Garuda di Dadaku

Garuda di Dadaku
Promotional poster
Directed by	Ifa Isfansyah
Written by	Salman Aristo
Produced by	Shanty Harmayn
Starring	Emir Mahira Aldo Tansani Marsha Aruan Ikranegara Maudy Koesnaedi Ari Sihasale Ramzi
Cinematography	Rendi Soedoewendtju
Edited by	Rachmad Supriyanto
Music by	Titi Sjuman Wong Aksan Netral
Production companies	SBO Films Mizan Productions
Distributed by	SBO Films Mizan Productions
Release date	18 June 2009 (2009-06-18)(Indonesia)
Running time	99 minutes
Country	Indonesia
Language	Indonesian

Garuda di Dadaku (Garuda in My Heart) is a 2009 Indonesian film directed by Ifa Isfansyah. It is about a young boy who dreams to play for Indonesia's National Under 13 football team, despite his grandfather's wish for him to be an artist.

The film, Ifa's feature-length debut, was produced over six months and featured music by actress and musician, Titi Sjuman and her husband Wong Aksan, as well as a theme song by rock band Netral. Released during the school holidays, the film was viewed by more than 1.2 million people. Despite mixed critical reception, Garuda di Dadaku was nominated for three Citra Awards at the 2009 Indonesian Film Festival, where it received a special jury prize for Best Children's Film. A sequel, Garuda di Dadaku 2, was released in 2011.

Plot

Bayu (Emir Mahira) is a sixth-year student who lives with his mother Wahyuni (Maudy Koesnaedi) and his grandfather Usman (Ikranagara); Bayu's father, an athlete turned taxi driver, died in a car accident several years before. Although Bayu wishes to be a football player like his father before him, Usman insists that he should be an artist; the grandfather enrols Bayu in numerous courses to improve his skills in the arts.

Bayu sneaks in football practice with the help of his friend, the wheelchair-bound Heri (Aldo Tansani), as well as Heri's driver Bang Dulloh (Ramzi). They find an old, empty cemetery to practise in and the guardian of the cemetery, Zahra (Marsha Aruan) allows them to use it and supports Bayu's goal. Bayu is soon discovered by a coach (Ari Sihasale) at the local academy sponsored by Premier League side Arsenal, which gave him a chance to play for Indonesia's National Under-13 Team.

When Usman discovers that Bayu has been practising football, he pressures his grandson to quit. Bayu does not, and eventually Usman relents and reveals the truth, he didn't want Bayu end up like his father and Usman realize he forcing Bayu becoming artist for himself not his. Usmam later apologize to Bayu for forbidding follow his dreams. Eventually Bayu is accepted as a member of the national squad, whom he helps win a tournament while Usman choose Zahra as his artist students.

Cast

• Emir Mahira as Bayu
• Aldo Tansani as Heri
• Marsha Aruan as Zahra
• Ikranagara as Pak Usman
• Maudy Koesnaedi as Wahyuni
• Ramzi as Mang Dulloh
• Ari Sihasale as Pak Johan
• Baron Yusuf as Benny
• Wilson Klein Sugianto as Arthur
• Landung Simatupang as Zahra's father
• Leroy Osmani as Pak Ivan
• Julius Denny as Pak Tukang Baso

Production

Garuda di Dadaku was directed by Ifa Isfansyah. It was his first feature film; he had previously produced and directed several short films. ^[1] The director had played football as a child, which may have played a role in the film's production. ^[2] Salman Aristo was approached by producer Shanty Harmayn to write the screenplay, a task which he accepted. ^[3]

Production took more than six months. ^[2] Twelve-year-old Emir Mahira was cast in the lead role of Bayu after his football skills impressed the crew. ^[4] Ifa found working with children difficult, as they often did not listen to directions. He began letting the children act naturally, and found the results "moving". ^[2] In an interview with The Jakarta Post , he recalled that he "realized this film belonged to them. This is their world, and we, the adults, are like the keepers." ^[2]

The Indonesian band Netral provided the film with its titular song, also entitled "Garuda di Dadaku"; ^[5] the song was adapted from "Apuse", a regional song in Papua. Musical arrangement was handled by husband and wife team Wong Askan and Titi Sjuman. ^[6]

Release and reception

Garuda di Dadaku was released on 18 June 2009, during school holidays. ^{[2] [7]} It reportedly sold 1.2 million tickets, a large number for the Indonesian film industry. ^[8] In 2010 it was the opening film at the Michel Kinder und Jungen Filmfest, a film festival for children's films in Hamburg, Germany. ^[9]

Critical reception of the film was mixed. Leila S. Chudori gave Garuda di Dadaku a glowing review in Tempo magazine, writing that it was able to make her, a person generally uninterested in football, enjoy the sport as portrayed on screen; she noted that the film was in the same vein as Bend It Like Beckham (2002). ^[7] The review for Kompas described the film as being "like a meal where all the spices are just right", ^{[lower-alpha 1]} with good production values, acting, cinematography, and directing. ^[6]

Rizal Iwan, writing in The Jakarta Post, found the film's source of conflict unbelievable, as he doubted that a parent would prefer the arts over football; he also found the first half of the film "clunky". ^[10] However, Iwan found that the remainder of the film flowed well and that Mahira's acting was consistent. ^[10] The review for the Jakarta Globe , written by Marcel Thee, was scathing. Thee wrote that the film "feels like a dreary soap opera that doesn't belong on the big screen", with "mechanical" acting, "overdramatic" dialogue, and a "disjointed" narrative. ^[11]

A sequel, entitled Garuda di Dadaku 2, was released in 2011. Directed by Rudy Soedjarwo, it follows Bayu – now a teenager – as he captains the national youth team and deals with personal issues. ^[12]

Awards

Garuda di Dadaku was nominated for three Citra Awards at the 2009 Indonesian Film Festival but did not win any. It did, however, win a special jury prize for Best Children's Film. ^[13]

Award	Year	Category	Recipient	Result
Indonesian Film Festival	2009	Best Children's Film		Won
		Best Original Screenplay	Salman Aristo	Nominated
		Best Leading Actor	Emir Mahira	Nominated
		Best Musical Arrangement	Titi Sjuman, Wong Aksan	Nominated

Notes

1. Original: "... tak ubahnya sebuah masakan yang racikan bumbunya terasa pas."

References

Footnotes

1. Maryono 2011, Ifa Isfansyah: The man.
2. Yazid 2009, Ifa Isfansyah: Stepping.
3. Ismono 2009, Salman Aristo, "Rajanya".
4. Kurniasari 2009, "Garuda di Dadaku".
5. The Jakarta Post 2012, Netral releases new.
6. Kompas 2010, Ada Garuda di Dadaku!.
7. Chudori 2009, Gol untuk Ifa!.
8. Iwan 2011, Sports on Screen.
9. Yudhono 2010, "Garuda di Dadaku".
10. Iwan 2009, Garuda soars after.
11. Thee 2009, 'Garuda di Dadaku'.
12. Kurniasari 2011, 'Garuda' in for.
13. Filmindonesia.or.id, Penghargaan Garuda di Dadaku.

Bibliography

• "Ada Garuda di Dadaku!" [There's a Garuda on My Chest!]. Kompas (in Indonesian). 11 June 2009. Archived from the original on 1 January 2011. Retrieved 16 May 2012.
• Chudori, Leila S. (15 June 2009). "Gol untuk Ifa!" [Goal for Ifa!]. Tempo (in Indonesian). Archived from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 16 May 2012.
• Ismono, Henry (22 July 2009). "Salman Aristo, "Rajanya" Skenario Andal" [Salman Aristo, "King" of Quality Screenplays]. Tabloid Nova. Archived from the original on 1 February 2014. Retrieved 27 April 2012.
• Iwan, Rizal (28 June 2009). "Garuda soars after a clunky take-off". The Jakarta Post. Archived from the original on 4 August 2009. Retrieved 16 May 2012.
• Iwan, Rizal (27 October 2011). "Sports on Screen". The Jakarta Post. Archived from the original on 30 January 2012. Retrieved 28 April 2012.
• Kurniasari, Triwik (11 December 2011). "'Garuda' in for year-end festivity". The Jakarta Post. Archived from the original on 5 November 2013. Retrieved 16 May 2012.
• Kurniasari, Triwik (28 June 2009). ""Garuda di Dadaku", an inspiration for children". The Jakarta Post. Archived from the original on 14 July 2009. Retrieved 16 May 2012.
• Maryono, Agus (22 November 2011). "Ifa Isfansyah: The man behind 'Sang Penari'". The Jakarta Post. Archived from the original on 22 April 2015. Retrieved 12 January 2012.
• "Netral releases new album". The Jakarta Post. 1 May 2012. Archived from the original on 4 May 2012. Retrieved 16 May 2012.
• "Penghargaan Garuda di Dadaku" [Awards for Garuda di Dadaku]. filmindonesia.or.id (in Indonesian). Jakarta: Konfiden Foundation. Archived from the original on 5 March 2016. Retrieved 16 May 2012.
• Thee, Marcel (17 June 2009). "'Garuda di Dadaku' Fails To Take Flight With Weak Script, Poor Direction". Jakarta Globe. Archived from the original on 16 January 2012. Retrieved 16 May 2012.
• Yazid, Nauval (13 June 2009). "Ifa Isfansyah: Stepping into the real world of filmmaking". The Jakarta Post. Archived from the original on 9 January 2012. Retrieved 12 January 2012.
• Yudhono, Jodhi (8 October 2010). ""Garuda di Dadaku" di Festival Hamburg" ["Garuda di Dadaku" at Hamburg Festival]. Kompas (in Indonesian). Archived from the original on 29 August 2012. Retrieved 16 May 2012.

External links

• Garuda di Dadaku at IMDb
• Garuda di Dadaku at Rotten Tomatoes