Reza Rahadian

Mind power

WHEN PRESTIGE MET him at his lovely new home in south Jakarta, Reza Rahadian had just won the Best Actor award at the Asia-Pacific Film Festival ( APFF) for his leading role in the biopic Rudy Habibie ( 2016), a sequel to

Habibie & Ainun ( 2012). “The award is for all Indonesians, not just me,” says the 30-yearold actor modestly. Held in Phnom Penh, Cambodia in July, the annual festival also saw composer Tya Subiakto winning an award for the same movie.

Rahadian has been a successful actor for several years now, appearing in a few movies in different genres each year. Lately, the UNDP Indonesia- Sustainable Development Goals ( SDGs) Mover has appeared in the religious drama Surga yang Tak Dirindukan 2, the biopic Kartini, the romance Critical Eleven and the upcoming historical picture Gerbang

Neraka ( Firegate). Another recent project for Rahadian was narrating Jay Subiyakto’s controversial debut docudrama Banda:

The Dark Forgotten Trail, which tells the fascinating story of the spice island Run and how it was traded for Manhattan by the Dutch and the British in the 17th century.

“Once I set my mind to a particular project, I can almost immediately get into a character,” says 30-year- old Rahadian. “That mind power is probably what enables me to take on so many different projects each year. After 10 years of experience in the film industry, I can’t say whether the general audience is mature or not just by looking at their movie preferences. Just because more people watched Critical

Eleven than Tjokroaminoto, this doesn’t mean that the audience has yet to appreciate ‘serious’ movies. I’m encouraged that over 30 million people watched Indonesian movies last year. That shows a growing appreciation for our filmmakers.”