# Autobiography (film)

Autobiography is a 2022 Indonesian thriller drama film written and directed by Makbul Mubarak [id] in his directorial debut. It stars Kevin Ardilova and Arswendy Bening Swara. The film had its world premiere at the 79th Venice International Film Festival during the Horizons program on September 2, 2022, where it won the FIPRESCI Award for Best Film in sections other than the main competition. Autobiography won the sole award in Best Original Screenplay category among other seven nominations at the 2022 Indonesian Film Festival. The film was selected as the Indonesian entry for Best International Feature Film at the 96th Academy Awards.

## Plot

The film follows Rakib (Kevin Ardilova), who serves as a housekeeper and assistant to a retired general, Purnawinata (Arswendy Bening Swara), who runs an election campaign to be a regent.

## Cast

* Kevin Ardilova as Rakib
* Arswendy Bening Swara as Purnawinata
* Yusuf Mahardika as Agus
* Lukman Sardi as Soewito
* Yudi Ahmad Tajudin as Nala
* Rukman Rosadi as Amir
* Haru Sandra as Andra
* Gunawan Maryanto as a construction worker

## Production

Mubarak proposed the first draft of the script of Autobiography to Bhara in 2017. The project was selected as a part of the TorinoFilmLab in 2017 and 2018 Ties That Bind.
The principal photography took place in Bojonegoro, East Java, Indonesia.

## Release

Alpha Violet acquired worldwide sales rights to the film in July 2022.
Autobiography had its world premiere during the Horizons program at the 79th Venice International Film Festival on 2 September 2022. Its North American premiere was at the Contemporary World Cinema at the 2022 Toronto International Film Festival in September 2022,. The film had its Asian premiere during the A Window on Asian Cinema at the 27th Busan International Film Festival on 7 October 2022. Autobiography was also screened at the Adelaide Film Festival on 22 October 2022. It was theatrically released in Indonesia on 19 January 2023 and garnered 33,407 admissions during its run.
Autobiography was distributed by Amazon Prime Video in the Southeast Asia region on 13 April 2023.

## Reception
### Critical response

On the review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes website, the film has an approval rating of 91% based on 11 reviews, with an average rating of 7.5/10.

### Accolades

Awards and Nominations for Autobiography :
| Award | Date of ceremony | Category | Recipient(s) | Result |
| Venice Film Festival | 10 September 2022 | FIPRESCI Award | Makbul Mubarak | Won |
| Venice Film Festival | 11 September 2022 | Orizzonti Award for Best Film | Makbul Mubarak | Nominated |
| Adelaide Film Festival | 25 October 2022 | Feature Fiction Award | Makbul Mubarak | Won |
| Tokyo Filmex | 5 November 2022 | Grand Prize | Makbul Mubarak | Won |
| Asia Pacific Screen Awards | 11 November 2022 | Best Screenplay | Makbul Mubarak | Won |
| Golden Horse Film Festival and Awards | 16 November 2022 | NETPAC Award | Autobiography | Won |
| Golden Horse Film Festival and Awards | 16 November 2022 | Observation Missions for Asian Cinema Award | Autobiography | Won |
| Stockholm International Film Festival | 19 November 2022 | Bronze Horse for Best Film | Makbul Mubarak | Nominated |
| Stockholm International Film Festival | 19 November 2022 | Best Debut | Makbul Mubarak | Won |
| Marrakech International Film Festival | 19 November 2022 | Best Feature Film | Makbul Mubarak | Nominated |
| Marrakech International Film Festival | 19 November 2022 | Best Performance by an Actor | Arswendy Bening Swara | Won |
| Indonesian Film Festival | 22 November 2022 | Best Picture | Yulia Evina Bhara | Nominated |
| Indonesian Film Festival | 22 November 2022 | Best Director | Makbul Mubarak | Nominated |
| Indonesian Film Festival | 22 November 2022 | Best Actor | Kevin Ardilova | Nominated |
| Indonesian Film Festival | 22 November 2022 | Best Supporting Actor | Arswendy Bening Swara | Nominated |
| Indonesian Film Festival | 22 November 2022 | Best Original Screenplay | Makbul Mubarak | Won |
| Indonesian Film Festival | 22 November 2022 | Best Sound | L.H. Aim Adinegara and Hadrianus Eko | Nominated |
| Indonesian Film Festival | 22 November 2022 | Best Original Song | Sal Priadi for "Ambilkan Bintang" | Nominated |
| QCinema International Film Festival | 23 November 2022 | Best Film | Makbul Mubarak | Won |
| QCinema International Film Festival | 23 November 2022 | Best Director | Makbul Mubarak | Won |
| Jogja-NETPAC Asian Film Festival | 3 December 2022 | Golden Hanoman Award | Autobiography | Won |
| Singapore International Film Festival | 4 December 2022 | Silver Screen Award for Asian Feature Film | Makbul Mubarak | Won |
| World Film Festival of Bangkok | 12 December 2022 | Lotus Awards for Best Film | Makbul Mubarak | Nominated |
| World Film Festival of Bangkok | 12 December 2022 | Jury Prize of Technical Achievement | Carlo Francisco Manatad | Won |
| World Film Festival of Bangkok | 12 December 2022 | Jury Prize of Technical Achievement | Wojciech Staroń | Won |
| Film Pilihan Tempo | 18 December 2022 | Film Pilihan Tempo | Yulia Evina Bhara | Won |
| Film Pilihan Tempo | 18 December 2022 | Best Screenplay | Makbul Mubarak | Nominated |
| Film Pilihan Tempo | 18 December 2022 | Best Director | Makbul Mubarak | Nominated |
| Film Pilihan Tempo | 18 December 2022 | Best Actor | Kevin Ardilova | Won |
| Film Pilihan Tempo | 18 December 2022 | Best Supporting Actor | Arswendy Bening Swara | Won |
| Film Pilihan Tempo | 18 December 2022 | Best Supporting Actor | Rukman Rosadi | Nominated |
| Hainan International Film Festival | 24 December 2022 | Best Film - Asian New Director | Autobiography | Won |
| Asian Film Awards | 12 March 2023 | Best New Director | Makbul Mubarak | Nominated |
| Asian Film Awards | 12 March 2023 | Best Screenplay | Makbul Mubarak | Nominated |
| CinemAsia Film Festival | 13 March 2023 | Jury Special Mention | Autobiography | Won |
| Malaysia International Film Festival | 29 July 2023 | Best Film | Autobiography | Won |
| Malaysia International Film Festival | 29 July 2023 | Best Director | Makbul Mubarak | Won |
| Malaysia International Film Festival | 29 July 2023 | Best Screenplay | Makbul Mubarak | Won |
| Malaysia International Film Festival | 29 July 2023 | Best Actor | Kevin Ardilova | Nominated |
| Malaysia International Film Festival | 29 July 2023 | Best Supporting Actor | Arswendy Bening Swara | Won |
| Malaysia International Film Festival | 29 July 2023 | Best Cinematography | Wojciech Staroń | Won |