List of film producers of the Dutch East Indies

Twenty-two people are recorded as having produced fictional films in the Dutch East Indies between 1926, when L. Heuveldorp released Loetoeng Kasaroeng, the colony's first domestically produced film,[1] and 1949, when the Dutch formally recognised Indonesia's sovereignty after a four-year revolution, leaving the Dutch East Indies defunct.[lower-alpha 1][2] Altogether they are credited for 93 of all known films produced in the Indies, and four of them remained active after independence. All were men; the first female film producer in Indonesia, Ratna Asmara, produced her first film in 1953.[3]

The colony's first producer, Heuveldorp, was of European descent.[4] He was followed in 1928 by the ethnic Chinese businessmen Tjan Tjoen Lian and Liem Goan Lian, who began work on Lily van Java but soon pulled out, to be replaced by David Wong.[5] By 1930 Chinese producers had dominated the industry. The most active of these, The Teng Chun, made his debut in 1931 with Boenga Roos dari Tjikembang; he would go on to produce another 27 films before independence.[6] No native Indonesian film producers are recorded from this period, although several productions were credited only to companies.[7]

Producers in the Indies would often handle multiple roles, such as director and cinematographer. When these positions were filled separately, the producer retained creative control.[8] The Indonesian film historian Misbach Yusa Biran writes that works produced during this time were emphatically commercial, not paying attention to nationalistic or aesthetic values.[lower-alpha 2][9] However, the film scholars Thomas Barker and Charlotte Setijadi-Dunn suggest that the Chinese-produced films from the Indies offered the possibility of a heterogeneous national identity.[10]

The following list is sorted alphabetically by default, with further sorting capability in certain fields; owing to differing naming conventions between cultures, not all entries are sorted by last name. The list only counts fictional films directed by the subjects and does not include films from other genres or films in which the person held other roles. The names of persons credited with an abbreviated name are written in full, where available.

Film producers

Key
Continued activity Indicates continued activity after 1949
 Film producers of the Dutch East Indies
Name Feature film debut Debut year Films produced before 1949 Total films produced Ref(s).
Ang Hock Liem Kedok Ketawa 1940 6 6 [11]
Balink, AlbertAlbert Balink Pareh 1935 1 1 [12]
Carli, Ph.Ph. Carli De Stem des Bloeds 1930 3 3 [13][14]
Heuveldorp, L.L. Heuveldorp Loetoeng Kasaroeng 1926 1 1 [15]
Jo Eng Sek Si Tjonat 1929 6 6 [16]
Jo Kim Tjan Poei Sie Giok Pa Loei Tay 1935 6 6 [17]
Krugers, G.G. Krugers Karnadi Anemer Bangkong 1930 2 2 [18]
Liem Goan Lian Lily van Java 1928 1 1 [lower-alpha 3][19]
SI Liem Djantoeng Hati 1941 1 1 [20]
Tan Boen Soan Setangan Berloemoer Darah 1928 1 1 [21]
Tan Khoen Yauw Njai Dasima 1929 15 15 [7][22]
The Teng Chun Continued activity Boenga Roos dari Tjikembang 1931 28 30 [6]
Tjan Hock Siong Kris Mataram 1940 2 2 [23]
Tjan Tjoen Lian Lily van Java 1928 1 1 [lower-alpha 3][24]
Tjho Seng Han Pantjawarna 1940 2 2 [25]
Touw Ting Iem Continued activity Ikan Doejoeng 1941 3 5 [26]
Wong, DavidDavid Wong Lily van Java 1928 1 1 [lower-alpha 4][5]
Wong, JoshuaJoshua Wong Lari ke Arab 1930 4 4 [lower-alpha 5][27][28]
Wong, NelsonNelson Wong Si Tjonat 1928 6 6 [lower-alpha 5][27][29]
Wong, OthnielOthniel Wong Continued activity Lari ke Arab 1930 4 5 [lower-alpha 5][27][30]
Young, FredFred Young Continued activity Djantoeng Hati 1941 4 21 [lower-alpha 6][7][31]

Explanatory notes

  1. ↑ The Dutch had occupied the Indies for more than 300 years. Following a three-year Japanese occupation during World War II, Indonesia proclaimed its independence in 1945, an action which was not well-received by the Dutch (Kahin 1952, pp. 29, 101, 136).
  2. ↑ Biran (2009, p. 45) cites Usmar Ismail's Darah dan Doa as the first "national" Indonesian film.
  3. 1 2 Film left incompleted
  4. ↑ No relation to Nelson, Joshua, or Othniel.
  5. 1 2 3 Figures for Nelson, Joshua, and Othniel Wong include four films which they produced cooperatively as the Wong brothers.
  6. ↑ Also credited as Utomo

Footnotes

Works cited

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