Teddy Soeriaatmadja | |
---|---|
Born |
Japan |
7 February 1975
Residence | Jakarta |
Nationality | Indonesian |
Alma mater | Newport University (now the University of South Wales) |
Occupation | Director |
Years active | 2000–present |
Notable work |
Teddy Soeriaatmadja (born 7 February 1975) is an Indonesian film director. Born in Japan and educated in Britain, Soeriaatmadja made his film debut in 2000 with the short film Culik (Kidnap); it was followed five years later by Banyu Biru (Blue Banyu), his feature film debut. Since then Soeriaatmadja has directed several films, including two which have garnered him a nomination for Best Director at the Indonesian Film Festival.
Soeriaatmadja was born in Japan on 7 February 1975 to Rhousdy Soeriaatmadja (father) and Siti Syarifah. As a child he enjoyed watching movies at home, such as the Star Wars and James Bond franchises; in an interview with the Jakarta-based periodical Tabloid Nova, he recalled watching three to four films a day. By 1991 he had written his first screenplay, entitled Desember (December), and after viewing Quentin Tarantino's film Reservoir Dogs in 1992, decided that he wanted to work in film. He wrote several further screenplays while studying at Newport University in South Wales (now the University of South Wales), two of which he later adapted for film.
In 1996, after finishing his master's degree in Britain, Soeriaatmadja returned to Indonesia, where he worked for a year at a soft drink company. With his savings, he began work on his first short film, entitled Culik (Kidnap), which followed an Indonesian employee who kidnapped his Australian boss after being fired; he received additional funding from the Gothenburg Film Festival in Sweden. The film debuted at the 2000 Jakarta International Film Festival. It was through the making of Culik that Soeriaatmadja met directors Mira Lesmana and Riri Riza, who facilitated his entry into the industry. To gain more experience, he began work on music videos and TV advertisements.