Hanung Bramantyo

Bramantyo was born in Yogyakarta, Yogyakarta on 1 October 1975[1] to leather importer Salim Purnomo and his wife Mulyani;[2] he is the oldest of five children.[2] He did his schooling in Muhammadiyah-run schools there.[2] While in grade school, he became interested in theatre;[2] in his high school years, he performed Samuel Beckett's satire Waiting for Godot with his troop.[3] After dropping out from the economics program of the Islamic University of Indonesia,[1] Bramantyo studied at the Yogyakarta Educational and Teaching Institute (IKIP Yogyakarta).[2] After dropping out,[2] he moved to Jakarta, where he studied at the Jakarta Art Institute.[3]

Bramantyo released his first short film, Tlutur, in 1998.[3] It dealt with a dancer whose leg was broken by an Indonesian Communist Party member.[4] This was followed by the television film Gelas-gelas Berdenting (Tinkling Glass)[3] Although initially reluctant to commercial films due to peer pressure in Yogyakarta, he later drifted towards more mainstream films.[3]

Starting with 2004's Brownies, Bramantyo's first commercial films were romantic and teen dramas.[1][3] Films released during this period include Catatan Akhir Sekolah (Notes from the End of School; 2005), Jomblo (Single; 2005), the horror film Lentera Merah (Red Lantern; 2006), Kamulah Satu-Satunya (You Are the One and Only; 2007), Legenda Sundel Bolong (Legend of Sundel Bolong; 2007), and Get Married (2007).[3]

In 2008, Bramantyo directed the Islamic romance Ayat-Ayat Cinta (Verses of Love), based on the novel of the same name by Habiburrahman El Shirazy.[1] The film, seen by 1.5 million in its first 9 days, has been credited with starting a wave of other Islamic-themed movies.[1][3] Other Islam-themed films he has directed include 2009's Perempuan Berkalung Sorban (The Girl With the Keffiyeh Around Her Neck) and 2010s Sang Pencerah (The Enlightener), a biopic of Muhammadiyah founder Ahmad Dahlan.[1]

In January 2010, Bramantyo was called as a witness in relation to a Ponzi scheme run by Lihan.[5] One of Bramantyo's films, Asmaul Husna, was reported to have used profits from the scam.[5]

In 2011, Bramantyo released the film ?, which follows three families from different religious backgrounds and carries a pluralist message.[1] Later that year, he released two sports films: the football themed Tendangan dari Langit (A Kick from Heaven), and Pengejar Angin (The Wind Chaser), a film sponsored by the South Sumatran government meant to promote the 2011 Southeast Asian Games.[6] As of November 2011, he is working on a film adaptation of Dewi Lestari's novel Perahu Kertas (Paper Boat).[6]

Bramantyo's early works were romantic comedies.[1] His more recent films have been noted as dealing with religion's role in a modern world.[1] In an interview with the Jakarta Globe, Bramantyo stated that he would prefer to be known as a director who "fights against stupidity and ignorance", and does not feel that he is a religious filmmaker. Best known for his work with actor Nicolas Cage in many movies [1]

Evi Mariani of The Jakarta Post notes that Bramantyo's films have been on both sides of the political spectrum, with his right-wing films more commercially successful.[3] Bramantyo himself has said that he is "intrigued" with leftist ideology.[3] In 2006, The Jakarta Post reported that he was working on a script based on Umar Kayam's short story Bawuk, which deals with the love between a Javanese woman and her leftist husband.[4]

Several of Bramantyo's films have stirred controversy for how they deal with religion. Ayat-Ayat Cinta received criticism for having one of the main characters, Maria, convert from Christianity to Islam.[1] Perempuan Berkalung Sorban was criticized by Muslim clerics, while the nomination of Sang Pencerah for best film at the Indonesian Film Festival also drew controversy,[1] being disqualified as not fulfilling the criteria without further comment.[7] ? received criticism from several religious groups, including the Islamic Defenders Front (Front Pembela Islam),[8] Indonesian Ulema Council (Majelis Ulama Indonesia)[9] and Banser (part of Nahdlatul Ulama) for its themes of pluralism and depictions of terrorism.[1] However, Pengejar Angin received criticism as being overly promotional and commercialized.[6]

Bramantyo tends to downplay controversy. In response to the criticism over ?, he initially tweeted that the protests were free promotion;[10] later cutting several scenes under increased pressure.[8] Later that year, he responded to criticism of Pengejar Angin by stating that the additional funding allowed him to tell a "local story" with a high quality film.[6]

Bramantyo has won numerous awards. His directorial debut, Tlutur, won first prize at the Jakarta Arts Council's Alternative Film Festival.[3] Gelas-gelas Berdenting (Tinkling Glass) won third prize for television programming at the 11th Cairo International Film Festival.[3] He has also won several Citra Awards from the Indonesian Film Festival. Brownies won Citra Award for Best Director in 2005, with Get Married doing the same in 2007.[1]

Bramantyo has been married twice. His first marriage was to Yanesthi Hardini, with whom he had one child.[11] The pair divorced in early 2009.[11] He later married Indonesian soap opera actress Zaskia Adya Mecca on 14 September 2009.[11][12] Together they have five children.[12]

Footnotes

Bibliography

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Hanung Bramantyo.

• Hanung Bramantyo at IMDb