Despite currently serving prison time for his controversial conviction for blasphemy against Islam, former Jakarta Governor Basuki “Ahok” Tjahaja Purnama is still highly regarded as a hero among his many unwavering supporters, so much so that he’s had a movie made about him.
Today, a poster for the new biographical film, titled A Man Called Ahok, was posted on the Belitung native’s Instagram page (which is being run by admins while he’s incarcerated). The film, starring Daniel Mananta — perhaps best known for his stint as an MTV Indonesia VJ — will tell the story about “the relation of a son and his father in achieving their dreams and vision.”
https://www.instagram.com/p/BnVQm57BK3s/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_loading_state_control
The movie is based on a book of the same name (although “Ahok” in the title of the book is preceded with a hashtag) by Rudi Valinka, a staunch supporter of Ahok and President Joko Widodo’s government. The book is a collection of tweets by Rudi as he explores Ahok’s hometown of East Belitung to learn about his upbringing and what shaped his character.
“Coming Soon” is the best clue we have so far as to the film’s release date, but Rudi today tweeted that a teaser trailer will be launched tomorrow during a press conference for the film.
Yang penasaran mau lihat teaser (cuplikan) #FilmAhok#AManCalledAhok bisa menunggu besok di Yutub setelah kita Konferensi Pers.. dan bisa dilihat nama2 artis dan aktor lainnya. Don't Miss itu….. pic.twitter.com/TP91v3n0sW
— RUDI VALINKA (@kurawa) September 5, 2018
Ahok also recently released a book titled Kebijakan Ahok (Ahok’s Policies), written during his time in prison, which contains notes on his governing of Jakarta and the legacy he’s left behind.
Ahok was elected as Jakarta’s vice governor to then-Governor Joko Widodo in 2012. He assumed the governor role when Jokowi was elected president in 2014 but lost his bid for reelection in 2017 amid a trumped up blasphemy scandal against Islam. He was sentenced to two years in prison for blasphemy in May 2017. According to his lawyer and sister, Fifi Lety Tjahaja Purnama, Ahok reportedly received a two-month remission for his sentence meaning he will be released from prison on January 24, 2019.
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