Misbach Yusa Biran, Peran Pemuda dalam Kebangkitan Film Indonesia, p inside cover

Misbach Yusa Biran (11 September 1933 – 11 April 2012) was an Indonesian writer, director and columnist who pioneered the Indonesian film archives.

Personal life

Biran was born in

Rangkasbitung Rangkasbitung ( Sundanese: ) (colloquially called Rangkas) is a town which is the administrative centre of Lebak Regency, in Banten Province of Java, Indonesia. It had a population of 134,945 at the 2020 Census, while the official estimate as ...

, in the

Lebak Regency Lebak Regency is a regency of Banten province, Indonesia. It is located on the island of Java. The regency has an area of 3,305.072 km2 and had a population of 1,204,095 at the 2010 census and 1,386,793 at the 2020 census; the official estima ...

, to a

Minangkabau Minangkabau may refer to: * Minangkabau culture, culture of the Minangkabau people * Minangkabau Culture Documentation and Information Center * Minangkabau Express, an airport rail link service serving Minangkabau International Airport (''see belo ...

father and a Bantenese mother. Hal 1. In 1969, he married actress Nani Widjaja. They had six children, two of whom (Cahya Kamila and Sukma Ayu) also went into the film industry.

Career

Early life

Biran graduated from Taman Madya Bagian B, in Jakarta. He first began directing plays in the early 1950s, whilst at school, whilst he additionally wrote film reviews and produced literature works. However, after his graduation, he chose a career in film.

Film

From 1954-1956, Biran worked for the Indonesian National Film Company (PERFINI) under

Usmar Ismail Usmar Ismail (20 March 1921 – 2 January 1971) was an Indonesian film director, author, journalist and revolutionary of Minangkabau descent. He was widely regarded as the native Indonesian pioneer of the cinema of Indonesia. Biography ...

. He began as a script recorder, and later became Assistant Director and member of the Writers’ Board. He rose to the position of Director of National Film Centre H. Usmar Ismail Jakarta, member of the National Film Council, and Chairman of the Film and Television Employees from 1987-1991. Hal 291. In 1955, Biran wrote his first screenplay from a

short story A short story is a piece of prose fiction that typically can be read in one sitting and focuses on a self-contained incident or series of linked incidents, with the intent of evoking a single effect or mood. The short story is one of the oldest ...

Sjumandjaja 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 ...

, titled ''Kerontjong Kemajoran'', which was later turned into a film titled ''Saodah'' by Persari Film. From 1957 to 1960, he directed short films and documentaries. In 1967, Biran won the

Citra Award for Best Director The Citra Award for Best Director (Indonesian: ) is an award given at the annual Indonesian Film Festival (FFI) to Indonesian film directors in recognition for their achievement in the previous year. The Citra Awards, described by ''Screen Intern ...

for his film ''Dibalik Tjahaja Gemerlapan.'' He also received an award for Best Script for his film ''Menjusuri Djedjak Berdarah'', and for ''Ayahku'' (1987), directed by Agus Elias. Biran ceased directing films in 1971, as a way to show his distaste for the film industry which was, at the time, flourishing with pornographic films. What is considered his most important contribution to the national film industry was in establishing

Sinematek Indonesia Sinematek Indonesia, or Sinematek for short, is a film archive located in Jakarta. Established in 1975 by Misbach Yusa Biran and Asrul Sani, the archive was the first in Southeast Asia, and remains the only one in Indonesia. It is home to roughl ...

in 1975. It was an institution that independently archived the national films. Biran led

until 2001, and became synonymous with the institution.

Writing

Biran was an active journalist: he was the Chief Editor of ''Minggu Abadi'' (1958-1959), ''Purnama'' (1962-1963), and later as an Editor of ''Duta Masjarakat'' (1965-1966), ''Abad Muslimin'' (1966), and ''Gelanggang'' (1967). Hal 529. His literary works included ''Bung Besar'' (drama, 1958), which was awarded second prize in a screenwriting competition by the Ministry of Education and Culture in 1958; ''Setengah Djam Mendjelang Maut'' (Drama, 1968); ''Menjusuri Djedjak Berdarah'' (novel, 1969); ''Keajaiban di Pasar Senen'' (anthology of short stories, 1971); and ''Oh, Film'' (anthology of short stories, 1973). The latter two story collections were bound and reprinted under the title ''Keajaiban di Pasar Senen'' in 1996. Biran launched a book on ''Teknik Menulis Skenario Film Cerita'' on 30 January 2007.

Death

Biran died on April 11, 2012 at the Eka Hospital, Serpong, Tangerang, Banten after a prolong struggle with

lung cancer Lung cancer, also known as lung carcinoma (since about 98–99% of all lung cancers are carcinomas), is a malignant lung tumor characterized by uncontrolled cell growth in tissue (biology), tissues of the lung. Lung carcinomas derive from tran ...

. He was 78.

Awards

Biran received an award from Forum Film Bandung for his dedication and contribution in the film industry. He continues to write screenplays, and believes that film is a means to teach and raise the quality of human lives, particularly the lives of Indonesians. In 2010, he received fellowships from the Southeast Asia-Pacific Audiovisual Archive Association (SEAPAVAA) in Bangkok, Thailand.

Films

Directing

* ''Pesta Musik La Bana'' (1960) * ''Holiday in Bali'' (1962) * ''Bintang Ketjil'' (1963) * ''Panggilan Nabi Ibrahim'' (1964) * ''Apa Jang Kautangisi'' (1965) * ''Dibalik Tjahaja Gemerlapan'' (1966) * ''Menjusuri Djedjak Berdarah'' (1967) * ''Operasi X'' (1968) * ''Honey Money and Djakarta Fair'' (1970)

Screenplay writing

* ''Menyusuri Jejak Berdarah'' (1967) * ''Ayahku'' (1987)

Books

*'' Sejarah Film 1900–1950''

References

External links

*
''Biografi Misbach Yusa Biran di Indosinema''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Biran, Misbach Yusa 1933 births 2012 deaths Minangkabau people Indonesian film directors Indonesian screenwriters Indonesian male short story writers Indonesian short story writers Deaths from lung cancer in Indonesia Male screenwriters 20th-century Indonesian writers 20th-century male writers 20th-century screenwriters 20th-century short story writers