angga dwimas sasongko
Game Changer
Angga Dwimas Sasongko learned about filmmaking in high school and then worked his way up in the film industry from the bottom – taking on just about any role and position in film production – in order to pay for his studies. Angga has always looked at himself as a storyteller, with some of his poems and writing making its way to a newspaper back when he was a student in Semarang. As a teenager, he also got into photography – one more element that translated well into filmmaking.
In 2008, Angga founded a production house called Visinema Pictures. At first, he produced commercials and music videos. Six years later, in 2014, Visinema released a film titled Cahaya Dari Timur: Beta Maluku, which marked Angga’s directorial debut. It then went on to win the Best Picture award at the 2014 Indonesian Film Festival. A year later, Visinema gained even more recognition in the industry with the release of Filosofi Kopi, which was also directed by Angga.
By establishing Visinema, Angga aspires to change the course of the industry. “The film industry used to be controlled by just a few people, so it seemed exclusive and inaccessible for many. Since 2008, I vowed to change this by establishing Visinema as a collaborative and inclusive platform for talent regeneration. I also wanted to build a sustainable ecosystem with end-to-end capabilities and help boost the confidence of anyone currently building their career in the film industry. I want to ensure that anyone can go through what previously was this insurmountable wall,” Angga remarks.
Last September, Angga’s film Mencuri Raden Saleh made waves both here and abroad. “The film is different compared to any other project that I’ve worked on. From the scale of production and technical difficulties to storytelling challenges and the leadership skills, everything that I have in me was completely and thoroughly challenged in this film. Finishing this film was an important leap for me personally,” Angga expresses.
Furthermore, Angga’s first project as a film investor through Visionari Film Fund, Ngeri-Ngeri Sedap, also went well with 2,8 million admissions and has been selected to represent Indonesia for next year’s Academy Awards.