Early life and career Umam was born in
Tegal, Central Java, Dutch East Indies, on 4 April 1943. For university, Umam travelled to
Yogyakarta, where he enroled at
Gadjah Mada University and studied psychology. While in Yogyakarta, he became involved in the theatre, first joining the Amatir Theatre in 1964 and later the Bengkel Theatre under
Rendra in 1966. Umam moved to Jakarta in 1970. At first, he remained active in theatre, joining
Arifin C. Noer's Kecil Theatre. He then migrated to film, working as assistant director for (
Bing Slamet the False Shaman, 1973). His directorial debut was
Tiga Sekawan (
Three Friends, 1975).
Directorial debut In 1977, Umam directed two films. One was
Cinta Putih (Bidan Aminah) (
Pure Love [Midwife Aminah], 1977), a drama film starring
Yati Octavia as a young woman who experiences difficulties after being left pregnant by her boyfriend. The other was
Al Kautsar, a
dakwah (proselytization) film starring Rendra as a young
santri who travels to a rural village to preach Islam. This latter film was a commercial success, with its screening at the first-class cinema in
Menteng, Jakarta, lasting five weeks, and becoming many audience members' first experiences with cinema.
Al Kautsar, which was screened at the 23rd
Asian Film Festival in Thailand, had been written by
Asrul Sani. In 1982, Umam directed
Titian Serambut Dibelah Tujuh (
The Narrow Bridge), a remake of Sani's 1959 film of the same name. With the success of this film, for which he was nominated for his first
Citra Award for Best Director at the
Indonesian Film Festival, Umam cemented his reputation as a director. He gained a reputation for directing films with Islamic themes, which was unusual due to the tensions between the ruling
New Order regime and Indonesia's Muslim community.
Mainstream success Umam's film
Kejarlah Daku Kau Kutangkap (''Chase Me, I'll Catch You'', 1986) was a comedy starring
Deddy Mizwar and
Lydia Kandou as a couple brought together by a newspaper promotion. Selling 166,734 tickets in the Jakarta capital region, it had the largest box office proceeds of that year's domestic productions. It also earned Umam his second Citra Award nomination. Umam received another Citra Award nomination in 1989 for
Joe Turun ke Desa (
Joe Goes to the Village), In 1990, Umam directed
Oom Pasikom (Parodi Ibukota) (
Uncle Pasikom [Parody of the Capital]), based on the
Kompas character. Another film,
Nada dan Dakwah (
Tunes and Worship, 1992), received seven Citra Award nominations. Starring
Zainuddin M. Z., a prominent ''
da'i, the film followed a preacher who challenged a business conglomerate involved in a shady land deal. Also that year, Umam directed Ramadhan dan Ramona (Ramadhan and Ramona''), which starred Lydia Kandou and as young lovers attempting to establish their own identities separate from their wealthy parents. A moderate commercial success, this film won five Citra awards at the 1992 Indonesian Film Festival, including Umam's only Citra Award for Best Director. In the late 1990s, the Indonesian film industry experienced a downturn. Umam, together with
Imam Tantowi, were entrusted with the direction of
Fatahillah (1997), a film subsidized by the Jakarta government and hoped to revitalize the industry. This film, however, was a commercial failure, and Umam retreated from directing feature films. He worked on several television shows during this period, including (
Another Road There), (
The Path to Piety), and (
By God!).
Later years and death After twelve years, Umam returned to the feature film industry as the director of (
When Love Prays, 2009). For this film, based on the novel by
Habiburrahman El Shirazy, he was again paired with Tantowi, who took a screenwriter role. The duo produced a sequel to the film, also in 2009. These films were the first films given the
halal label by the
Majelis Ulama Indonesia, and box office successes. Umam's last film,
Cinta Suci Zahrana (''Zahrana's Pure Love'', 2012), was another adaptation of a novel by El Shirazy. Umam was hospitalized at Pondok Kopi Hospital in Jakarta in late September 2013, having experienced a stroke that left him with difficulty speaking. Umam died on 3 October 2013. Speaking to the Indonesian news agency
Antara, Chairman of Muhammadiyah
Din Syamsuddin described Umam's death as a great loss for Indonesian Muslims and the nation, as his films had consistently featured strong
dakwah messages. ==Analysis==