Mira Lesmana | |
|---|---|
 Mira Lesmana in September 2020 | |
| Born | Mira Lesmanawati (1964-08-08)8 August 1964 (age 60) |
| Nationality | Indonesian |
| Other names | Mira Lesmana |
| Alma mater | Jakarta Institute of Arts |
| Occupation(s) | Director Producer |
| Years active | 1995 - present |
| Spouse | Mathias Muchus(1990 - present) |
| Children |
|
| Parent(s) | Jack Lesmana(father) Nien Lesmana(mother) |
| Relatives | Indra Lesmana(younger brother) Sophia Latjuba(younger sister-in-law) Eva Celia(niece) |
Mira Lesmanawati or better known asMira Lesmana (born inJakarta,Indonesia on August 8, 1964) is an Indonesianfilm director,producer, andsongwriter of mixedDutch,Javanese, andMadurese descent. She is the elder sister of Indonesianjazz musician,Indra Lesmana.
Lesmana was born in Jakarta to musician Jack Lesmana and his wife Nien.[1][2] Her younger brother is jazz pianistIndra Lesmana.[3] At the age of five, she entered kindergarten at Cikini School; her primary and middle school education were conducted at the same institution.[2][4] As a child, Lesmana wanted to be either a scientist or detective, and was often at the top of her class.[2] She later recalled that seeingGeorge Lucas'Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope (1977) "blew [her] off [her] feet" and may have inspired her to go into film making.[5]
At the age of 16, Lesmana wrote her first song, which her brother Indra used to gain a scholarship to a music school in Australia. As Indra was still a teenager, the family moved to Australia with him in 1979. Lesmana continued her education there; although she had previously studied English in Indonesia, she found difficulty with theAustralian accent.[6] She also started watching films regularly.[7] After her second year in Australia, Lesmana transferred from a public school to the Australian International Independence School. After her graduation, the Lesmana family returned to Indonesia.[8] She enrolled at the Jakarta Art Institute in 1983, graduating in 1985.[9] Her first experience with film producing was apublic service announcement made at the request ofGarin Nugroho.[10]
On 14 February 1990, Lesmana married former teen idol, actor Mathias Muchus;[11] the couple have two sons, Galih Galinggis and Kafka Keandre.[12] Throughout the early 1990s Lesmana continued writing songs, including some for her brother[3] and one forChrisye's 1993 albumSendiri Lagi (Alone Again).[13] In 1995 she established a film production company, Miles Productions, which was later renamed Miles Films.[9] In 1996 she directed a successful documentary serial entitledAnak Seribu Pulau (Children of a Thousand Islands).[10]
In 1999 Lesmana made her feature film debut withKuldesak, which she co-directed with Riza Mantovani,Riri Riza and Nan Triveni.[10] The following year she producedPetualangan Sherina (Sherina's Adventure).[1] At the time, theIndonesian film industry was in decline, and several filmmakers ridiculed the efforts, saying that the films could not be profitable; both were nevertheless successful.[5] In 2002 Lesmana releasedAda Apa dengan Cinta? (What's Up with Love?), serving as co-producer with Riza.[9] Iwan Setiawan, writing inThe Jakarta Post, describes these films as having jump-started the industry's recovery.[1]
Lesmana producedGie, a biopic of activistSoe Hok Gie, in 2005. Although a critical success, it did not break even.[10] The following year Lesmana was a founding member of the Indonesian Film Society (Masyarakat Film Indonesia), which worked to change censorship laws in the country.[1] The group's petitions were ultimately unsuccessful.[10] Also in 2006 she producedGarasi (Garage), a film starring Aries Budiman, Ayu Ratna, and Fedi Nuril. The cast reunited to form the band Garasi in 2007, which was one of the first acts signed to Lesmana's new recording company Miles Music. That year she produced3 Hari Untuk Selamanya (3 Days for Forever); the film's soundtrack was produced by Float, another band on Miles Music.[14]
In 2008 Lesmana produced the filmLaskar Pelangi (Rainbow Troops), an adaptation ofAndrea Hirata's 2007 novel of the same name.[3] That same year she continued to pressure for new film censorship laws, which ended with the government passing a new law in 2009.[10] The following year she producedSang Pemimpi (The Dreamer), a sequel toLaskar Pelangi based on the novel of the same name.[15] In 2010 Lesmana wrote twenty songs for a musical stage adaptation ofLaskar Pelangi, a project that also involvedErwin Gutawa, Jay Subiyakto, and Hartandi.[3]
Atambua 39° Celsius, a film about refugees who live inAtambua, commenced filming in 2012.[16] The film was partially funded through crowd-funding and had its world premiere at the Tokyo International Film Festival.[17] The following year, she releasedSokola Rimba which won Best Film at the Maya Awards.[18]
Lesmana's most expensive production as of 2017[update] to date wasPendekar Tongkat Emas (The Golden Cane Warrior; 2014), a martial arts film directed byIfa Isfansyah. Starring Eva Celia,Nicholas Saputra, andReza Rahadian, it had an estimated budget of 25 billion rupiah.[19]
In 2016, Lesmana producedAda Apa dengan Cinta? 2 (What's Up with Love? 2;), a sequel toAda Apa dengan Cinta. Like its predecessor, the film was a hit with audiences, and as of June 2016 had been watched by more than 3.6 million people.[20] Also in the same year, Lesmana releasedAthirah (Emma' (Mother)), a film inspired by the life of Indonesian Vice PresidentJusuf Kalla's mother.[21] The film won both theCitra Award and Maya Award for Best Film and had been screened at several international film festivals to positive reviews.[22][23][24]
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