Mira Lesmana facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Mira Lesmana
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Mira Lesmana in September 2020
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| Born |
Mira Lesmanawati
8 August 1964 |
| Nationality | Indonesian |
| Other names | Mira Lesmana |
| Alma mater | Jakarta Institute of Arts |
| Occupation | Director Producer |
| Years active | 1995 - present |
| Spouse(s) | Mathias Muchus (1990 - present) |
| Children |
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| Parent(s) | Jack Lesmana (father) Nien Lesmana (mother) |
| Relatives | Indra Lesmana (younger brother) Sophia Latjuba (younger sister-in-law) Eva Celia (niece) |
Mira Lesmanawati, known as Mira Lesmana, was born in Jakarta, Indonesia, on August 8, 1964. She is a famous Indonesian film director, producer, and songwriter. Mira comes from a family with mixed Dutch, Javanese, and Madurese backgrounds. She is also the older sister of the well-known Indonesian jazz musician, Indra Lesmana.
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Growing Up: Mira Lesmana's Early Life
Mira Lesmana grew up in Jakarta. Her father, Jack Lesmana, was a musician, and her mother was Nien. Her younger brother, Indra Lesmana, later became a famous jazz pianist.
When Mira was five, she started kindergarten at Cikini School. She continued her primary and middle school education there. As a child, Mira dreamed of becoming a scientist or a detective. She was often one of the best students in her class.
Mira once said that watching George Lucas' Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope (1977) really amazed her. This movie might have inspired her to work in filmmaking later on.
Moving to Australia and Starting Music
At 16, Mira wrote her first song. Her brother Indra used this song to help him get a scholarship to a music school in Australia. In 1979, because Indra was still young, their whole family moved to Australia with him.
Mira continued her schooling in Australia. Even though she had studied English in Indonesia, she found the Australian accent a bit tricky at first. While there, she also started watching many movies. After two years, she moved to the Australian International Independence School.
After Mira graduated, her family returned to Indonesia. In 1983, she enrolled at the Jakarta Art Institute and finished her studies in 1985. Her very first experience in film producing was making a public service announcement. This was a request from Garin Nugroho, another filmmaker.
Family Life and Early Career
On February 14, 1990, Mira Lesmana married Mathias Muchus, who was a popular actor. They have two sons named Galih Galinggis and Kafka Keandre.
In the early 1990s, Mira kept writing songs. She wrote some for her brother and even one for Chrisye's 1993 album, Sendiri Lagi (Alone Again). In 1995, she started her own film company called Miles Productions. It was later renamed Miles Films. In 1996, she directed a successful documentary series called Anak Seribu Pulau (Children of a Thousand Islands).
Mira Lesmana's Film Journey
In 1999, Mira Lesmana made her first full-length movie, Kuldesak. She worked on directing it with Riza Mantovani, Riri Riza, and Nan Triveni. The next year, she produced Petualangan Sherina (Sherina's Adventure).
At that time, the Indonesian film industry was not doing very well. Some filmmakers even thought these new movies wouldn't make money. But both Kuldesak and Petualangan Sherina were successful! In 2002, Mira Lesmana released Ada Apa dengan Cinta? (What's Up with Love?). She was a co-producer for this film with Riri Riza. Many people say these movies helped the Indonesian film industry become strong again.
Making Important Films and Music
In 2005, Mira produced Gie, a movie about an activist named Soe Hok Gie. Critics liked the film, but it didn't earn back all its costs. The next year, in 2006, Mira helped start the Indonesian Film Society. This group tried to change censorship laws in the country, but their efforts were not successful.
Also in 2006, she produced Garasi (Garage). The actors from this film later formed a band called Garasi in 2007. This band was one of the first to sign with Mira's new music company, Miles Music. That year, she also produced 3 Hari Untuk Selamanya (3 Days for Forever). The music for this film was made by Float, another band from Miles Music.
Popular Movies and New Laws
In 2008, Mira Lesmana produced Laskar Pelangi (Rainbow Troops). This movie was based on a popular book by Andrea Hirata. In the same year, she continued to push for new film censorship laws. A new law was finally passed by the government in 2009.
The next year, in 2010, she produced Sang Pemimpi (The Dreamer). This was a sequel to Laskar Pelangi, also based on a book. In 2010, Mira also wrote twenty songs for a musical stage show of Laskar Pelangi. She worked with other talented people like Erwin Gutawa and Jay Subiyakto on this project.
Recent Works and Achievements
In 2012, filming began for Atambua 39° Celsius. This movie was about refugees living in Atambua. Part of the money for the film came from people donating online. It was first shown at the Tokyo International Film Festival. The next year, in 2013, she released Sokola Rimba, which won the Best Film award at the Maya Awards.
One of Mira Lesmana's most expensive movies to date was Pendekar Tongkat Emas (The Golden Cane Warrior), released in 2014. This was a martial arts film directed by Ifa Isfansyah. It starred Eva Celia, Nicholas Saputra, and Reza Rahadian, and had a budget of about 25 billion rupiah.
In 2016, Mira produced Ada Apa dengan Cinta? 2 (What's Up with Love? 2). This was a sequel to her earlier hit movie. Just like the first one, this film was very popular with audiences. By June 2016, over 3.6 million people had watched it.
Also in 2016, Mira Lesmana released Athirah (Emma' (Mother)). This film was inspired by the life of the mother of Indonesian Vice President Jusuf Kalla. Athirah won both the Citra Award and the Maya Award for Best Film. It was also shown at several international film festivals and received good reviews.
