Sang Pencerah, produced to coincide with Muhammadiyah's centenary, was announced in November 2009. It was meant to be historically accurate, with much of the Rp. 12 billion (US$1.3 million) budget paying for period costumes and sets. However, as documentation on the early years of Dahlan's life is lacking, those scenes were fictionalised. Sang Pencerah marks the feature film debut of Ihsan Tarore and Giring Ganesha.
The film, released on 8 September 2010 during the Eid ul-Fitr holiday, was meant to show different views of Islam; however, it has also been interpreted as a critique of the current Muhammadiyah leadership. It was seen in theatres by over 1 million people– the only Indonesian film of 2010 to do so. It also received favourable critical reception, winning the 2011 Bandung Film Festival after being refused a nomination at the 2010 Indonesian Film Festival. However, some Muslim critics decried it as being too liberal.
Plot
Muhammad Darwis (Ihsan Tarore) is a youth in 19th-century Kauman, Yogyakarta, and the son of Kyai Abubakar, the imam of the area's mosque. Displeased with the mixture of Islam and animistic Javanese mysticism, which leads to poor Javanese spending exorbitant amounts of money on religious ceremonies, Darwis decides to go on the hajj to Mecca in Saudi Arabia. While there, he studies what he considers the true form of Islam over a period of five years.
Upon his return to Yogyakarta, Darwis (now played by Lukman Sardi) changes his name to Ahmad Dahlan and begins teaching Islam, preaching that prayers need only come from inner peace and do not require large donations or sacrifices. Conflict soon arises between Dahlan and the local kyais (religious leaders) after he shows that the direction in which they pray is wrong, pointing not to the Kaaba in Mecca but to Africa. The kyais, especially Cholil Kamaludiningrat (Slamet Rahardjo), decry Dahlan as the leader of a cult and provoke a crowd of their followers to destroy the building next to Dahlan's house used for studying prayer.
Dahlan continues to preach and teach, opening a school for native people, teaching Islam at a Dutch-run school, and opening a small mosque; he also marries his cousin, Siti Walidah. His actions, such as having his students sit on chairs instead of the traditional mats on the floor, lead to Kamaludiningrat decrying Dahlan as an unbeliever who is working to Westernise the local populace.
Despite continued resistance from Kamaludiningrat, Dahlan prevails and furthers his teaching. Together with Walidah, and the students Dirjo (Abdurrahman Arif), Fahrudin (Mario Irwinsyah), Hisyam (Dennis Adishwara), Sangidu (Ricky Perdana), and Sudja (Giring Ganesha), he founds the progressive Islamic organisation Muhammadiyah, which preaches Islam without any influence from Javanese mysticism.
The film announced in November 2009.[2] It was directed by Hanung Bramantyo, a Yogyakarta-born Muslim filmmaker. Bramantyo, who had previously directed the Islamic-themed Ayat-Ayat Cinta (The Verses of Love; 2008), considered Dahlan his favourite national hero; he later told The Jakarta Post that he admired the kyai's spirit.[1] He also said that he had been wanting to make the film since he was a teenager.[2] The film was meant to coincide with the 100 year anniversary of Muhammadiyah's founding.[3]
Bramantyo attempted to make his film as historically accurate as possible. However, as no documentation of Dahlan's life before he went to Mecca exists, the scenes showing Dahlan's youth were fictionalized. The script underwent 12 revisions before the film was completed.[4] Much of the film's budget of Rp. 12 billion (US$1.3 million) was spent on costumes and sets to ensure accuracy. The crew restored several old buildings for their shots and custom-ordered 19th-century style traditional garments for their scenes.[1]
Bramatyo cast his wife, Zaskia Adya Mecca, as Ahmad Dahlan's wife Siti Walidah— Mecca also served as casting director, in charge of auditioning the supporting cast. Before filming began, Mecca attempted to research the biographies of Dahlan and his wife, as she and the other young actors did not know much about the couple. However, she found such research difficult as the libraries did not have the information she needed.[5]
Lukman Sardi, who played Dahlan, was also unaware of his character's historical biography before researching it;[1] he noted that he was not very confident in playing the role.[3]Indonesian Idol winner Ihsan Tarore was cast as the young Ahmad Dahlan, while the lead singer of the band Nidji, Giring Ganesha, was cast as Dahlan's protege Sudja; it was the feature film debut for both.[6][7] Giring also wrote a song for the film, titled "Allah Maha Suci" ("Allah, the All-Pure"), over a period of two days.[7]
On set, Mecca, who was pregnant at the time of shooting, found her physical condition "perfect" for the role as Walidah had been a large woman. However, her pregnancy led to Bramantyo worrying about a potential miscarriage during a scene where Mecca had to ride a traditional carriage with wooden wheels, which shook violently when moving.[5]
Themes
In a 2011 interview with the Jakarta Globe after the release of his controversial film ?, Bramantyo said that he had intended Sang Pencerah to use Dahlan's life to examine different aspects of Islam. He meant for the film to show Islam as being a peaceful and truthful religion.[8] Pramono, writing for Tempo, notes that the film presents a different side of Dahlan, who is usually portrayed as an old, bearded man who, in his opinion, seems neither modernist nor progressive.[4]
Ahmad Muttaqin, a lecturer on comparative religious studies at Sunan Kalijaga Islamic University in Yogyakarta, sees the film as a critique of the current Muhammadiyah leadership, whom he describes as "narrow minded, intolerant, hav[ing] poor social respect, [...] rigid and allergic to progress".[9]
Release and reception
Sang Pencerah was released on 8 September 2010, over the Eid ul-Fitr holiday;[10] the increase in film attendance over the holiday is similar to blockbuster season for Hollywood films.[11] According to Bramantyo, Sang Pencerah was seen by 1.1 million people while in theatres;[12] a report from The Jakarta Globe says 1.2 million. It was the only Indonesian film of 2010 to sell over a million tickets.[11]
Bramatnyo was accused of working for Muhammadiyah when creating the film, an accusation which he denied.[1] He also was criticised by some Muslim groups, which considered him too liberal.[8] The film was not nominated for best picture at the 2010 Indonesian Film Festival after several nominees threatened to withdraw if Sang Pencerah was nominated.[13][14]Sang Pencerah later won best picture at the Bandung Film Festival, held in Bandung, West Java, on 6 May 2011.[15]
Triwik Kurniasari, reviewing for The Jakarta Post, praised Sardi and Rahardjo's acting; noting that Sang Pencerah was "a good film and a conduit for young people to learn about their national heroes".[1] Asep Saefudin, writing for Antara, himself a graduate from Muhammadiyah schools, viewed the film as being well put together and reflective of the issues faced by Islamic modernists in the early 1900s.[16] Pramono praised the film's acting, soundtrack, and plot, especially Dahlan's portrayal as a human with emotions and flaws instead of being perfect in every way. He found Sang Pencerah's greatest weakness to be the language spoken by in some scenes, as it mixed Indonesian with Javanese (something not done during the period portrayed), and the film's stars– neither of whom is Javanese– had inaccurate accents.[4]
Related Research Articles
Muhammadiyah ; officially Muhammadiyah Society is a major Islamic non-governmental organization in Indonesia. The organization was founded in 1912 by Ahmad Dahlan in the city of Yogyakarta as a reformist socioreligious movement, advocating ijtihad - individual interpretation of Qur'an and Sunnah, as opposed to Taqlid - conformity to the traditional interpretations propounded by the ulama. Since its establishment, Muhammadiyah has adopted a reformist platform mixing religious and secular education, primarily as a way to promote the upward mobility of Muslims toward a 'modern' community and to purify Indonesian Islam of local syncretic practices. It continues to support local culture and promote religious tolerance in Indonesia, while a few of its higher education institutions are attended mostly by non-Muslims, especially in East Nusa Tenggara and Papua provinces. The group also runs a large chain of charity hospitals, and operated 128 universities as of the late 1990s.
Kyai Haji Ahmad Dahlan, often abbreviated to K.H. Ahmad Dahlan, was an Indonesian Muslim religious leader and revivalist, who established the Muhammadiyah organization. Which would become one of the largest Muslim organizations in Indonesia, second only to the Nahdlatul Ulama. Born in Kauman, Yogyakarta, he was the son of an imam of a local mosque and traced his origins from the lineage of Muhammad. Ahmad Dahlan performed the Hajj pilgrimage when he was 15 years old, and he lived in Mecca for another five years.
Zaskia Adya Mecca is an Indonesian actress and presenter of Sunda-Aceh-German descent. She is married to movie director Hanung Bramantyo and the oldest sister of an actors Haykal Kamil and Marsha Natika, and a younger sister-in-law of actor Ferry Ardiansyah.
Irwansyah is an Indonesian actor and singer. Irwansyah released his first solo album, Soliter, in 2008.
? is a 2011 Indonesian drama film directed by Hanung Bramantyo. It stars Revalina Sayuthi Temat, Reza Rahadian, Agus Kuncoro, Endhita, Rio Dewanto, and Hengky Sulaeman. The film focuses around Indonesia's religious pluralism, which often results in conflict between different beliefs, represented in a plot that revolves around the interactions of three families, one Buddhist, one Muslim, and one Catholic. After undergoing numerous hardships and the deaths of several family members in religious violence, they are reconciled.
Setiawan Hanung Bramantyo is an Indonesian director known for his films ranging from teen romances to religious dramas.
The Dancer is a 2011 Indonesian film based on the trilogy of novels Ronggeng Dukuh Paruk by Ahmad Tohari and directed by Ifa Isfansyah. Starring Nyoman Oka Antara and Prisia Nasution, it tells the story of a young man and his friendship with his small village's new ronggeng.
Ifa Isfansyah is an Indonesian film director. Initially a maker of short films, his first featured film, Garuda di Dadaku, was released in 2009. His following film, Sang Penari, won four Citra Awards at the 2011 Indonesian Film Festival.
Siti Walidah, better known as Nyai Ahmad Dahlan, was a female emancipation figure, wife of Muhammadiyah founder Ahmad Dahlan, and National Hero of Indonesia.
Slamet Rahardjo Djarot is an Indonesian actor, director, and screenwriter of Javanese-Bantenese descent. He is the elder brother of director, songwriter, and politician, Eros Djarot. Since his directorial debut in 1979 with Rembulan dan Matahari, he has directed and/or written twelve films; one of which, Langitku, Rumahku, was Indonesia's submission to the 63rd Academy Awards in 1991.
Giring Ganesha Djumaryo is an Indonesian vocalist and political activist. He is a former lead singer of the Indonesian rock band, Nidji. On 31 December 2017, he announced his resignation as Nidji's lead vocalist in order to focus on his political journey. Giring is the former Leader of Indonesian Solidarity Party (PSI). He was previously Acting Leader to cover for Grace Natalie while she pursued her master's degree.
Atiqah Hasiholan Alhady is an Indonesian-Arab actress.
Salman Aristo is an Indonesian screenwriter and film director best known for his work on Ayat-Ayat Cinta, Laskar Pelangi, Garuda di Dadaku, and Sang Penari.
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Agus Kuncoro Adi or better known as Agus Kuncoro is an Indonesian actor of Javanese descent.
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The Mirror Never Lies is a 2011 Indonesian film directed by Kamila Andini and co-produced by Andini's father, Garin Nugroho, and former Puteri Indonesia Nadine Chandrawinata. Starring Gita Novalista, Atiqah Hasiholan, and Reza Rahadian, it follows a young Bajau girl named Pakis who has lost her father at sea and uses mirrors to unsuccessfully search for him. It has several interpretations, including as a coming-of-age story and as an environmentalist piece.
Reza Rahadian Matulessy is an Indonesian actor, model, singer and director of Persian and Ambonese descent. He is the Chair of the Indonesian Film Festival for the period 2021 to 2023.
Professor Lafran Pane was an Indonesian academic who is best remembered for establishing the Muslim Students' Association and National Hero of Indonesia.
Febriani, Prih Prawesti (4 September 2010). "Giring 'Nidji' Total di Film Perdana"[Giring 'Nidji' Totally in to his First Film]. Tempo (in Indonesian). Archived from the original on 17 December 2014. Retrieved 10 March 2012.
Kurniasari, Triwik (19 September 2010). "An enlightening movie". The Jakarta Post. Archived from the original on 21 September 2010. Retrieved 15 January 2012.
Pramono (13 September 2010). "Dahlan yang Progresif"[The Progressive Dahlan]. Tempo (in Indonesian). Archived from the original on 18 September 2010. Retrieved 10 March 2012.
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