Back to All News
Cast and Creators Share About Indonesian Period Drama Cigarette Girl', Now Airing on Netflix!
Entertainment
02 November 2023
GlobalIndonesia
Link copied to clipboard
Netflix's newest Indonesian series Cigarette Girl from acclaimed directors Kamila Andini and Ifa Isfansyah will start streaming on November 2. On November 1, Netflix held a press conference and the gala premiere of Cigarette Girl, attended by the cast, creators, Netflix representatives, as well as esteemed guests.
Based on the novel by Ratih Kumala, the period drama follows the story of Dasiyah (Dian Sastrowardoyo), who's passionate about concocting the perfect formulas for clove cigarettes, known as kretek. Embedded in the story is a message about powerful women and an epic romance between Dasiyah and Soeraja (Ario Bayu), set against the Indonesian kretek industry and historical events in the 1960s.
The series is produced by BASE Entertainment with showrunners Shanty Harmayn and Tanya Yuson. Ratih Kumala and Tanya Yuson are credited as screenwriters, along with Kanya K. Priyanti and Ambaridzki Ramadhantyo.
In the press conference, Kamila Andini talked about the character of Dasiyah (Jeng Yah) that spoke to her. When I read this amazing novel, I was captivated, including by Jeng Yah. As the novel was adapted into a series, the one thing I'd like to see is the spirit of Jeng Yah as a woman who's so ahead of her time and encounters so much in her life, she said.
I'd love it if the figure would live on in us, the women of today, to remember that there's such spirit and legacy for us to carry on, Kamila Andini said.
Cigarette Girl brings together A-list actors such as Dian Sastrowardoyo, Ario Bayu, Putri Marino, Sha Ine Febriyanti, Rukman Rosadi and Tutie Kirana. Moreso, they inhabit characters who live in former times and this presents a particular challenge.
Dian Sastrowardoyo reminisced that to delve into the character of Dasiyah, she took on detailed approaches and was mentored by actor Rukman Rosadi, who also became the acting coach for the cast of Cigarette Girl. Dian spoke about the six months of deliberately stopping to see friends to immerse herself in Dasiyah and taking a break from her favorite sports of running and tennis, as they were rarely done by Indonesian women in the 1960s.
I also stopped listening to modern music and switched to solely gamelan (traditional Javanese music) and classical music. I learnt that as actors we must serve the character, we're obliged to surrender ourselves to the character, she added.
Meanwhile Ario Bayu talked about building the chemistry between the character of Soeraja and Dasiyah. He said, Dian is a meticulously detailed person. She made a comprehensive journal on Dasiyah and I paid attention to that. She gave it her all to the character. And then there's Dian as her personal self, she is amazing. It's so easy for me to play Soeraja who falls for Dasiyah. On the set, I just had to look at Dian and consider which side of her I'm going to fall for today.
Ifa Isfansyah is known as producer for several of Kamila Andini's films, but the series marks the first time the two collaborated as co-directors. Their approaches complement each other's, including in storyline, cinematography, script and character details. We need each other in this collaboration, Ifa said. To perceive a character, for instance, Dini needed my perspective and vice versa. This has been a new creative process for us and we hope that the collaboration will make Indonesians proud.
One of the most striking elements of Cigarette Girl is how it magically transports viewers to the 1960s. The settings and properties, each presented with amazing details, display the hustle and bustle of the M town as well as the kretek industry at the time. More than 100 sets in 20 locations were built to achieve the complete vision of the Cigarette Girl universe, with a focus on 16 main sets where most scenes were filmed.
Shanty Harmayn pointed out that the creative process for the project took about two years, from script development to post-production. This has been a long journey and all the way from writing to editing is a result of an incredible collaboration, she said.
Rusli Eddy, Content Lead, Netflix, Indonesia said, Beside featuring authentic stories, we'd like to entertain the world and our Indonesian viewers, of course. in order to do so, we make a big commitment in producing high-quality local contents with best-in-class storytelling. And that's why we collaborated with the best talents such as Ifa and Dini.
The series also features actors Tissa Biani, Sha Ine Febriyanti, Winky Wiryawan, Sheila Dara, Ibnu Jamil, Rukman Rosadi, Verdi Solaiman, Nungki Kusumastuti, Dimas Aditya, Pritt Timothy and Tutie Kirana.
Be sure to watch Cigarette Girl starting November 2, only on Netflix.
More photos and unit stills can be accessed here
Most recent headlines
11/12/2025
Dalet, a leading provider of cloud-native, end-to-end media workflow solutions, ...
28/11/2025
Nadia Fall attends the 2025 Sundance Film Festival premiere of Brides at the Egyptian Theatre on January 24, 2025, in Park City, Utah. (Photo by Donyale West/...
28/11/2025
It's easy to ignore those little red update available badges. But when it ...
28/11/2025
WASHINGTON Federal Communications Commission has released a tentative agenda for the December Open Commission Meeting scheduled for Thursday, December 18, 2025 ...
28/11/2025
The Professional Fighters League is looking to super-serve fans of mixed martial...
28/11/2025
Fubo has released in beta on select Roku devices a new feature that lets users display up to four simultaneous streams at once....
28/11/2025
The WNBA playoffs and Week 4 of the NFL regular season highlight the list of live sports events airing on television this weekend....
28/11/2025
The 32nd class of honorees to the B+C Hall of Fame took to the stage at New York's Ziegfeld Ballroom on September 26 for a gala induction event. Click below...
28/11/2025
We hold in our hands the very last Next Text for Next TV, the weekly back-and-fo...
28/11/2025
DirecTV said it made a deal with EchoStar to buy EchoStar's video businesses, including satellite-TV provider Dish TV and virtual MVPD Sling TV, for $1 plus...
28/11/2025
The Broadcasting+Cable Hall of Fame, the premier industry event paying tribute to the influencers, innovators and shining lights of broadcast, cable and streami...
28/11/2025
Friday 28 November 2025
Sky Sports x Slawn drop limited-edition football jersey...
28/11/2025
Rohde & Schwarz shows resilience in a challenging environment, revenue exceeds t...
28/11/2025
Unwrapped: The Toy Show Appeal - airing this Sunday on RT One and RT Player- s...
27/11/2025
LONDON Vizrt has added several AI-driven advanced features offering improved speed, intelligence and accuracy in the newest version of its media asset managemen...
27/11/2025
Prime Video has launched AI-powered video season recaps in a beta version for select English-language Prime Original series in the U.S., a move Amazon is callin...
27/11/2025
Back to All News
Netflix's Raat Akeli Hai: The Bansal Murders Marks a Grand...
27/11/2025
27 Nov 2025
GSMA brings M360 Eurasia 2026 to Samarkand in partnership with VEON...
27/11/2025
Tahar Rahim and Izuka Hoyle star in the gripping six-part Sky Original from Acad...
27/11/2025
Thursday 27 November 2025
Sky Arts Reveals the Nation's Greatest Basslines - and Queen Reign Supreme
The UK's most iconic basslines have been revealed...
27/11/2025
Back to All News
Stranger Things 5': Prepare for One Last Adventure With O...
27/11/2025
The media industry has a paradox at its core. It's an industry built on light, color and imagination, yet behind the scenes, it's powered by one of the ...
27/11/2025
Rating reflects rating progress across areas including policies, diversity & inclusion, health & safety and Net Zero leadership
Winchester, UK, 27 November 202...
27/11/2025
What are the industry standards for Retail Media? Kathryn explains that certification is based on the IAB Europe Retail Media Measurement Standards and the IAB ...
27/11/2025
World champion boxer and Irish sporting icon Katie Taylor will be in studio this...
27/11/2025
Roblox, one of the world's most popular online gaming platforms for primary ...
27/11/2025
Black Friday is leveling up. Get ready to score one of the biggest deals of the season - 50% off the first three months of a new GeForce NOW Ultimate membership...
26/11/2025
SVG Sit-Down: Prime Video EP Mike Muriano Previews Massive Black Friday Slate Fe...
26/11/2025
A cinematic snow sculpture at the 1995 Sundance Film Festival. Photo by Randall Michelson...
26/11/2025
Book podcasts are booming. On Spotify, you'll find everything from celebrity book clubs to deep dives with bestselling authors. And in markets where audiobo...
26/11/2025
Mumbai, November 24, 2025: In a first-of-its-kind initiative, JioStar, in collab...
26/11/2025
LONDON Factual content producer ITN Productions has launched a new low-latency IP gallery for news bulletins....
26/11/2025
MIAMI TelevisaUnivision said it struck a new multiyear distribution agreement with YouTube TV that includes distribution of TelevisaUnivision's U.S. network...
26/11/2025
OpenDrives, Inc., a leader in software-defined data storage and data services, today announced the launch of the Atlas Corporate Creative Solution. This new Atl...
26/11/2025
Disguise, the industry-leading company powering the world's biggest live performances, is partnering with pioneering LED wall manufacturer DVS to give atten...
26/11/2025
HighField AI, the pioneer in agentic and multimodal automation for broadcast and media production, today announced the expansion of its global channel partner n...
26/11/2025
As high-stakes Premier League fixtures approach and additional premium content launches, with MONO positioning themselves to dominate Thailand's sports stre...
26/11/2025
Hosting a wide variety of events from high-intensity NHL games to complex live music concerts and major entertainment productions, Montreal's 21,000 capacit...
26/11/2025
Vizrt, the leader in live production technology revolutionizing viewer engagement and experience, releases AI-driven advances focusing on speed, intelligence, a...
26/11/2025
ITN Productions, an award-winning factual content producer, today launched a new low-latency IP gallery for news bulletins. Responsible for delivering a leading...
26/11/2025
Ikegami reports ongoing advances throughout 2025 in developing and delivering coordinated television production solutions that maximize quality, versatility and...
26/11/2025
Following the Nov. 21 blackout of NBCUniversal channels on Fubo, the two sides have traded barbs about their inability to reach a new carriage deal....
26/11/2025
LONDON As TV sports rights become increasingly important for both broadcasters and streamers, Ampere Analysis predicts global investment in the genre will surpa...
26/11/2025
LOS ANGELES Vubiquity said it has achieved the Amazon Web Services (AWS) Media & Entertainment Competency as part of the AWS Partner Network (APN). This designa...
26/11/2025
WASHINGTON The Federal Communications Commission's Enforcement Bureau said it has entered into a consent decree with Comcast calling for the cable company t...
26/11/2025
Berklee Named to the Hollywood Reporters Top Music Schools List The publication highlights the college's screen scoring program, industry partnerships, and ...
26/11/2025
Back to All News
Animated Series Love Through a Prism' Casts New Light on ...
26/11/2025
Back to All News
NALIP Unveils Fifth Cohort of Director Incubator
Social Impact
26 November 2025
United States
Link copied to clipboard
The National Assoc...
26/11/2025
YouView Achieves Greenly Gold Certification for SustainabilityNov 26, 2025
YouView is proud to announce a Gold Certification award from Greenly for our perform...
Back to All News
