On Sept. 16, I had the pleasure of attending the screening of a film directed by director Nia Dinata, renowned for several movies, at Institut Français Indonésie (IFI Jakarta).

The film was Raminten Universe: Life is a Cabaret, a documentary about Hamzah Sulaiman, the late cultural icon of the city of Yogyakarta. It was described as a “celebration of the life of Hamzah as well as a moment of self-reflection” (Sept. 21, 2025, Liputan 6).

The documentary wasn’t just about Hamzah but also the lively community around the Raminten Cabaret he created, which featured performances by a motley crowd of artists, most of them LGBTIQ. Naturally, the characters in the film deviated delightfully from conventional gender constructs.

Born Hendrikus Hamzah Sulaiman on Jan. 7, 1950, the youngest of five siblings, he became a businessman, artist and fashion designer. After spreading his wings, including three years in the United States, he returned to Yogyakarta.

In 1979, his parents founded the Mirota Group, which consisted of a batik and souvenir shop, a restaurant and a bakery, which was eventually divvied up among their children. Due to his love of Javanese culture, Hamzah chose the batik shop.

Mirota Batik burned down in 2004 but was rebuilt and renamed Hamzah Batik. According to Hamzah, this was so that when he dies, he could bequeath it to his adopted children, as Mirota was the family brand.