BUMI MANUSIA (THE EARTH OF MANKIND)

This is the love story between Minke and Annelies that cannot avoid the colonial turbulence of the early 20th century. He is of Javanese origin and she is of German father and daughter of Nyai. Minke’s father, recently appointed Regent, is against the friendship with Nyai’s family because it is socially frowned upon. But for Minke, the mother of her fiancée is a clear example of what the country needs and admires her for her active resistance against the arrogant colonial hegemony. When trying to separate Annelies and Minke, Nyai supports Minke not to give up and encourages her to fight for what she wants.

Hanung Bramantyo (1975, Yogyakarta) co-founded Sanggar Anom at the age of 17, a theatre company that produced classical plays. At 19, he began studying at the Jakarta Arts Institute, Faculty of Film & TV. In the same year he won the award for best short film at the Student Film Festival, and the following year Topeng Kekasih entered the official selection of the Tampare Int Film Festival. At the age of 26 he directed his first feature film, Brownies, which won the award for Best Director at the Indonesian Film Festival. Bumi Manusia is his 21st film, with 12 nominations at the 2019 Indonesian Film Festival.