Sjumandjaja

Sjumandjaja was born in Batavia (modern day Jakarta), Dutch East Indies, and grew up there. During high school, he became interested in creative writing and acting, eventually joining the Senen Artists' Group. In 1956, when one of his short stories was adapted into a film, Sjumandjaja became active in the filmmaking industry, writing two films for the production company Persari. After receiving a government scholarship, he moved to Moscow and attended the All-Union State Institute of Cinematography. Upon returning to Indonesia in 1965, Sjumandjaja took a job at the Ministry of Information and continued writing screenplays. In 1971, after leaving the ministry, he directed his first feature film, Lewat Tengah Malam (Past Midnight). He continued to write and direct films until his death from a heart attack on 19 July 1985.

After suffering from a heart attack during prayer at Soepomo's home on 19 July 1985, Sjumandjaja was brought to Dr. Cipto Mangunkusumo Hospital in Jakarta. He died at 3:50 p.m. local time (UTC+7) and was buried the following day at Kawi-Kawi Public Cemetery. He left behind a nearly finished film, Jakarta Opera, which had been exerting himself heavily to complete. It was later completed by Sutomo Gandasubrata.

On 25 December 1978, Sjumandjaja announced his return with a new film, Kabut Sutra Ungu (Mist of Purple Silk), an adaptation of the novel by Ike Soepomo. Kabut Sutra Ungu was followed by several more films, including Bukan Sandiwara (Not a Play; 1980), the biopic of female emancipation figure Kartini R. A. Kartini (1981), and Budak Nafsu (Slave to Lust; 1983), which was based on the novel Fatimah by Titie Said. Sjumandjaja's last film before his death, Kerikil-Kerikil Tajam (Sharp Pebbles) was released in 1984.

Sjumandjaja received five Citra Awards at the Indonesian Film Festival (FFI) for his works, namely Best Screenplay for Laila Majenun (FFI 1976), Best Director and Best Screenplay for Si Doel Anak Modern (FFI 1977), Best Director for Budak Nafsu (FFI 1984), and Best Screenplay for Kerikil-Kerikil Tajam (FFI 1985).

In 1972, Sjumandjaja founded his production company Matari Film; the company's first film, Si Doel Anak Betawi (Doel the Betawi Child), which he directed, was critically acclaimed and led to a surge in popularity for both Betawi culture and the film's star Rano Karno. Two of his later films, Si Mamad (The One Called Mamad; 1974) and Pinangan (A Proposal; 1976), were based on the works of Anton Chekov, while the 1975 film Laila Majenun (Laila is Possessed) was an adaptation of West Side Story. After filming Yang Muda Yang Bercinta (The Young Fall in Love), which was delayed by the censorship board, in 1977, he took another hiatus to deal with health issues. During this period he became a more devout Muslim.

Sjumandjaja first marriage was to ballet dancer Farida Utoyo, whom he met and married while in the Soviet Union; Utoyo was studying at the Moscow State Academy of Choreography. With Utoyo he had two sons, Aridya Yudistira and Sri Aksana (former drummer of Dewa 19). The couple's separation in the early 1970s served as his inspiration for Flambojan (Flamboyant; 1972). After divorcing Utoyo, Sjumandjaja married actress Tuti Kirana before the release of Si Doel Anak Betawi. In 1973 the couple had a daughter, Djenar Maesa Ayu, who later became a writer-cum-director and won a Citra Award for her debut film Mereka Bilang, Saya Monyet! (They Say I'm a Monkey!; 2007). In 1982 his relationship with Kirana soured, and the couple divorced. In 1984 he married a third wife, Zoraya Perucha.

After returning to Indonesia in 1965, Sjumandjaja worked at the Ministry of Information; from 1966 to 1968 he was the head of the film directorate and succeeded in passing a bill which used the profits from film imports to fund local productions. He later continued directing and screenwriting while taking a five-year term as the head of the Jakarta Art Bureau. His 1971 feature film debut, Lewat Tengah Malam (Past Midnight), produced by Allied Film Indonesia, brought him under close supervision by the Suharto-led government for its social critique, while Pengantin Remadja (Teenage Newlyweds), which he wrote, won an award at the 1971 Asian Film Festival. This was followed by Flambojan (Flamboyant; 1972).

In 1959, Sjumandjaja received a government scholarship to study in Moscow. After a one-year-long preparatory course, in 1960 he enrolled at the All-Union State Institute of Cinematography; he was the first Indonesian student to attend the institute. A womanizer on campus, he graduated summa cum laude from the institute in 1964 or 1965. His submission, Bajangan (Shadows), a film based on a story by Erskine Caldwell, was a 25-minute-long black-and-white profile of a woman waiting for her grandson. He was only the seventh person to graduate summa cum laude from the institution, and the first foreigner.

Sjumandjaja was influenced by numerous Russian works, which he had seen while in the Soviet Union. These works included Mikhail Kalatozov's Letyat Zhuravli (The Cranes Are Flying; 1957), Grigori Chukhrai's Sorok Pervyy (The Forty-First; 1956), and Ballada o Soldate (Ballad of a Soldier; 1959). The romanticism in these post-Stalinist works was reflected in Sjumandjaja's work up until Kerikil-Kerikil Tajam. His works have also been classified as social realism, with films such as Si Mamad and Atheis reflecting issues relevant to modern society. Several of his films, such as Yang Muda Yang Bercinta, contain themes of self-awareness and discovery, while Budak Nafsu contained what Marselli, writing in Kompas, described as a "vulgar eroticism".

In 1956, Sjumandjaja played a role in Terang Bulan Terang di Tengah Kali (Moon Shining Light in the Middle of the Stream), written by Ardan and directed by Wim Umboh. That same year, his short story "Kerontjong Kemajoran" ("Keroncong from Kemayoran") was adapted into a film by the production company Persari under the title Saodah. The following year, another of Sjumandjaja's short stories, "Anakku Sajang" ("My Dear Child") was adapted by the company; he took on the role of assistant director for the film. Sjumandjaja became an employee of Persari in 1958, under the leadership of Asrul Sani.

Sjumandjaja was born in Batavia on 5 August 1934. The fifth of eight children, Sjumandjaja was ethnically Javanese but soon became accustomed to the local Betawi culture. He studied Quran reading for a period of three days, but stopped after numerous disagreements with the teacher. When he was ten years old, his father died, leaving Sjumandjaja to be raised by his mother. During the Japanese occupation of the Dutch East Indies from 1942 to 1945, he witnessed several forced labourers being beaten to death near his home during the construction of Kemayoran Airport.

Sjumandjaja (Perfected Spelling: Syumanjaya; 5 August 1933 – 19 July 1985) was an Indonesian director, screenwriter, and actor. During his career he wrote numerous films, directed fourteen, acted in ten, and produced nine; he also won five Citra Awards from the Indonesian Film Festival. His films reflected social realism.