Bali Authorities Take Dim View of Film Featuring Island’s ‘Cowboy’ Gigolos

Bali Authorities Take Dim View of Film Featuring Island’s ‘Cowboy’ Gigolos

Bali Tourism Board chief Ida Bagus Ngurah Wijaya said on Monday that “Cowboy’s Paradise,” a documentary focusing on Kuta Cowboys, or gigolos, had nothing to do with Bali’s reputation as the most sought-after tourism destination in the world.

“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,” Ida Bagus said.

Bali’s chief of public relations, Putu Suardika, agreed: “I reject that documentary. It has nothing to do with what Balinese beauty and our culture is about.”

Singapore-based writer and director Amit Virmani told Twitchfilm.net that he had the idea for “Cowboy’s Paradise” after meeting a 12-year-old boy in Bali who confessed an eagerness “to grow up and be of sexual service to Japanese women.”

“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,” Virmani said in the interview. “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.”

As news of the documentary spread across Web sites nationwide, the chief of Kuta Beach security operations, I Gusti Ngurah Tresna, said his officers had questioned 28 men with muscular bodies on the beach.

“They were working as [vendors]. We questioned them because they had no ID. They were mostly dark-skinned and had great bodies,” Tresna said. “This raid was no joke. We do take such allegations seriously and we do not legalize such activities.”

The movie trailer on Virmani’s Web site — which has been viewed almost 20,000 times since it was posted in December — profiles a number of tanned, muscular local surfer boys who speak candidly about their escapades with foreign women, including their stock pick-up lines in a number of foreign languages.

“Hi girls. I think I know you from last night. What are you doing tonight? If you don’t have any plans you can come with me tonight. I love you,” an unidentified male cowboy tells the camera.

Virmani says thousands of women travel to Bali each year in search of paradise, “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.”

The movie argues that the cowboys are not gigolos because they do not charge for sex.

“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?” Virmani asked.

The movie, completed in 2009 after two years in production, premiered at the DMZ Documentary Film Festival in South Korea last Wednesday.
Bali Authorities Take Dim View of Film Featuring Island’s ‘Cowboy’ Gigolos - The Jakarta Globe

https://teakdoor.com/images/smilies1/You_Rock_Emoticon.gif Just a Gigolo? A "Kuta Cowboy" with a female tourist. (Photo courtesy of cowboysinparadise.com)
New Documentary Capture’s Kuta Cowboys’ Gigolo Lifestyles

Women from around the world have been drawn to Bali’s sandy beaches, verdant rice fields and Hindu culture. A new documentary, however, is laying bare an attraction of another variety — the resort island’s bronzed “Kuta Cowboys,” or gigolos.

The film’s Singapore-based writer and director, Amit Virmani, told Twitchfilm.net, that he came up with the idea for making "Cowboy's Paradise" after meeting a 12-year-old boy in Bali who confessed an eagerness “to grow up and be of sexual service to Japanese women.”

“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,” Amit said in the interview.

The movie trailer posted on his website — which has been been viewed almost 20,000 times since it was posted in December — profiles a number of tanned, muscular local surfer boys who speak candidly about their escapades with foreign women, including their stock pick-up lines in a number of foreign languages.

“Hi girls. I think I know you from last night. What are you doing tonight? If you don’t have any plans you can come with me tonight. I love you,” an unidentified male cowboy tells the camera.

According to Amit, each year, thousands of women travel to Bali in search of paradise.

“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,” he said.

The movie also presents an argument that the cowboys are not gigolos because they do not charge for sex.

“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 added.

What surely will spark further controversy is the revelation that some of the cowboys are actually married. A local woman said in the movie that she did not mind her husband sleeping with his “guest” for one or two nights.

“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,” the woman said.

The movie, completed in 2009 after a two years in production, premiered at the DMZ Documentary Film Festival in South Korea on April 21.

Watch trailer 1 here

Watch trailer 2 here

poor cowboys...

Kuta Cowboys Rounded Up in Gigolo Raids

Security forces launched an immediate crackdown targeting “tanned and muscular” men at Kuta’s Bali beach on Monday, just hours after the Jakarta Globe Web site ran a story about a new film about the resort island’s gigolos.

The film, Cowboys in Paradise, which documents foreign female tourists and the men who allegedly service them, immediately touched a raw nerve, with Kuta Beach task force members raiding the beach and taking 28 men and one woman into custody for failing to produce identification.

The head of the task force, Gusti Ngurah Tresna, told Detik.com that “all members of the Kuta beach task force participated in the raid.”

“They are detained because they don’t have ID cards or licenses to work as beach vendors,” Tresna said, adding that some of the detained men were “tanned and muscular.”

“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,” he said.

The beach task force will keep monitoring the activities of the detained men.

“We want to prevent anything that can damage tourism in Kuta,” he said.

Minister of Culture and Tourism Jero Wacik — himself Balinese — said that though he had not seen the documentary, he would launch an investigation.

The fact that “Kuta Cowboys” operate in Bali and other Indonesia tourism destinations popular with the backpacking market, should come as no surprise to authorities and the reaction is likely to be criticized as a knee-jerk reaction.



New Documentary Captures Kuta Cowboys' Gigolo Lifestyles

Seems to be a repeating fascination with tanned and muscular.

I can be all of that.

Female sex tourists....oh my god....think I found my next destination to move to.

Quote:

---

Why don’t the boys charge for sex?

---

I know why. I've spoken with a few of these arse-wipes on my many trips to Bali.
They give the girls hard luck stories, telling them how poor they are and giving them the sick relative in need of an operation story, etc, etc. - knowing they will receive 'donations'. Or they just steal money from their bags when they have a chance. After which, they go back to the beach and brag to their mates about how stupid the girls were to fall for their tricks. Absolute scum.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Nawty

Female sex tourists....oh my god....think I found my next destination to move to.

---

Well I do recal Slimboyfat asking lotsa questions about Bali..

Can't see the vids!!

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by patsycat

Can't see the vids!!

---

hahahaha. should have known you'd try looking for them!


(joke ;) )

Quote:

---

“to grow up and be of sexual service to Japanese women.”

---

That was my new years resolution! :)

I always find it ironic that the ugly farang women here that hook up with the thai rasta boys, are the first to be offended by the sight of fat farang men that are with Thai bar girls.

Tanned and muscular I fear excludes me and a few others here?
BaliKissAngel

Made Arya Kencana
https://teakdoor.com/images/smilies1/You_Rock_Emoticon.gif A photo from a scene from the documentary featured on the film’s Facebook page. The film traces the interaction of Indonesian gigolos and tourists.
Offended Bali Officials Investigating Director Of Controversial ‘Gigolo’ Documentary

Kuta. Stung by the new documentary “Cowboys in Paradise,” which examines the phenomenon of “Kuta Cowboys” — gigolos working Bali’s beaches and bars — Bali Governor Made Mangku Pastika said on Tuesday that he would investigate whether the director had the necessary permits to film on the island.

The former Bali Police chief expressed disappointment at the documentary, which he claimed only focused on the negative side of the Island of the Gods.

“I thank Kuta’s residents who helped conduct raids against those they suspect of being gigolos,” Made Mangku said, referring to the questioning of 28 well-built men on the beach on Monday. “The main thing is, do not use violence.”

News of the documentary has spread across Web sites nationwide, and Bali Police spokesman Sr. Comr. Gde Sugianyar Dwi Putra confirmed that Bali Police were investigating it.

The film, completed last year after two years in production, premiered at the DMZ Documentary Film Festival in South Korea last Wednesday.

“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,” Sugianyar said, adding that police would coordinate with the supervisory body that issued filmmaking permits.

The film — which documents the relationships between foreign female tourists and male prostitutes, the “Kuta Cowboys” of the title — immediately touched a raw nerve, with Kuta Beach task force members raiding the beach.

Amit Virmani, the documentary’s director, said he has received hate mail and threats. In an interview with the Jakarta Globe (see story below) he said he was horrified at the reaction and hoped the film was not used as an excuse to victimize the beach boys.

Kuta traditional village chief Gusti Ketut Sudira acknowledged that “the gigolo phenomenon has been around for some time in Bali, maybe 20 years or so,” and said the footage of Kuta was genuine.

But he insisted that no “Kuta Cowboy” featured in the movie was local to the area. The director should be made to identify the men appearing, he insisted.

“The movie must contain a detailed explanation on who it actually is referring to as a gigolo,” he said. “I’m positive that most of them are outsiders, not residents of Kuta, as implied in the film.”

Unlike Amit Virmani, who did not seem to find any trouble identifying which of the scores of muscular men hanging out at Kuta beach could be gigolos, Gusti Ketut said it was difficult to identify them.

“This community conducts its activities in a secretive manner or through covers, like acting as a food or drink seller or providing other services on the beach he said. “Raids will continue. If we find anyone on the beach who has no business there, we will process them.”

Meanwhile, rules must be tightened on filming, he added.

“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.”



Additional reporting by Dessy Sagita
Aphoto from a scene from the documentary featured on the film’s Facebook page. The film traces the interaction of Indonesian gigolos and tourists.

‘Hatred is Not What the Film is About; and it’s Not What Bali is About,’ Says Director

Singapore-based writer and director Amit Virmani told the Jakarta Globe in an exclusive interview on Tuesday that he never expected his documentary, “Cowboys in Paradise,” to spark so much controversy and hatred.

He describes it as a compassionate look at the gigolo lifestyles of the “Kuta Cowboys,” but said the outrage was plain to see from the hate mail he had received and negative comments posted on the trailers to the film on YouTube.

“It’s unfortunate that people are making this out to be an anti-Indonesian film by an Indian filmmaker,” Virmani said. “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.”

One of the e-mails sent to Virmani described him as an “irresponsible idiot” and said he had “become the biggest enemy in Bali.”

Another mistook him for an Indian man named Amit who was interviewed as part of the documentary. In the film the man, who speaks positively about the gigolos and says they have a positive economic impact on the resort island, says the beach boys are part of the “national gross product,” which was misunderstood.

Virmani said the man was wrongly attacked for being “anti-Bali” and “jealous” of the beach boys. “But he’s a vocal supporter of the Cowboys. He insists they’re doing nothing wrong, that the world should not judge them, because in their own way they add color to Bali,” he said.

“That’s the problem when you judge a film by a two-minute trailer. Rather than being jealous of the Cowboys, in the film he explains their obvious appeal to women, and the failure of other men, himself included, to connect with women as well as they do.”

A threat was sent to one of Virmani’s Facebook friends who had spoken positively about the film. “I will stitch your a** to your mouth and leave your arms on the street to be crushed by trucks and I will cut out your eyes out with a rusty knife before boiling you alive,” the comment said.

Virmani reiterated that there was no need for hatred. “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,” he said.

“We sincerely hope our film is not used as an excuse to victimize the beach boys.”

Virmani said he was concerned about Monday’s raids on Kuta Beach, in which Bali tourism officials and security personnel allegedly targeted 28 men suspected of being gigolos.

“What I find troubling is news of the recent raids, rounding up men with tanned and muscular bodies on the beach,” he said. “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.”

The chief of Bali’s tourism board, Ida Bagus Ngurah Wijaya, said on Monday that the activities portrayed in the documentary had nothing to do with Bali’s reputation as a tourist destination.

“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,” he said.

Virmani said he agreed with Ida. “I just want to go on record saying that I wholeheartedly agree with what the Bali Tourism Board is saying. In fact, I’m not sure why they would think our position is otherwise,” he 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.” 

JG

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by kingwilly

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Nawty

Female sex tourists....oh my god....think I found my next destination to move to.

---

Well I do recal Slimboyfat asking lotsa questions about Bali..

---

I started a thread called something like 'Is Bali a good place for a family holiday?'

You twat

Well, I found the trailer on U Toob. When can I see the whole documentary?

Signed,

Curious from Catford

:rofl: slimboyfat pwned! :doglol:

Dear Curious from Catford,

Was there a particular young cowboy you were most curious about, or did you want to try them all? I reccomend at least a week's holiday, before deciding to move her for good and starting up another art shop or book shoppe in Ubud.

Signed Auntie Willy

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by kingwilly

a 12-year-old boy in Bali who confessed an eagerness “to grow up and be of sexual service to Japanese women.”

---

poor boy.:disappointed:
Are there no paedo among the Japanese women who can help him ?

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Number 42

Absolute scum.

---

Therefore absolutely irresistible for the ladies.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by pickel

I always find it ironic that the ugly farang women here that hook up with the thai rasta boys, are the first to be offended by the sight of fat farang men that are with Thai bar girls.

---

It's because we pay only ha roy baht while they get ripped off big money :mid:

Kinanti Pinta Karana
https://teakdoor.com/images/smilies1/You_Rock_Emoticon.gif The controversial documentary Cowboys in Paradise never refers to its subjects as gigolos or prostitutes. In fact, it clearly states that the cowboys never charge for sex.
Exclusive: 'Kuta Cowboy' Filmmakers Set Record Straight

The filmmakers behind “Cowboys in Paradise” shared their controversial film with the Jakarta Globe in Singapore on Friday and expressed their sense of dismay over the “horrible misunderstanding” surrounding the documentary.

The private screening, the first time any member of the Indonesian press had seen the film in its entirety, coincided with Bali Police ramping up efforts to form a case against Singaporean director Amit Virmani.

Seah Kui Luan, one of the film’s producers, said there “are several misconceptions about the film that are fueling the controversy and need to be rectified urgently.”

“After repeated efforts to redress some false assumptions, we felt that the film was its own best defense. Since the Jakarta Globe has actively covered the controversy since it first broke we invited them to a private screening of the film.”

Also present at the screening was Amit. “We worked hard to make a distinction between the cowboys and male prostitutes,” he said. “And the more I’ve stressed the distinction in recent days, the further we seem to be moving from that truth. A film on male prostitutes is not what we sought to make and is not the film we’ve made.”

The stars of the documentary on Bali’s Kuta Cowboys were rounded up and questioned by Bali Police as witnesses on Thursday.

But Bali Police spokesman Sr. Comr. Gede Sugianyar Dwi Putra said they were being questioned so they could serve as witnesses in the case being prepared against Virmani.

“All three admitted to knowing Amit. This [questioning] has only to do with their identities and the fact that their faces are similar to those featured on the film clip on YouTube,” Sugianyar said.

He said that even though no official report had been lodged with police, they had taken the initiative to form a team of detectives from the cybercrimes unit to track down other witnesses linked to the case.

Virmani, Sugianyar said, did not have the proper filming permit and could face up to one year in jail and fines of as much as Rp 40 million ($4,440) for violating the country’s 1992 Law on Films.

Amit declined to comment on the ongoing investigation. “I can’t say anything about it at the moment. I think I’ll just wait and see,” he said.

The documentary itself never refers to its subjects as gigolos or prostitutes. In fact, it clearly states that the cowboys never charge for sex.

The beach boys spoke to the camera, with clip-on microphones, about their hard lives working regular jobs from selling drinks at the beach, to becoming surf instructors and tour guides.

One of the cowboys who appeared in the film, Arnold, a surfing instructor, said Virmani appeared at Kuta Beach with a camera in 2007.

“I thought that with that big camera, the quality of the footage taken would be good. When I asked him what the footage was for, he said it was for personal documentation,” Arnold said. His real name is Suwarno and is from Banyuwangi in East Java.

He told police that he had been married to a foreigner for two years.

Vendi, another of the beach boys, said: “We are actually the victims. We plan to file an official complaint against the director for defamation.”

Virmani denied the statements.

“No-one that has seen the film would believe that the boys did not know we were making a film or that they didn’t know what the film was going to be about,” Virmani said.

“For instance, one of the boys, Vendi who said he didn’t know what the film was about, was interviewed with his girlfriend and she questioned him about his other girlfriends, on camera. So how could they possibly not know what the film was about.”

In the film, Vendi was pictured with his German girlfriend. She asked him about his other girlfriends from France and Norway.

Commenting on the unusual nature of the private screening, the director said, “The film won’t be out for a while, at least not till after the Melbourne International Film Festival. So in a sense, a press screening is premature.”

“But we can’t have people who agreed to be in the film think they’ve been called prostitutes until then. It’s a horrible misunderstanding that has put both the Bali government and a lot of our friends on the beach in a terrible position,” Amit said.
Exclusive: 'Kuta Cowboy' Filmmakers Set Record Straight - The Jakarta Globe

The full interview and feature article will appear in Monday's Jakarta Globe.

I don't really see what the prob is. Bali is a well known destination for Western females, as is West Africa and some Carribean Islands.

And why the f not? Men get away with it all over the world. Why can't us females also get our jollies on holiday?

Not that I would, I only go on holiday to get a sun tan and eat spicy food. Oh, and I saw Elvis three times in one night... And I do not wear a husband beater t shirt and socks with my sandals. (apart from on the plane)

Fok, I first went to Bali in 1979 and back then the girls would be dripping from there nasty bit when the smooth Bali boys would lay there lines on them.

I mean they did'nt have to work that hard as most of the Aussies where too busy getting on the piss whilst the Bali boys where concentrating on shagging the white girls.

The girls fell in love with these dudes in about 2.5 milli seconds, the white boys would be pissed off but in reality know one give a flying fuk as there where trollups everywhere pissed off there heads and shagging any thing that could get a hard on.

God bless them as girls + piss = A foking top head job if ones lucky. :kiwi:

I remember one chick that would relate her story of how she would suck off this Bali dude under the table whilst he was selling his cassettes.

Give me the horn it did. :)

Anyway, there's nothing new in this story, the boys are still pulling the pussy and I say : Good onya lads and bang one home for me. :rolleyes:

When all is said and done that lovely little pouch that the girls posses is made for full on shagging. Give it a little rinse out and its ready to go again. :UK:

Thanks very much. :rolleyes:

Quote:

---

I remember one chick that would relate her story of how she would suck off this Bali dude under the table whilst he was selling his cassettes.

Give me the horn it did.

---

Are you trying to tell us something terry? :gay: ?

^

Na mate, if I said :

This guy used to suck of his mate under the table and it gave me the horn :

That would be gay. :)

why did it give you the horn then, did you want a turn then?

it's only sex for fuks sake

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by teddy

it's only sex for fuks sake

---

Spoken like a man who is getting it regularly

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by slimboyfat

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by teddy

it's only sex for fuks sake

---

Spoken like a man who is getting it regularly

---

Since I became an aesthetic monk, erections are a thing of the past. You may as well cut it off for all I care now. I'm on a higher spiritual plane than most people.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by kingwilly

Bali Governor Made Mangku Pastika said on Tuesday that he would investigate whether the director had the necessary permits to film on the island.

---

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by kingwilly

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.”

---

Excellent . . . shoot the messenger . . . the Balinese are learning the Thai way