Jamila and the President (2009)

Jamila and the President (Indonesian: Jamila dan Sang Presiden) is a 2009 Indonesian film directed and written by Ratna Sarumpaet and starring Atiqah Hasiholan and Christine Hakim. It follows the story of a prostitute sentenced to death for killing a government minister. The film was adapted from a stage play entitled Pelacur dan Sang Presiden (The Prostitute and the President), which Sarumpaet had written after receiving a grant from UNICEF to study child trafficking trends in Indonesia and promote awareness of the problem. In preparing the script, she spent several months interviewing prostitutes in several cities; the film itself spent three years in production and featured much of the same cast and crew as the original play. Released on 30 April 2009, the film received mixed to positive reception in Indonesia. Internationally the film featured in several film festivals and won awards in France, Italy, and Taiwan. It was submitted to the 82nd Academy Awards for Best Foreign Language Film, but not nominated.