Sekar Ayu Asmara
Encyclopedia
Career
Asmara was born in Jakarta to a diplomat and his wife. She accompanied her father to foreign countries when he received an assignment. While overseas with her family, she attended several colleges.She first worked in advertising, but in the 1980s Asmara began writing songs, with her first released song being "Susie Bhelel", sung by Fariz RM
Fariz RM
Fariz Rustam Munaf, better known as Fariz RM is an Indonesian musician and audio-visual artist. Beginning his career in 1977, he has released 19 solo albums and three with other artists. He is best known for his songs "Barcelona" and "Sakura"...
for his 1989 album Fashionova.
She entered filmmaking by producing commercials and the music video for KLa Project's "Tak Bisa Ke Lain Hati". Although she wanted to make a featured length film, she feared that the Suharto-era government
New Order (Indonesia)
The New Order is the term coined by former Indonesian President Suharto to characterize his regime as he came to power in 1966. Suharto used this term to contrast his rule with that of his predecessor, Sukarno...
would censor any film she made. As such, her initial scripts went unfilmed.
She rose to prominence with the release of her directorial debut, Biola Tak Berdawai (The Stringless Violin), in 2003. She also wrote the script and assisted in the production of the film.
Style
In contrast to the increasingly frank depiction of sexuality by female writers such as Ayu UtamiAyu Utami
Ayu Utami is a female Indonesian writer. She has written novels, short-stories, and articles. Saman is widely considered her masterpiece...
after the fall of the New Order
New Order (Indonesia)
The New Order is the term coined by former Indonesian President Suharto to characterize his regime as he came to power in 1966. Suharto used this term to contrast his rule with that of his predecessor, Sukarno...
, Asmara's works take a more conservative view. Tineke Hellwig of the University of British Columbia
University of British Columbia
The University of British Columbia is a public research university. UBC’s two main campuses are situated in Vancouver and in Kelowna in the Okanagan Valley...
, Biola Tak Berdawai is anti-feminist to the point of being misogynistic
Misogyny
Misogyny is the hatred or dislike of women or girls. Philogyny, meaning fondness, love or admiration towards women, is the antonym of misogyny. The term misandry is the term for men that is parallel to misogyny...
. Her female characters are often pregnant or have undergone an abortion; several also have cancer of the reproductive organs. According to Hellwig, the traditional view of women being loving mothers is idealized in Asmara's works, but rarely shown.
Personal life
Asmara is a fan of musicals, and has noted that she has already written one that she hopes to make if there is enough money; she has already written the songs for it. She also likes the Hindu epic MahabharataMahabharata
The Mahabharata is one of the two major Sanskrit epics of ancient India and Nepal, the other being the Ramayana. The epic is part of itihasa....
. She has stated that she writes about things that "other people are not producing".
Accolades
Asmara received the Best New Director award at the 2003 Cairo International Film FestivalCairo International Film Festival
The Cairo International Film Festival is an annual film festival held in Cairo, Egypt. It was established in 1976 and was the first international film festival held in the Arab world...
for Biola Tak Berdawai.
Filmography
- Ca-Bau-KanCa-bau-kanCa-bau-kan also known as The Courtesan is a 2002 Indonesian romantic drama film, directed by Nia Dinata, and starring Niniek L. Karim, Ferry Salim and Lola Amaria. It was distributed by Kalyana Shira Film and released on February 7, 2002 in Jakarta...
(2001, as music producer) - Biola Tak Berdawai (The Stringless Violin, 2003, as writer, producer, and director)
- Belahan Jiwa (Soulmates, 2003, as writer and director)
- Telanjang? (Naked?, 2006, as writer and director)
- Pesan Dari Surga (Message from Heaven, 2006, as writer and director)
- Selamanya (Forever, 2007, as writer)