmani explains: “Actually, I’d known about the cowboys and similar phenomena elsewhere long before that. But they were just fun facts to me. Women traveling for sex? Guys making money off it? Big deal. Happy for all, but not enough to make a film about it. Then I met this kid in Bali, all of 12 and eager to grow up and be of sexual service to Japanese women. Now there was a story.”
Knee Jerk Reactions?
Earlier this week, the Kuta Beach security force launched a crackdown on “tanned and mascular” men at Kuta Beach. Gusti Ngurah Tresna, chief of Kuta Beach security operations said: “All members of the Kuta beach task force participated in the raid.” 28 men and 1 woman were taken into custody. Gusti Ngurah Tresna said: “We want to prevent anything that can damage tourism in Kuta. They are detained because they don’t have ID cards or licenses to work as beach vendors. The local administration office will check their identities and the addresses of where they are staying in Kuta. If they don’t have them, they could be sent home.” Gusta Ngurah Tresna added: “They were mostly dark-skinned and had great bodies. This raid was no joke. We do take such allegations seriously and we do not legalize such activities.”
Ida Bagus Ngurah Wijaya, Bali Tourism chief said: “That documentary, I believe, was over the top. It in no way represents what Bali is truly about, which is a world-class cultural destination.”
Putu Suardika, Bali’s chief of public relations said: “I reject that documentary. It has nothing to do with what Balinese beauty and our culture is about.”
Made Mangku Pastika, Governor of Bali said: “I thank Kuta’s residents who helped conduct raids against those they suspect of being gigolos. The main thing is, do not use violence.”
Minister of Culture and Tourism Jero Wacik – himself Balinese – said that though he had not seen the documentary, he would launch an investigation.
Bali Police spokesman Sr. Comr. Gde Sugianyar Dwi Putra said: “We are still collecting some information because we have only seen part of the movie from YouTube. We haven’t seen the whole movie yet.”
Kuta traditional village chief Gusti Ketut Sudira said: “It is so easy to get permission to film the Kuta area. This is a valuable lesson to us. We will tighten such measures from now on. We will demand recommendations on which film crews can operate. We do not want this to ever happen again.”
Amit Virmani said: “It’s unfortunate that people are making this out to be an anti-Indonesian film by an Indian filmmaker. That’s ridiculous and dangerous in today’s climate where harmony is so fragile. Besides, hatred is not what the film is about. And it’s not what Bali is about. I cannot emphasize enough that it is not the point of the film. None of the people involved in making the film, or the people interviewed for it, think the beach boys pose any danger to tourists or hurt their holiday experience.”
Referring to the raid on Kuta Beach, Amit Virmani said: “What I find troubling is news of the recent raids, rounding up men with tanned and muscular bodies on the beach. It’s not my place to question the motivations behind such actions. I’m sure the government officials have to deal with issues larger than the film. We sincerely hope our film is not used as an excuse to victimize the beach boys.”
On concerns expressed by several people, Amit Virmani said: “The film is about one small aspect of life on a holiday island. It does not suggest that the Cowboys are all that Bali is about. It was never the point we sought to make and the film should not be used as a counterpoint to Bali’s status as a world-class tourist destination, nor call into question the beauty of the island and her people.”
Issues
Amit Virmani said: “The film reveals some of the island’s most closely-guarded secrets. Why don’t the boys charge for sex? How then do women compensate them? Where do time management skills fit into all this? And how does a cowboy’s family feel about his errant ways?”
Amit Virmani said: ”And those are the answers I was searching for. The answers that lie beneath the ‘beach boy = easy sex’ exterior. Why do women find them appealing? What happens when the guys find genuine love? What happens if they never find love? How does paradise treat them then?”
Amit Virmani believes that the problems he is now encountering is because people just watched the trailers of his documentary. He said: “That’s the problem when you judge a film by a two-minute trailer. It’s important that people see the film for what it is, instead of making up their minds based on a trailer.”
Think About It
Conventional wisdom says that prostitution exists because there are always men looking for sex with women. By the same argument, gigolos, or in this case, the Kuta Cowboys, exist because there are women looking for sexual companionship with males in Bali. Are we living in Paradise or in an upside down world?
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yessir | Thursday, April 29, 2010 | Tags: amit virmani, bali, gde sugianyar dwi putra, gigolos, gusti ketut sudira, gusti ngurah tresna, ida bagus ngurah wijaya, jero wacik, kuta beach, kuta cowboys, paradise, putu suardika, think about it | Category: Insights & Views | yessir | |
1 comment to Bali’s Kuta Beach – Gigolos, Cowboys And Paradise
Buu
May 4th, 2010 at 9:30 AM
I am not interested in buying a ticket to see this film, simply because somehow the background stories happen in many resorts globe-wide everyday. And I doubt this director has no guts to target at western women or Japanese female’s “overseas sex tourism,” interview them and make them the main characters in the movie. Instead, he picked on the poor naive local people who had trusted him. Labeled them with ugly callings and a disrespectful title of the movie , and eventually embarrassed the whole host communities and the tourism authorities. I guess, to this Singapore-based director there’s no a treaty for extradition between Singapore and Indonesia, therefore as soon as he left the country he is safe at home. The ways those female tourists’ having a good time by getting sexually involved with those beach boys are just too much too astonishing. Hey Mr. director, have you not heard a saying “when there is a demand there is a supply”? And I suppose it would be more meaningful if you told us (with any film you make) how YOU will do to make the world better.
Indonesia rounds up 'beach boys' over gigolo film
AFP - Tuesday, April 27SendIM StoryPrint.DENPASAR, Indonesia (AFP) - – Indonesia has detained 28 "beach boys" accused of selling sex to female tourists on Bali after a documentary on the resort's "gigolos" hit the Internet, an official said Tuesday.
The round-up of Bali's so-called "cowboys" began as tourism officials fretted over the impact of the film on the holiday island's image as a family destination.
"We've rounded up 28 men we suspect might be gigolos. They're young, fit-looking and tanned, mostly surfer beach boys," I Gusti Ngurah Tresna, the chief of security on Bali's main Kuta beach, told AFP.
"We're still questioning them. If we have good reason to suspect they may be involved in shady activities we'll hand them over to the police," he said, adding that the raids were ongoing.
The documentary, "Cowboys in Paradise" by Singapore-based writer and director Amit Virmani, was released at a film festival in South Korea last week.
Segments of the film, which contains candid interviews with "beach boys" and the foreign women who fall for them, have gone viral on the Internet after appearing on YouTube.
Bali Tourism Board chief Ida Bagus Ngurah Wijaya said the "cowboys" had been fixtures on Bali's tourist beaches for some time but had not attracted much attention until now.
"The film is over the top and only focuses on this group of people on the beach, but that's not what Bali is about. If the film is shown to the world, Bali's image will be tarnished," he said.
"I hope the authorities will get rid of these cowboys because they're of no benefit to us."
Tresna said the documentary ran counter to the authorities' preferred image of Bali as a world-class destination combining unique Hindu culture and history with famous beaches and surfing spots.
"All this while we've been selling our beautiful waves, sunsets, turtles, culture and nature conservation, and suddenly now we're seen to be selling gigolos? Such films are really harmful to our image," he said.
The beach police chief could not explain what charges the "beach boys" could face and admitted it would be hard to prove they were selling sex.
"We're always on the beach so we can guess which beach boy may be taking advantage of foreign women," he said.
Similar arrests had been made in the past but the suspects had been released "with a stern warning", he added.
"They will approach foreign female tourists, especially Japanese, on the beach, befriend them and the women will pay for their company and food during their stay here. Sex may be involved.
"It's like prostitution which is hard to prove because the foreign women may be willing partners, too."
Filmmaker Virmani told the twitchfilm.net website that the men "have no reason to be ashamed and they know it".
"They're proud of their 'conquests', of being desired by so many. They're always game for a little kiss'n'tell once they know you," he said.
He said they were part of a "male sex trade" on Bali but could not be considered male prostitutes in the usual sense.
"They've blurred the lines that might invite shame or discourage women from being with them. They do without the cold transactional elements, for example," he said.
"A lot of people scoff at the need to distinguish between cowboys and gigolos, but I see the distinction. It's a very fine line, but it's there.
"The cowboys are the most visible face of Bali's male sex trade but they're not sex workers. How's that for a blurry line?"
