Teguh Karya (born Steve Liem Tjoan Hok; ; 22 September 1937 – 11 December 2001) was an Indonesian film director. Starting his entertainment career in theatre, he made his directorial debut in 1971 with ''
Wadjah Seorang Laki-Laki'' in which he also wrote the screenplay. He later directed numerous critically acclaimed films, including ''
Cinta Pertama'', ''
Badai Pasti Berlalu'', and ''November 1828''. In 2001, Karya died from complications from a 1998 stroke.
Biography
Teguh Karya was born Steve Liem Tjoan Hok on 22 September 1937 in
Pandeglang,
Banten
Banten (, , Pegon alphabet, Pegon: بنتن) is the westernmost Provinces of Indonesia, province on the island of Java, Indonesia. Its capital city is Serang and its largest city is Tangerang. The province borders West Java and the Special Capi ...
. He was the first child of
Chinese Indonesians
Chinese Indonesians (), or simply ''Orang Tionghoa'' or ''Tionghoa'', are Indonesians whose ancestors arrived from China at some stage in the last eight centuries. Chinese Indonesians are the fourth largest community of Overseas Chinese in th ...
Laksana Karya (Tjon Hok) and Naomi Yahya; there was some
Bantenese descent from his grandmother. He attended elementary school in Pandeglang, and then moved to
Jakarta
Jakarta (; , Betawi language, Betawi: ''Jakartè''), officially the Special Capital Region of Jakarta (; ''DKI Jakarta'') and formerly known as Batavia, Dutch East Indies, Batavia until 1949, is the capital and largest city of Indonesia and ...
for junior high school, where he struggled with the
exact sciences but did well in the
creative arts
The arts or creative arts are a vast range of human practices involving creative expression, storytelling, and cultural participation. The arts encompass diverse and plural modes of thought, deeds, and existence in an extensive range of me ...
and history.
Karya studied at the Academy of Film and Dramatic Arts () in
Yogyakarta
Yogyakarta is the capital city of the Special Region of Yogyakarta in Indonesia, in the south-central part of the island of Java. As the only Indonesian royal city still ruled by Hamengkubuwono, a monarchy, Yogyakarta is regarded as an importan ...
from 1954 to 1955. He then studied at the Indonesian National Theater Academy (, or ATNI) in Jakarta from 1957 to 1961, where he obtained experience as an actor. He later studied at the
East–West Center
The East–West Center (EWC), or the Center for Cultural and Technical Interchange Between East and West, is an education and research organization established by the U.S. Congress in 1960 to strengthen relations and understanding among the peop ...
in
Honolulu
Honolulu ( ; ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Hawaii, located in the Pacific Ocean. It is the county seat of the Consolidated city-county, consolidated City and County of Honol ...
, Hawaii from 1962 to 1963.
Karya acted in ''Jenderal Kancil'' (''General Deer Mouse''; 1968), while working at
Hotel Indonesia
The Hotel Indonesia Kempinski Jakarta is one of the oldest and best-known hotels in Jakarta, Indonesia. Located in Central Jakarta, it was one of the first 5-star hotels in Southeast Asia and remains a major landmark of Jakarta. Its fame is often ...
as a stage manager. It was directed at children. That same year he established
Teater Populer at his home in Kebon Kacang,
Tanah Abang
Tanah Abang () is a districts of Indonesia, district of Central Jakarta, Indonesia. The district hosts the biggest textile Market (place), market in Southeast Asia, Tanah Abang Market. It also hosts Gelora Bung Karno Stadium in Kelurahan Gelora ...
, Jakarta. Members were mainly ATNI students; he often booked them to perform at
Hotel Indonesia
The Hotel Indonesia Kempinski Jakarta is one of the oldest and best-known hotels in Jakarta, Indonesia. Located in Central Jakarta, it was one of the first 5-star hotels in Southeast Asia and remains a major landmark of Jakarta. Its fame is often ...
. The troupe later went on to produce critically acclaimed dramas, including 1971's ''Pernikahan Darah'' (''Blood Marriage''), 1973's ''Inspektur Jenderal, Kopral Woyzeck'' (''Inspector General, Corporal Woyzeck''), and 1974's ''Perempuan Pilihan Dewa'' (''Woman Chosen by the Gods'').
In 1971, Karya released his first adult-oriented film, ''
Wadjah Seorang Laki-Laki'' (''The Face of a Boy''). Two years later he released ''Cinta Pertama'' (''First Love''), which garnered him his first
Citra Award and launched the acting career of its star,
Christine Hakim. It was followed by three more
romances, ''Ranjang Pengantin'' (''Wedding Bed''), ''Kawin Lari'' (''Elope''), and ''Perkawinan Semusim'' (''A Season's Marriage'').
Karya's most commercially successful work, ''
Badai Pasti Berlalu'' (''The Storm Will Surely Pass''), was released in 1977. Based on a
novel of the same name by
Marga T, it was watched by 212,551 people in its original run. It later won four awards at the 1977
Indonesian Film Festival
The Indonesian Film Festival ( Indonesian: Festival Film Indonesia, 'FFI') is an annual awards ceremony organised by the Indonesian Film Board and the Ministry of Culture to celebrate cinematic achievements in the Indonesian film industry. Dur ...
.
Two years later, Teguh directed the historical epic ''November 1828'', which received six
Citra Awards. It was followed by ''
Di Balik Kelambu'' (''Behind the Screen''), ''Secangkir Kopi Pahit'' (''A Cup of Bitter Coffee''), ''Doea Tanda Mata'' (''Two Eye Marks''), ''
Ibunda'' (''Mother'') and ''
Pacar Ketinggalan Kereta'' (''Lover Left Behind by the Train'').
Karya also directed ''
sinetron'', or Indonesian soap operas. He released his first ''sinetron'', ''Pulang'' (''Go Home'') in 1987. In 1995 he directed ''
Alang-Alang'', sponsored by the Family Planning Coordination Board (), and the Johns Hopkins University Population Communication Services.
In 1998, Karya suffered from a stroke, which caused some memory loss and put him in a wheelchair for the rest of his life. He died at the age of 64 at the Mintoharjo Navy Hospital in
Central Jakarta
Central Jakarta (, ), abbreviated as Jakpus, is one of the five Cities of Indonesia, administrative cities () and ''de facto'' Capital City of the Jakarta, Special Capital Region of Jakarta. It had 902,973 inhabitants according to the 2010 census ...
on 11 December 2001.
Influences
Karya's work was influenced by numerous directors and stage managers, including
Asrul Sani
Asrul Sani (10 June 1926 – 11 January 2004) was an Indonesian writer, poet and screenwriter.
Biography
Sani was born in Rao, West Sumatra on 10 June 1926. His father was Sultan Marah Sani Syair Alamsyah.
Together with Chairil Anwar and Ri ...
,
D. Djajakusuma, and
Usmar Ismail.
Legacy
Karya won numerous (described by ''
The Jakarta Post
''The Jakarta Post'' is a daily English-language newspaper in Indonesia. The paper is owned by PT Bina Media Tenggara and based in the nation's capital, Jakarta.
''The Jakarta Post'' started as a collaboration between four Indonesian media ...
'' as "countless") Citra Awards.
In 2005, the Twilite Orchestra held a memorial concert featuring songs from Karya's films. Performers included people he had directed, such as
Berlian Hutauruk, as well as pop stars like
Krisdayanti and
Ruth Sahanaya.
Personal life
Karya never married, although he occasionally dated. When asked why, he said that there everyone had "rooms" in them, for art, friends, country, and other things; the order these rooms were filled was different for each person.
Filmography
Nomination and awards
References
Bibliography
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External links
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Karya, Teguh
1937 births
2001 deaths
Indonesian people of Chinese descent
People from Pandeglang Regency
Indonesian film directors
Citra Award winners