Usmar Ismail
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Usmar Ismail (20 March 1921 – 2 January 1971) was an
Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania between the Indian and Pacific oceans. It consists of over 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi, and parts of Borneo and New Guine ...
n
film director A film director controls a film's artistic and dramatic aspects and visualizes the screenplay (or script) while guiding the film crew and actors in the fulfilment of that vision. The director has a key role in choosing the cast members, p ...
, author, journalist and revolutionary of
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 below' ...
descent. He was widely regarded as the native Indonesian
pioneer Pioneer commonly refers to a settler who migrates to previously uninhabited or sparsely inhabited land. In the United States pioneer commonly refers to an American pioneer, a person in American history who migrated west to join in settling and dev ...
of the
cinema of Indonesia Cinema of Indonesia is film that is produced domestically in Indonesia. The Indonesian Film Agency or BPI defines Indonesian film as "movies that are made with Indonesian resources, and wholly or partly Intellectual Property is owned by Indones ...
.


Biography

Ismail was born in 1921 in
Bukittinggi Bukittinggi ( min, Bukiktinggi, Jawi: , formerly nl, Fort de Kock) is the third largest city in West Sumatra, Indonesia, with a population of 111,312 in 2010 and 121,028 in 2020, and an area of 25.24 km2. It is in the Minangkabau Highlands ...
,
West Sumatra West Sumatra ( id, Sumatra Barat) is a Provinces of Indonesia, province of Indonesia. It is located on the west coast of the island of Sumatra and includes the Mentawai Islands off that coast. The province has an area of , with a population of 5, ...
. His father, Datuk Tumenggung Ismail, taught at the medical school in
Padang Padang () is the capital and largest city of the Indonesian province of West Sumatra. With a Census population of 1,015,000 as of 2022, it is the 16th most populous city in Indonesia and the most populous city on the west coast of Sumatra. Th ...
. His brother Abu Hanifah was also a well-known revolutionary and writer. Ismail attended ASM-A
Yogyakarta Yogyakarta (; jv, ꦔꦪꦺꦴꦒꦾꦏꦂꦠ ; pey, Jogjakarta) is the capital city of Special Region of Yogyakarta in Indonesia, in the south-central part of the island of Java. As the only Indonesian royal city still ruled by a monarchy, ...
and later obtained a B.A. in
cinematography Cinematography (from ancient Greek κίνημα, ''kìnema'' "movement" and γράφειν, ''gràphein'' "to write") is the art of motion picture (and more recently, electronic video camera) photography. Cinematographers use a lens to focu ...
from the
University of California, Los Angeles The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California. UCLA's academic roots were established in 1881 as a teachers college then known as the southern branch of the California St ...
in 1952. Ismail initially served in the army during the Dutch colonial rule. He served in the Indonesian army in Yogyakarta. During this time, he was a co-founder of a newspaper called ''Rakyat,'' meaning "people" or "populace" in
Bahasa Indonesia Indonesian ( ) is the official and national language of Indonesia. It is a standardized variety of Malay, an Austronesian language that has been used as a lingua franca in the multilingual Indonesian archipelago for centuries. Indonesia is t ...
. He worked as the head of the
Indonesian Journalists Association The Indonesian Journalists Association ( id, Persatuan Wartawan Indonesia), here inafter known as PWI, is the first professional journalist organization in Indonesia. PWI was established on 9 February 1946 in Surakarta to coincide with National Pr ...
in 1946 and 1947. In 1948, he was arrested while working at national news agency
Antara Antara is an Indonesian news agency organized as a statutory corporation. It is the country's national news agency, supplying news reports to many domestic media organizations. It is the only organization authorized to distribute news material ...
for covering Dutch-Indonesian negotiations. After his release, Ismail's interest in filmmaking developed more seriously. He became active in a number of film and theater groups, including the Yogyakarta Union of Playwrights, the Indonesian National Academy of Theater, and the National Film Industry Conference Body (Indonesian: B''adan Musyawarah Perfilman Nasional''). He is well-known as one of the founders of Indonesian National Film Corporation, together with
Djamaluddin Malik Djamaluddin Malik (13 February, 1917 – 8 June, 1970) was a prominent Indonesian film producer, politician, entrepreneur. He founded the Jakarta Indonesian company Persari Film. Personal life Malik was born in Padang, Indonesia, Padang, West S ...
and others involved in the film industry. Ismail was also active in politics. He served as the chief of the Indonesian Association of Muslim Artists (Indonesian: ''Lembaga Seniman Muslimin Indonesia,'' or ''Lesbumi).'' He was also involved with
Nahdatul Ulama Nahdlatul Ulama (, , NU) is an Islamic organization in Indonesia. Its membership estimates range from 40 million (2013) to over 95 million (2021), making it the largest Islamic organization in the world. NU also is a charitable body funding sch ...
and served in the
People's Consultative Assembly The People's Consultative Assembly of the Republic of Indonesia ( id, Majelis Permusyawaratan Rakyat Republik Indonesia, MPR-RI) is the legislative branch in Politics of Indonesia, Indonesia's political system. It is composed of the membe ...
from 1966-1969. Following his dream of becoming a film director, he established "Perfini Studios", Indonesia's first film studios, in the early fifties. One of his early films,
Darah dan Doa ''Darah dan Doa'' (; Indonesian for ''Blood and Prayer'', released internationally as ''The Long March'') is a 1950 Indonesian war film directed and produced by Usmar Ismail, telling the story of the Siliwangi Division and its leader Captain Sud ...
, is considered the first truly Indonesian film. Many of Ismail's films faced criticism from the government and censorship. His 1962 film
Anak Perawan di Sarang Penyamun ''Anak Perawan di Sarang Penjamun'' ( Perfected Spelling: ''Anak Perawan di Sarang Penyamun''; literally ''The Virgin in the Robbers' Nest'') is a 1962 Indonesian film directed and produced by Usmar Ismail for PERFINI. Starring Bambang Hermanto ...
was boycotted by the
Communist Party of Indonesia The Communist Party of Indonesia (Indonesian: ''Partai Komunis Indonesia'', PKI) was a communist party in Indonesia during the mid-20th century. It was the largest non-ruling communist party in the world before its violent disbandment in 1965. ...
(Indonesian: ''Partai Komunis Indonesia'', or ''PKI''), as the film was judged take a position too supportive of Malaysia. It remained blacklisted by the New Order government after the 1965-66 Communist purges due to one of the leading actor's links to the PKI. He was perhaps best known internationally for his 1961 film ''
Fighters for Freedom ''Warriors for Freedom'' ( id, Pedjuang) is a 1960 Indonesian drama film directed by Usmar Ismail. It was entered into the 2nd Moscow International Film Festival The 2nd Moscow International Film Festival was held from 9 to 23 July 1961. Th ...
'', which documented
Indonesian independence The Proclamation of Indonesian Independence ( id, Proklamasi Kemerdekaan Indonesia, or simply ''Proklamasi'') was read at 10:00 on Friday, 17 August 1945 in Jakarta. The declaration marked the start of the diplomatic and armed resistance of t ...
from the Dutch and French. The film was entered into the
2nd Moscow International Film Festival The 2nd Moscow International Film Festival was held from 9 to 23 July 1961. The Grand Prix was shared between the Japanese film ''The Naked Island'' directed by Kaneto Shindo and the Soviet film '' Clear Skies'' directed by Grigori Chukhrai. Jur ...
, making it the first Indonesian-directed film to appear in an international film festival. A concert hall known as the Usmar Ismail Hall, which gives musical,
opera Opera is a form of theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically a collaboration between a composer and a librett ...
and theatrical performances, was established in his name in
Jakarta Jakarta (; , bew, Jakarte), officially the Special Capital Region of Jakarta ( id, Daerah Khusus Ibukota Jakarta) is the capital and largest city of Indonesia. Lying on the northwest coast of Java, the world's most populous island, Jakarta ...
. He died on 2 January 1971 of a
stroke A stroke is a medical condition in which poor blood flow to the brain causes cell death. There are two main types of stroke: ischemic, due to lack of blood flow, and hemorrhagic, due to bleeding. Both cause parts of the brain to stop functionin ...
in Jakarta. He is buried in TPU Karet Bivak in Jakarta.


Tribute

On 20 March 2018,
Google Google LLC () is an American multinational technology company focusing on search engine technology, online advertising, cloud computing, computer software, quantum computing, e-commerce, artificial intelligence, and consumer electronics. ...
celebrated his 97th birthday with a
Google Doodle A Google Doodle is a special, temporary alteration of the logo on Google's homepages intended to commemorate holidays, events, achievements, and notable historical figures. The first Google Doodle honored the 1998 edition of the long-running an ...
. Usmar Ismail became one of four individuals awarded by President
Joko Widodo Joko Widodo (; born 21 June 1961), popularly known as Jokowi, is an Indonesian politician and businessman who is the 7th and current president of Indonesia. Elected in July 2014, he was the first Indonesian president not to come from an elite ...
as a
National Hero of Indonesia National Hero of Indonesia ( id, Pahlawan Nasional Indonesia) is the highest-level title awarded in Indonesia. It is posthumously given by the Government of Indonesia for actions which are deemed to be heroic, defined as "actual deeds which can b ...
in Indonesia's Heroes Day of 2021.


Filmography

* ''Harta Karun'' (1949) * ''
Tjitra ''Tjitra'' (literally ''Image'') is a 1949 Indonesian film directed by Usmar Ismail for the Dutch-owned production house South Pacific. Starring Raden Sukarno, Nila Djuwita, and Raden Ismail, it follows a man named Harsono who takes a woman's vir ...
'' (1949) * ''
Darah dan Doa ''Darah dan Doa'' (; Indonesian for ''Blood and Prayer'', released internationally as ''The Long March'') is a 1950 Indonesian war film directed and produced by Usmar Ismail, telling the story of the Siliwangi Division and its leader Captain Sud ...
'' (1950) * ''
Enam Djam di Djogdja Enamelin is an enamel matrix protein (EMPs), that in humans is encoded by the ''ENAM'' gene. It is part of the non-amelogenins, which comprise 10% of the total enamel matrix proteins. It is one of the key proteins thought to be involved in amel ...
'' (1951) * ''Dosa Tak Berampun'' (1951) * ''Kafedo'' (1953) * ''Krisis'' (1953) * ''
Lewat Djam Malam ''Lewat Djam Malam'' (shown internationally as ''After the Curfew'') is a 1954 Indonesian film directed and produced by Usmar Ismail and written by Asrul Sani. Widely regarded as a classic of Indonesian cinema, the film follows an ex-soldier in ...
'' (1954) * ''Lagi-Lagi Krisis'' (1955) * ''
Tamu Agung ''Tamu Agung'' (''Exalted Guest'') is a 1955 Indonesian dramatic comedy film directed by Usmar Ismail. It stars Cassin Abbas, Nina Amora, M. Pandji Anom, and Chitra Dewi. The satirical political comedy, about the anticipation of the visit of a d ...
'' (1955) * ''
Tiga Dara ''Tiga Dara'' (Indonesian for ''Three Maidens'') is a 1957 Indonesian musical comedy film starring Chitra Dewi, Mieke Wijaya, and Indriati Iskak. Directed by Usmar Ismail for Perfini, the film follows three sisters who live with their father an ...
'' (1956) * ''Sengketa'' (1957) * ''Delapan Pendjuru Angin'' (1957) * '' Asrama Dara'' (1958) * ''
Pedjuang ''Warriors for Freedom'' ( id, Pedjuang) is a 1960 Indonesian drama film directed by Usmar Ismail. It was entered into the 2nd Moscow International Film Festival where Bambang Hermanto won the Silver Prize for Best Actor. Plot Circa 1947, a pla ...
'' (1960) * ''Laruik Sandjo'' (1960) * ''Toha, Pahlawan Bandung Selatan'' (1961) * ''Korban Fitnah'' (1961) * ''Amor dan Humor'' (1961) * ''
Anak Perawan di Sarang Penjamun ''Anak Perawan di Sarang Penjamun'' ( Perfected Spelling: ''Anak Perawan di Sarang Penyamun''; literally ''The Virgin in the Robbers' Nest'') is a 1962 Indonesian film directed and produced by Usmar Ismail for PERFINI. Starring Bambang Hermanto ...
'' (1962) * ''Bajangan di Waktu Fadjar'' (1962) * ''Masa Topan dan Badai'' (1963) * ''Anak-Anak Revolusi'' (1964) * ''Liburan Seniman'' (1965) * ''Ja Mualim'' (1968) * ''Big Village'' (1969) * ''Bali'' (1970) * ''Ananda (1970)


References


External links

* Indonesian film directors 1921 births 1971 deaths Minangkabau people UCLA Film School alumni {{film-editor-stub