Half of the audience gave a standing ovation to Bumi Manusia (This Earth of Mankind) director Hanung Bramantyo and the cast after the movie’s three-hour screening on Saturday evening.

Hanung, in tears, swiftly hugged Astuti Ananta Toer, the daughter of Pramoedya Ananta Toer — one of the most celebrated Indonesian authors — who penned the book the movie is based on.

“I thank Ibu Astuti for trusting me. Without her blessings, I would not have had the chance to adapt this into a movie.”

Pramoedya, who passed away in 2006, spent 30 years of his life as prisoner. He wrote Perburuan (The Fugitive) when he was in a Dutch forced-labor camp in 1947.

He was again imprisoned from 1965 to 1979 during the New Order’s massive crackdown on alleged members and sympathizers of the now-defunct Indonesian Communist Party (PKI). Pramoedya told the Bumi Manusia story to lift the spirits of fellow inmates on the Buru prison island in the Maluku Islands in 1973. He finally wrote Bumi Manusia — the first of the beloved Buru quartet — in 1975, after the prison had lifted a writing ban imposed on him.

Even after he was released, his inspiring stories could hardly be accessed by the public. The New Order’s ban on Pramoedya’s works forced many curious readers to secretly obtain Pramoedya’s novels or photocopies of them. This is no longer the case, now that two of his books — Bumi Manusia and Perburuan — have been adapted to movies and celebrated in a lavish two-day event in Surabaya, East Java, on the weekend.

The movies were screened simultaneously at Surabaya Town Square for 3,000 invitees on Saturday. Heartthrobs Iqbaal Ramadhan and Adipati Dolken — who play the main roles in Bumi Manusia and Perburuan — walked down the red carpet with the rest of the cast to greet a flood of mostly screaming teenage fans.

Renowned singer Iwan Falls and soloist Once serenaded the crowd with “Ibu Pertiwi” (Motherland) — a classic patriotic song used as Bumi Manusia’s official theme song.

Falcon Pictures, which produced both movies, pulled all strings to make the premiere memorable. They chartered a Garuda Indonesia plane to carry around 250 people — comprising cast, crew, Pramoedya’s family, journalists and influencers — from Jakarta to Surabaya on Friday.

Upon landing, the group paid a visit to the office of East Java Governor Khofifah Indar Parawansa.

Pramoedya’s daughter, Astuti Ananta Toer, expressed her gratitude for the warm welcome given by Khofifah to her father’s works.

“I thank the East Java governor for welcoming us with her forward thinking and open-mindedness. […] Surabaya’s history is described extensively in Bumi Manusia. This is where Bumi Manusia began,” Astuti said in a quavering voice.

Set in the late 1890s during the Dutch colonial era, the novel centers on Minke, a young Javanese royal who attends an elite Dutch school. His world turns upside down when he falls in love with Annelies, the daughter of Nyai Ontosoroh — a concubine of a Dutch man who overcomes various obstacles to be recognized by society.

Falcon Pictures declined to reveal the movies’ budget, but it is very likely that the production house spent a fortune to produce Bumi Manusia. It reportedly spent billions of rupiah to recreate Surabaya’s Wonokromo of the 1890s.

Bumi Manusia director Hanung Bramantyo flew to the Netherlands to cast Dutch actors.

Prior to its release, many Pramoedya admirers cast doubt over Hanung and the cast’s ability to relive the brilliance of Pramoedya’s masterpiece on the silver screen.

Falcon Pictures’ HB Naveen told The Jakarta Post that he was aiming to attract around 700,000 viewers with Perburuan and 3 million with Bumi Manusia.

The movies will be screened across Indonesia starting on Thursday.

Popular

Essay competition: ‘Rethinking work: Driving sustainable growth in the digital age’

Countercyclical policies to support economic growth

Attorney General's Office arrest CEO of textile giant Sritex