Ari Sihasale is a Papua-Maluku actor and singer who has been famous since the ’90s. He has also made a career as a film director and producer with various movies based on Papua life. Many of them are family-friendly movies. Let’s read his story.
Personal life
Juharson Estrella Sihasale – better known as Ari Sihasale or Ale – was born at October 5, 1973 in Tembagapura, Papua. He is a famous actor and musician of Ambonese descent. In 2003, Ari got married to Nia Zulkarnaen. The marriage was a controversy since the couple has different religions. Ari is a Christian, and Nia is a Muslim
The rumor circulates that Nia converted to Christian to follow Ari, especially after the media found out that they held a ceremony in the church. The news disappoints many since Nia is known as a devout Muslim and her mother was a member of a Muslim-based political party. However, Nia has confirmed that the church ceremony is sole to respect her husband’s religion, not to convert.
Career
Before becoming an actor, Ari was a singer in the Cool Colours band, along with Ari Wibowo, Surya Saputra, and Johandy Yahya. He starts his career in film in 2000. After quite some time, the behind-the-scenes world caught Ari’s attention. Since then, he’s been directing and producing some film titles.
Filmography
Before becoming a screenwriter, director, and producer, Ari Sihasale has acted in several films such as Cinta Selembut Awan (2000), Virgin (2005) as the director, Oh Baby (2008), and Heart (2006) as Luna’s father. He also played in some soap operas titled Ali Topan Anak Jalanan, Andini, Cinta Pertama, Camelia, and Antara Jakarta-Perth
Later, Ari established a production house named Alenia Pictures together with his wife. He released his first family drama film – Denias, Senandung di Atas Awan (Denias, Singing in the Cloud) – in 2006.
Most of the films produced by Alenia Pictures are family-friendly, best for kids. They also make a documentary film titled Alenia’s Journey to Uncover Papua in 2014. They traveled around Papua and West Papua for 80 days to see the actual condition of the area. In between the shooting, Ale and Nia came up with the idea of the border trilogy, which is three films about the lives and the struggles of children who live in border areas, NTT, Papua, and Kalimantan.
Denias, Senandung di Atas Awan
The film tells about a boy from Papua who has to fight for his ways to get a proper education for a better life. The film participated in the 2006 Indonesian Film Festiva,l and the lead male actor—Albert Fakdawer—was announced as the best male actor. The movie also represented Indonesia in Best Foreign Language Film at the Oscars. The film also won the Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Cinematography.
King
In 2009, Alenia Pictures produced a sport-themed film titled ‘King.’ The story tells about the journey and the struggles of a village boy named Guntur who’s dreaming of becoming the world badminton champion. He always looks up to his role model, Liem Swie King, to keep him motivated. Even though Guntur’s character is fiction, Liem Swie King is a legendary badminton player in real life.
Liem Swie King was very popular in the late 1970s and early 1980s, but the name might sound alien for kids nowadays. Liem Swie King is one of the best badminton players in Indonesia and the world. The athlete, also known as the king of smash, has won several prestigious championships, including the All England three times in 1978, 1979, and 1981.
Seputih Cinta Melati
In this film, Nia returns to her hometown in West Java. Ari and Nia hope that different settings will bring different vibes from the previous films that Alenia Pictures have produced, which are usually set up in the eastern part of Indonesia, and to showcase the hidden panoramic beauty of West Java and the unique Sundanese culture.
‘Seputih Cinta Melati’ film tells the story of two inmates, Ivan (played by Chicco Jerikho) and Erik (played by Asrul Dahlan), from prison. They fleed to a local village where Ivan and Erik met two little kids, Melati and Rian. The story revolves around the drama between the four main characters. The film is made especially to welcome the Eid holiday.
As usual, Nia and Ale insert a lot of moral messages in every film they work on. In ‘Seputih Cinta Melati,’ Nia and Ale want to highlight the honesty, pure love, and innocence of children that can turn adult criminals into better persons. It is also a reminder to keep the children safe from criminals.
There are many more child-friendly films that Ari Sihasale has produced such as Liburan Seru!, Serdadu Kumbang, Tanah Air Beta, Leher Angsa, Seputih Cinta Melati, Di Timur Matahari, and Rumah Merah Putih. Most of the films set up in Papua and other regions in the eastern part of Indonesia.
Papua must be proud of Ari Sihasale. Even though he’s now becoming famous, his hometown is never forgotten. Hopefully, the film industry will have more people like Ari, someone with a high sense of nationalism.
