 = Sang Pencerah = 
 
 Sang Pencerah ( The Enlightener ) is a 2010 Indonesian film directed by Hanung Bramantyo and starring Lukman Sardi , Zaskia Adya Mecca , and Slamet Rahardjo . It is a biopic of Ahmad Dahlan which describes how he came to found the Islamic organisation Muhammadiyah . 
 Sang Pencerah , produced to coincide with Muhammadiyah 's centenary , was announced in November 2009 . It was meant to be historically accurate , with much of the Rp . 12 billion ( US $ 1 @.@ 3 million ) budget paying for period costumes and sets . However , as documentation on the early years of Dahlan 's life is lacking , those scenes were fictionalised . Sang Pencerah marks the feature film debut of Ihsan Tarore and Giring Ganesha . 
 The film , released on 8 September 2010 during the Eid ul @-@ Fitr holiday , was meant to show different views of Islam ; however , it has also been interpreted as a critique of the current Muhammadiyah leadership . It was seen in theatres by over 1 million people – the only Indonesian film of 2010 to do so . It also received favourable critical reception , winning the 2011 Bandung Film Festival after being refused a nomination at the 2010 Indonesian Film Festival . However , some Muslim critics decried it as being too liberal . 
 
 = = Plot = = 
 
 Muhammad Darwis ( Ihsan Tarore ) is a youth in 19th @-@ century Kauman , Yogyakarta , and the son of Kyai Abubakar , the imam of the area 's mosque . Displeased with the mixture of Islam and animistic Javanese mysticism , which leads to poor Javanese spending exorbitant amounts of money on religious ceremonies , Darwis decides to go on the hajj to Mecca in Saudi Arabia . While there , he studies what he considers the true form of Islam over a period of five years . 
 Upon his return to Yogyakarta , Darwis ( now played by Lukman Sardi ) changes his name to Ahmad Dahlan and begins teaching Islam , preaching that prayers need only come from inner peace and do not require large donations or sacrifices . Conflict soon arises between Dahlan and the local kyais ( religious leaders ) after he shows that the direction in which they pray is wrong , pointing not to the Kaaba in Mecca but to Africa . The kyais , especially Cholil Kamaludiningrat ( Slamet Rahardjo ) , decry Dahlan as the leader of a cult and provoke a crowd of their followers to destroy the building next to Dahlan 's house used for studying prayer . 
 Dahlan continues to preach and teach , opening a school for native people , teaching Islam at a Dutch @-@ run school , and opening a small mosque ; he also marries his cousin , Siti Walidah . His actions , such as having his students sit on chairs instead of the traditional mats on the floor , lead to Kamaludiningrat decrying Dahlan as an unbeliever who is working to Westernise the local populace . 
 Despite continued resistance from Kamaludiningrat , Dahlan prevails and furthers his teaching . Together with Walidah , and the students Dirjo ( Abdurrahman Arif ) , Fahrudin ( Mario Irwinsyah ) , Hisyam ( Dennis Adishwara ) , Sangidu ( Ricky Perdana ) , and Sudja ( Giring Ganesha ) , he founds the progressive Islamic organisation Muhammadiyah , which preaches Islam without any influence from Javanese mysticism . 
 
 = = Production = = 
 
 The film announced in November 2009 . It was directed by Hanung Bramantyo , a Yogyakarta @-@ born Muslim filmmaker . Bramantyo , who had previously directed the Islamic @-@ themed Ayat @-@ Ayat Cinta ( The Verses of Love ; 2008 ) , considered Dahlan his favourite national hero ; he later told The Jakarta Post that he admired the kyai 's spirit . He also said that he had been wanting to make the film since he was a teenager . The film was meant to coincide with the 100 year anniversary of Muhammadiyah 's founding . 
 Bramantyo attempted to make his film as historically accurate as possible . However , as no documentation of Dahlan 's life before he went to Mecca exists , the scenes showing Dahlan 's youth were fictionalized . The script underwent 12 revisions before the film was completed . Much of the film 's budget of Rp . 12 billion ( US $ 1 @.@ 3 million ) was spent on costumes and sets to ensure accuracy . The crew restored several old buildings for their shots and custom @-@ ordered 19th @-@ century style traditional garments for their scenes . 
 Bramatyo cast his wife , Zaskia Adya Mecca , as Ahmad Dahlan 's wife Siti Walidah — Mecca also served as casting director , in charge of auditioning the supporting cast . Before filming began , Mecca attempted to research the biographies of Dahlan and his wife , as she and the other young actors did not know much about the couple . However , she found such research difficult as the libraries did not have the information she needed . 
 Lukman Sardi , who played Dahlan , was also unaware of his character 's historical biography before researching it ; he noted that he was not very confident in playing the role . Indonesian Idol winner Ihsan Tarore was cast as the young Ahmad Dahlan , while the lead singer of the band Nidji , Giring Ganesha , was cast as Dahlan 's protege Sudja ; it was the feature film debut for both . Giring also wrote a song for the film , titled " Allah Maha Suci " ( " Allah , the All @-@ Pure " ) , over a period of two days . 
 On set , Mecca , who was pregnant at the time of shooting , found her physical condition " perfect " for the role as Walidah had been a large woman . However , her pregnancy led to Bramantyo worrying about a potential miscarriage during a scene where Mecca had to ride a traditional carriage with wooden wheels , which shook violently when moving . 
 
 = = Themes = = 
 
 In a 2011 interview with the Jakarta Globe after the release of his controversial film ? , Bramantyo said that he had intended Sang Pencerah to use Dahlan 's life to examine different aspects of Islam . He meant for the film to show Islam as being a peaceful and truthful religion . Pramono , writing for Tempo , notes that the film presents a different side of Dahlan , who is usually portrayed as an old , bearded man who , in his opinion , seems neither modernist nor progressive . 
 Ahmad Muttaqin , a lecturer on comparative religious studies at Sunan Kalijaga Islamic University in Yogyakarta , sees the film as a critique of the current Muhammadiyah leadership , whom he describes as " narrow minded , intolerant , hav [ ing ] poor social respect , [ ... ] rigid and allergic to progress " . 
 
 = = Release and reception = = 
 
 Sang Pencerah was released on 8 September 2010 , over the Eid ul @-@ Fitr holiday ; the increase in film attendance over the holiday is similar to blockbuster season for Hollywood films . According to Bramantyo , Sang Pencerah was seen by 1 @.@ 1 million people while in theatres ; a report from The Jakarta Globe says 1 @.@ 2 million . It was the only Indonesian film of 2010 to sell over a million tickets . 
 Bramatnyo was accused of working for Muhammadiyah when creating the film , an accusation which he denied . He also was criticised by some Muslim groups , which considered him too liberal . The film was not nominated for best picture at the 2010 Indonesian Film Festival after several nominees threatened to withdraw if Sang Pencerah was nominated . Sang Pencerah later won best picture at the Bandung Film Festival , held in Bandung , West Java , on 6 May 2011 . 
 Triwik Kurniasari , reviewing for The Jakarta Post , praised Sardi and Rahardjo 's acting ; noting that Sang Pencerah was " a good film and a conduit for young people to learn about their national heroes " . Asep Saefudin , writing for Antara , himself a graduate from Muhammadiyah schools , viewed the film as being well put together and reflective of the issues faced by Islamic modernists in the early 1900s . Pramono praised the film 's acting , soundtrack , and plot , especially Dahlan 's portrayal as a human with emotions and flaws instead of being perfect in every way . He found Sang Pencerah 's greatest weakness to be the language spoken by in some scenes , as it mixed Indonesian with Javanese ( something not done during the period portrayed ) , and the film 's stars – neither of whom is Javanese – had inaccurate accents . 
 
 