Titi Sjuman

Titi Sjuman
Born Titi Handayani Rajobintang
February 10, 1981 (1981-02-10) (age 31)
Nationality Indonesian
Occupation Actress, drummer, songwriter
Notable works Mereka Bilang, Saya Monyet!
Minggu Pagi di Victoria Park
King
Spouse Sri Aksan Sjuman
Children 1
Relatives Djenar Maesa Ayu (sister-in-law)

Titi Handayani Rajobintang (born 10 February 1981), better known as Titi Sjuman, is an Indonesian actress and musician.

Contents

Biography

Sjuman was born on 10 February 1981.[1] As a child, she learned to play the piano.[2] In high school, she switched to drums; she later recalled that she wanted something "different".[2] She furthered her drum studies at Farabi Music School and the Daya Music Institute.[2] After graduation, she performed at the Java Jazz Festival; she also performed with artists such as Ruth Sahanaya.[2]

Sjuman made her feature film debut in Djenar Maesa Ayu's 2007 film Mereka Bilang, Saya Monyet! (They Say I'm a Monkey!).[2] At first, she was contracted to provide a soundtrack for the film with her husband, Sri Aksan Sjuman (also known as Wong Aksan), Maesa's brother.[2] However, Maesa later asked her to take the lead role; after being cajoled by her husband and sister-in-law, Sjuman accepted.[2] Aksan told her "in a kissing scene, when [she] kiss[es] a man, [her] body should not reject it".[2]

In 2010, Sjuman starred in Minggu Pagi di Victoria Park (Sunday Morning in Victoria Park), a film about immigrant labour in Hong Kong.[3][2] For her role, she met with immigrant labourers both in Indonesia and in Hong Kong to "get a deeper understanding" of the role.[2] That same year she and her husband provided the soundtrack to Tanah Air Beta (My Homeland).[2] Although there were some scheduling conflicts, she was able to complete both.[2]

In February 2011 Sjuman took her first role as an antagonist in Rindu Purnama (Longing for the Full Moon).[4] She disliked the role as she did not like the character's actions.[5] Later that year she and her husband composed the score to Sang Penari (The Dancer), a film based on the Ronggeng Dukuh Paruk trilogy by Ahmad Tohari, over a period of a month and a half.[6]

Inspirations

Sjuman enjoys the work of American composer John Williams, citing his works on Star Wars, Memoirs of a Geisha, and Home Alone as some of her favourites.[2]

Awards and recognition

Sjuman has won two Indonesian Movie Awards for Best Actress: Her first was Best Newcomer for Mereka Bilang, Saya Monyet, while the second was for her role in Minggu Pagi di Victoria Park.[3][5] Her role in Mereka Bilang, Saya Monyet! garnered her a Citra Award at the Indonesian Film Festival for Best Actress, while Sjuman and her husband won a Citra Award for Best Soundtrack for the 2009 film King.[2] She has said that receiving awards is a bonus which drives her to work harder.[3]

Personal life

Sjuman is married to fellow musician Sri Aksan Sjuman (formerly of Dewa 19), who was one of her instructors at Farabi.[2] They often collaborate on writing film scores.[2] The couple have a daughter.[2] Sjuman is sister-in-law to writer-cum-director Djenar Maesa Ayu.[2]

Works

Filmography

Soundtracks

References

Footnotes
Bibliography