Usmar Ismail was an Indonesian film director. He was widely regarded as the native Indonesian pioneer of the cinema of Indonesia although films made by the Dutch date back to around 1926.
Embun is a 1952 film directed by D. Djajakusuma for Perfini in his directorial debut.
Lewat Djam Malam 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 his vigilante actions against corruption.
Djadoeg Djajakusuma was an Indonesian film director and promoter of traditional art forms. Born to a nobleman and his wife in Temanggung, Central Java, Djajakusuma became interested in the arts at a young age, choosing to pursue a career in theatre. During the Japanese occupation from 1943 to 1945 he was a translator and actor, and in the four-year national revolution which followed he worked for the military's educational division, several news agencies, and in drama.
Mohammad Said Hamid Junid, often credited as Moh. Said HJ, was a film director, storywriter, and actor active in the early cinema of Indonesia. After an unsuccessful career in the theatre he directed some nineteen films, beginning with Boenga Sembodja in 1942.
Tjitra 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 virginity then flees to the city, where he is caught up in a murder case. Ismail's directorial debut, Tjitra was made while its director was still a member of the Indonesian Army. He later disavowed the film, as he felt he had had too little creative input.
Gadis Desa is a 1949 comedy from what is now Indonesia written and directed by Andjar Asmara. Starring Basuki Djaelani, Ratna Ruthinah, Ali Joego, and Djauhari Effendi, it follows the romantic hijinks of a village girl who is taken to be a rich man's second wife. The film, produced by a Dutch-run company, is recognised as the first in which future "father of Indonesian film" Usmar Ismail was involved.
Pengkhianatan G30S/PKI is a 1984 Indonesian propaganda docudrama written and directed by Arifin C. Noer, produced by G. Dwipayana, and starring Amoroso Katamsi, Umar Kayam, and Syubah Asa. Produced over a period of two years with a budget of Rp. 800 million, the film was sponsored by Suharto's New Order government. It was based on an official history of the 30 September Movement coup in 1965 written by Nugroho Notosusanto and Ismail Saleh, which depicted the coup as being orchestrated by the Communist Party of Indonesia.
Janur Kuning is a 1980 Indonesian war film directed by Alam Surawidjaja and produced by Abbas Wiranatakusuma. Starring Kaharuddin Syah, Deddy Sutomo, and Dicky Zukarnaen, it follows the Indonesian revolutionaries six-hour assault on Yogyakarta, under Suharto, in a show of force against the Dutch army. At the time the most expensive domestic production ever, the film's title is meant to symbolise the Indonesian people's struggle. A critical success, Janur Kuning received a nomination and two special awards at the 1980 Indonesian Film Festival. It was screened annually on 1 March between 1980 and 1998, but has since been criticised as an attempt to manipulate history and create a cult with President Suharto in the centre.
Serangan Fajar is a 1982 Indonesian war film directed by Arifin C. Noer and produced by G. Dwipayana. Telling the lives of several persons during the Indonesian National Revolution, the film used wayang imagery to show heroism. The critically acclaimed film has been read as emphasising then-President Suharto's role in the revolution, especially the General Offensive of 1 March.
Darah dan Doa is a 1950 Indonesian war film directed and produced by Usmar Ismail, telling the story of the Siliwangi Division and its leader Captain Sudarto on a march to West Java. Following Ismail's Dutch-produced Tjitra (1949), Darah dan Doa is often cited as the first 'Indonesian' film, and the film's first day of shooting – 30 March – is celebrated in Indonesia as National Film Day.
Max Tera was an Indonesian cinematographer and editor. He was employed by PERFINI in the 1950s and was a frequent collaborator with director Usmar Ismail.
Perfini was an Indonesian film production company, based in Jakarta. It was most productive in Indonesian cinema in the 1950s. Its most notable directors were Usmar Ismail, who directed its first film Darah dan Doa (1950), and D. Djajakusuma. By 1966 it reportedly had its own studio, a "20-by-30-meter building large enough for construction of a couple of modest sets".
Anak Perawan di Sarang Penjamun is a 1962 Indonesian film directed and produced by Usmar Ismail for PERFINI. Starring Bambang Hermanto and Nurbani Yusuf, it follows a young woman who is kidnapped by a group of bandits, only to fall in love with their leader. The film, adapted from the 1940 novel of the same name by Sutan Takdir Alisjahbana, was repeatedly blacklisted by the Indonesian government and only saw release several years after production ended.
Panggilan Darah is a 1941 film from the Dutch East Indies written and directed by Sutan Usman Karim and produced by Tjho Seng Han for Oriental Film. The black-and-white film starred Dhalia and Soerip as orphaned sisters trying to make a living in the colonial capital of Batavia before moving to Kudus to work at a clove cigarette factory.
Djaoeh Dimata is a 1948 film from what is now Indonesia written and directed by Andjar Asmara for the South Pacific Film Corporation (SPFC). Starring Ratna Asmara and Ali Joego, it follows a woman who moves to Jakarta to find work after her husband is blinded in an accident. SPFC's first production, Djaoeh Dimata took two to three months to film and cost almost 130,000 gulden.
Rara Patma Dewi Tjitrohadiseikusumo, best known under her stage name Chitra Dewi, was an Indonesian film actress and director. She was noted for her roles in Usmar Ismail's films of the 1950s, appearing in films such as Tamu Agung, Tiga Dara, and Pedjuang, although she remained active in cinema until 1993 and won a Citra Award for Best Supporting Actress at the 1979 Indonesian Film Festival for Gara-gara Isteri Muda. Dewi also had a brief stint film directing in 1971, making her one of only four Indonesian women to direct a film before 1998.
Basoeki Resobowo was an Indonesian painter. Born to a transmigrant father in Sumatra, from a young age he showed interest in the visual arts but was taught to be a teacher. After a short time at a Taman Siswa school in Batavia, he studied design and worked as a surveyor while producing sketches and book covers. He only acted in a single film, Kedok Ketawa, but remained close to the acting community, first as a set designer during the Japanese occupation of the Dutch East Indies then for Perfini in the early 1950s.
Selamat Berdjuang, Masku! is a 1951 Indonesian film directed by R.H. Andjar Subyanto and starring Raden Sukarno and Marlia Hardi. It follows a former guerrilla leader who must pursue his love despite the interference of his former comrades.
Tiga Dara 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 and grandmother. When the eldest sister, Nunung, shows no interest in marrying, her family tries unsuccessfully to find a husband for her. Nunung initially rejects the advances of a young man named Toto, who instead dates her younger sister. However, when he becomes jealous and travels from Jakarta to Bandung to profess his love, she agrees to marry him.
