Indonesia is a rustic blessed with talented female figures, especially in the humanities. From writers to directors, these talented women are helping shape the nation’s creativity and art.
Here are 4 exceptional Indonesian women who’re redefining and elevating the world of art and storytelling.
Intan Paramaditha
Intan Paramaditha is an writer, activist and lecturer in media and film studies at Macquarie University in Sydney. She obtained her Ph.D. film studies at New York University. Her first collection of short stories titled Women’s magic Or Apple and knifewas published in 2005.
So far, Intan has written 2 novels, 3 collections of short stories, and a theater play titled Interesting shock (Obsessive twist). She also actively raises awareness and is vocal about her activism, especially decolonizing feminism, through her social media posts and Sekolah Pemikir Perempuan (School of Women’s Thought).
Kamila Andini
Kamila Andini is one of the vital famous directors in Indonesia. You could have noticed her name in her latest work, Kretekka Or Cigarette girl (2023) released on Netflix.
She directed several movies, including: Mirror Sea or The Mirror Never Lies (2012), Sekała Niskala or Seen and Unseen (2017), Yuni (2019) and Nana or Before and Then (2022). In Andini’s works, the essential characters of her movies are often women and the complexity of their emotions.
Her movies have gained recognition due to nominations and premieres in each national and international competitions, akin to the Toronto Film Festival (TIFF), Festival Film Indonesia (FFI) and the Berlin International Film Festival (Berlinale).
One of her most famous movies, Yuni, won the Platform Award from TIFF.
The film tells the story of Yuni, a successful highschool student who’s torn between pursuing her dream of studying at university and getting married.
Mouly Surya
Like Kamila Andini, Mouly Surya can be an award-winning director and screenwriter.
She directed several movies, including: Fiction or Fiction (2008), What they do not speak about once they speak about love (2013) i Marlina, a murderess in 4 acts or Marlina the Murderer in Four Acts (2017).
Her feature-length neo-noir motion film, marlin, participated in Director’s Fortnight on the Cannes Film Festival and was chosen to represent Indonesia within the Best Foreign Film category on the 91st Academy Awards. Set in rural Sumba, the film follows Marlina’s journey for justice after a robbery involving seven men.
Devi Lestari
Dewi (Dee) Lestari is a singer, songwriter and writer. Before becoming an writer, Dee was the lead singer of the pop trio RSD (Rida, Sita, Dewi) within the Nineties. At the start of the twenty first century, she published her first book entitled Supernova 1 and quickly became a bestseller.
Since then, she has written several best-selling books, including: Supernova number, Paper boat (paper boats), released in 2009 and Kars aroma (2016). Some of her books have also been translated and even adapted into movies.
We hope that these unique Indonesian women will encourage you to take a daring artistic journey, to query norms and share your voice with the world.
