Mira Lesmana

Mira Lesmanawati or better known as Mira Lesmana (born in Jakarta, Indonesia on August 8, 1964) is an Indonesian film director, producer and songwriter of mixed Dutch, Javanese and Madurese descent. She is the elder sister of Indonesian jazz musician, Indra Lesmana. Early life Lesmana was born in Jakarta to musician Jack Lesmana and his wife Nien. Her younger brother is jazz pianist Indra Lesmana. At the age of five, she entered kindergarten at Cikini School; her primary and middle school education were conducted at the same institution. As a child, Lesmana wanted to be either a scientist or detective, and was often at the top of her class. She later recalled that seeing George Lucas' Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope (1977) "blew [her] off [her] feet" and may have inspired her to go into film making. At the age of 16, Lesmana wrote her first song, which her brother Indra used to gain a scholarship to a music school in Australia. As Indra was still a teenager, the family moved to Australia with him in 1979. Lesmana continued her education there; although she had previously studied English in Indonesia, she found difficulty with the Australian accent. She also started watching films regularly. After her second year in Australia, Lesmana transferred from a public school to the Australian International Independence School. After her graduation, the Lesmana family returned to Indonesia. She enrolled at the Jakarta Art Institute in 1983, graduating in 1985. Her first experience with film producing was a public service announcement made at the request of Garin Nugroho. On 14 February 1990, Lesmana married former teen idol, actor Mathias Muchus; the couple have two sons, Galih Galinggis and Kafka Keandre. Throughout the early 1990s Lesmana continued writing songs, including some for her brother and one for Chrisye's 1993 album Sendiri Lagi (Alone Again). In 1995 she established a film production company, Miles Productions, which was later renamed Miles Films. In 1996 she directed a successful documentary serial entitled Anak Seribu Pulau (Children of a Thousand Islands).