The music that came out of the cinema had faded away, the screen had darkened, but the theme song from the movie Garuda di Dadaku was still being hummed by the audience.

The song goes: Garuda di Dadaku, garuda kebanggaanku, ku yakin hari ini pasti menang.

The lyrics mean: Garuda (a large mythical bird that is the national emblem of Indonesia) is on my chest, Garuda my pride, I'm sure today (it) will certainly win.

The humming came from many children after they had watched the screening of the latest Indonesian movie at Pondok Indah Mall in South Jakarta.

"I like the song. The movie is good, too. This is my first time watching a movie at the cinema. The screen is really, really big," said Hapsiah "Hani" Ramadani Putri.

The 6-year-old girl came to the cinema with more than 30 children from the Cipete orphanage, also in South Jakarta.

"I like the scene when Bayu *the main character in the movie* flossed his soccer skills, because I like playing soccer too," she said.

Similar comments came from Isa Nori Wunche, 12.

"My favorite scene is when the Indonesian under-13 national team was ready to face a foreign team," said Isa, adding the movie had inspired him to be a great soccer player.

He said he wanted to be like Cristiano Ronaldo (the former Manchester United player from Portugal) and Emmanuel Adebayor (Arsenal player from Togo).

"I want to play in the Indonesian national team someday, just like Bambang Pamungkas *Indonesian striker*," said the boy who had joined the Soccer School Indonesia (SSI) Arsenal.

Hani and Isa were just two of the more than 300 children who had the chance to watch the screening even before the movie officially opened at cinemas on June 18.

Dozens of children from orphanages in East Jakarta and SSI Arsenal were excited to watch the 90-minute movie. They burst into laughter at some scenes, especially when Bang Dullah (played by Ramzi) appeared with his amusing dialogues.

But it was Emir Mahira, 12, playing Bayu in the film, who caught the audience's attention.

The audience, kids and adults alike, lined up to get his autograph and pose for photos with him after the screening.

It had never crossed Emir's mind that he would be a movie star. It was his love of soccer that brought him to the new world.

Since he was about 10, Emir pleaded with his father to let him play soccer and join a soccer club. But unlike the character he played in the movie, Bayu, who was forbidden by his grandfather to get into the sport, Emir received full support from his father, who later put him into SSI Arsenal.

Emir's soccer skills amazed the movie's casting directors. In the movie, he should even take a quite difficult move, shooting the ball through a bus window.

"It wasn't easy. It took me five takes to do that. But it's fun," said the fan of the Spanish giants Barcelona, smiling.

He also dreams of playing for the Indonesian national team.

"Just like Bayu, I want to have Garuda on my chest," said Emir, who plays as a midfielder.

Ponaryo Astaman, a national player, said the movie reminded him of his childhood when he struggled hard to become a professional player.

"It really took great effort to become what I am right now. I believe that there are many other Bayus out there who have the same dreams as he does," he said.

"The most important thing is not to be afraid to dream. With hard work, guts and high spirits, you can make the dream come true."

But one question still in people's minds is if the country will ever earn international soccer acclaim, having never qualified for big competitions like the World Cup or the Olympics.

The team crashed out of the first round of the Asian Cup, while in the ASEAN Football Championships, its best achievement was as runner-up in 2000, 2002 and 2004.

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