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Highly-anticipated ‘Bumi Manusia’, ‘Perburuan’ unveiled in lavish premiere in Surabaya
During the New Order era, the government's ban on Pramoedya Ananta Toer’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 (This Earth of Mankind) and Perburuan (The Fugitive) – have been adapted to movies and celebrated in a lavish two-day event in Surabaya, East Java, on the weekend.
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All smiles: 'Bumi Manusia' (This Earth of Mankind) main actors (left to right) Mawar Eva De Jongh , Sha Ine Febriyanti and Iqbaal Ramadhan pose during the movie’s red carpet event at Surabaya Town Square in Surabaya, East Java, on Saturday. The movie is based on a novel of the same title by Pramoedya Ananta Toer.
(Falcon Pictures/-)
H
alf 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 spirit 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 (The Fugitive) – 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, respectively – walked down the red carpet with the rest of the cast to greet a flood of mostly screaming teenage fans.
