Biography

Arizal (born in Airmolek, Indragiri, Riau on January 11, 1943 - died on May 18, 2014) was a prominent Indonesian film director. His parents, Ibrahim Sidi Mangkuto and Matayam bt M. Yasin, were of Minangkabau descent. He studied at the Faculty of Economics, University of Indonesia. Arizal was one of Indonesia's most productive film directors and script writers. He directed 52 films and 8 soap operas (sinetron) with 1,196 episodes between 1974 and 2006. He directed the comedy film series of Warkop DKI. In the 1980s, his work brought success to Yessy Gusman, Rano Karno, Yenny Rachman, Roy Marten and Lydia Kandou as famous artists. Arizal's best known films are Gita Cinta dari SMA (1979), Pintar-pintar Bodoh (1980) and Maju Kena Mundur Kena (1983), which achieved the highest audience in that year. Gita Cinta dari SMA was selected as one of the 25 best Indonesian films.