Chaerul Umam

Chaerul Umam (4 April 1943 – 3 October 2013) was an Indonesian film director best known for his Islamic films. Born in Tegal, Umam became active in the theatre while studying in Yogyakarta. After moving to Jakarta, he became involved in cinema, making his feature film debut in 1973 and directing his first film, Tiga Sekawan (Three Friends), in 1973.

Umam's first religious film, Al Kautsar (1977), was a commercial success, while his Titian Serambut Dibelah Tujuh (The Narrow Bridge, 1982) earned him his first nomination for the Citra Award for Best Director. His Kejarlah Daku Kau Kutangkap (Chase Me, I'll Catch You) was the best-selling Indonesian film of 1986, while Ramadhan dan Ramona (Ramadhan and Ramona) won five Citra Awards—including for Best Director. Dedicating himself to television after the failure of Fatahillah (1997), Umam returned to cinema with the commercially successful Ketika Cinta Bertasbih duology in 2009.

Umam was born in Tegal, Central Java, Dutch East Indies, on 4 April 1943.^[1] For university, Umam travelled to Yogyakarta, where he enroled at Gadjah Mada University and studied psychology.^[2] While in Yogyakarta, he became involved in the theatre, first joining the Amatir Theatre in 1964 and later the Bengkel Theatre under Rendra in 1966.^[1]

Umam moved to Jakarta in 1970. At first, he remained active in theatre, joining Arifin C. Noer's Kecil Theatre. He then migrated to film, working as assistant director for Bing Slamet Dukun Palsu (Bing Slamet the False Shaman, 1973).^[1] His directorial debut was Tiga Sekawan (Three Friends, 1975).^[1]

In 1977, Umam directed two films. One was Cinta Putih (Bidan Aminah) (Pure Love [Midwife Aminah], 1977),^[3] a drama film starring Yati Octavia as a young woman who experiences difficulties after being left pregnant by her boyfriend.^[4] The other was Al Kautsar, a dakwah (proselytization) film starring Rendra as a young santri who travels to a rural village to preach Islam.^[5] This latter film was a commercial success, with its screening at the first-class cinema in Menteng, Jakarta, lasting five weeks,^[6] and becoming many audience members' first experiences with cinema.^[7]

Al Kautsar, which was screened at the 23rd Asian Film Festival in Thailand, had been written by Asrul Sani. In 1982, Umam directed Titian Serambut Dibelah Tujuh (The Narrow Bridge), a remake of Sani's 1959 film of the same name.^[8] With the success of this film, for which he was nominated for his first Citra Award for Best Director at the Indonesian Film Festival,^[9] Umam cemented his reputation as a director.^[8] He gained a reputation for directing films with Islamic themes,^[10] which was unusual due to the tensions between the ruling New Order regime and Indonesia's Muslim community.^[11]

Umam's film Kejarlah Daku Kau Kutangkap (Chase Me, I'll Catch You, 1986) was a comedy starring Deddy Mizwar and Lydia Kandou as a couple brought together by a newspaper promotion.^[12] Selling 166,734 tickets in the Jakarta capital region, it had the largest box office proceeds of that year's domestic productions.^[8] It also earned Umam his second Citra Award nomination. Umam received another Citra Award nomination in 1989 for Joe Turun ke Desa (Joe Goes to the Village),^[9]

In 1990, Umam directed Oom Pasikom (Parodi Ibukota) (Uncle Pasikom [Parody of the Capital]), based on the Kompas character.^[8] Another film, Nada dan Dakwah (Tunes and Worship, 1992), received seven Citra Award nominations.^[2] Starring Zainuddin M. Z., a prominent da'i, the film followed a preacher who challenged a business conglomerate involved in a shady land deal.^[13] Also that year, Umam directed Ramadhan dan Ramona (Ramadhan and Ramona), which starred Lydia Kandou and Jamal Mirdad as young lovers attempting to establish their own identities separate from their wealthy parents. A moderate commercial success,^[14] this film won five Citra awards at the 1992 Indonesian Film Festival,^[2] including Umam's only Citra Award for Best Director.^[10]

In the late 1990s, the Indonesian film industry experienced a downturn. Umam, together with Imam Tantowi, were entrusted with the direction of Fatahillah (1997), a film subsidized by the Jakarta government and hoped to revitalize the industry.^[15] This film, however, was a commercial failure,^[16] and Umam retreated from directing feature films.^[17] He worked on several television shows during this period, including Jalan Lain ke Sana (Another Road There), Jalan Takwa (The Path to Piety), and Astagfirullah (By God!).^[10]

After twelve years, Umam returned to the feature film industry as the director of Ketika Cinta Bertasbih (When Love Prays, 2009).^[17] For this film, based on the novel by Habiburrahman El Shirazy,^[18] he was again paired with Tantowi, who took a screenwriter role.^[17] The duo produced a sequel to the film, also in 2009. These films were the first films given the halal label by the Majelis Ulama Indonesia,^[18] and box office successes.^[8] Umam's last film, Cinta Suci Zahrana (Zahrana's Pure Love, 2012), was another adaptation of a novel by El Shirazy.^[19]

Umam was hospitalized at Pondok Kopi Hospital in Jakarta in late September 2013, having experienced a stroke that left him with difficulty speaking.^[10] Umam died on 3 October 2013.^[20] Speaking to the Indonesian news agency Antara, Chairman of Muhammadiyah Din Syamsuddin described Umam's death as a great loss for Indonesian Muslims and the nation, as his films had consistently featured strong dakwah messages.^[21]

Although Umam directed several successful dramas and comedies, he had a reputation for films with Islamic themes.^[17] Writing in Jurnal Footage, Renal Rinoza Kasturi described Umam as inconsistent in his filmic treatment of Islam, with his earlier works suggesting that Islam provided a transformative moral force for its adherents. His later films, meanwhile, Kasturi saw as offering a closed understanding of the religion limited to specific markers—Muslim actors, veiled actresses, and an eye to sharia law.^[8]

During his career, Umam directed 24 films. He also wrote the screenplay for one film, Terang Bulan di Tengah Hari (A Bright Sun at Midday, 1988).^[3]

During his career, Umam was nominated for the Citra Award for Best Director five times, with his only win being Ramadhan dan Ramona (Ramadhan and Ramona) in 1992. He was also nominated for two awards at the Bandung Film Festival.^[9]

• Chaerul Umam at IMDb