Lilik Sudjio

Directing

1930-05-14 · Makassar, Dutch East Indies

Lilik Sudijo (14 May 1930 - 09 December 2014) was an Indonesian actor and film director. Lilik (sometimes spelled "Liliek") Sudjio was involved in over 70 productions over the course of his career. The son of Astaman (a famous Indonesian theatrical performer), Sudjio first joined him on the stage billed as Astaman Jr.. He transitioned over to film acting starting with a small role in 1949's Saputangan (aka Handkerchief), and after just a handful of other film acting roles, decided he was more suited behind the camera. Sudjio would make his directorial debut in 1954 with Tarmina, winning Citra Awards for Best Director and Best Film at the Indonesian Film Festival the following year. He directed several other films before taking a hiatus to study film at UCLA in the early 60s. Sudjio is perhaps best known outside of his home country for the crazy Suzzanna horror The Queen of Black Magic (1981), which has been remarkably well-distributed over the years internationally. It was also one of his only films to receive a theatrical release in the U.S. He retired from filmmaking after making a trio of action / fantasy / horror films named the Misteri dari Gunung Merapi ("Mystery of Mount Merapi") series in 1989-90, and passed away in 2014.