Lovely Man (2012)

Lovely Man is an Indonesian film written and directed by Teddy Soeriaatmadja (Banyu Biru, Ruma Maida). The film had its world premiere at the 2011 Busan International Film Festival to positive reviews on the segment "A Window on Asian Cinema". Donny Damara plays the starring role as Syaiful/Ipuy, a transgender in Jakarta. Actress Raihaanun, who is also Soeriaatmadja's wife, plays the female leading role as Cahaya, Syaiful's long-lost 19-year-old daughter who comes to the city to look for him only to find out that her father is a transgender. This is their second film together after 2007 remake of drama Badai Pasti Berlalu.
The film's release generated controversy in its native Indonesia due to rejections from certain religious group but saw overwhelming receptions abroad; screening for various international film festivals.

Synopsis

Lovely Man tells the story of Cahaya, a 19-year-old girl with strong Islamic values, who discovers that her long lost father is a transvestite working on the streets of Jakarta. The story unfolds over that one night as they walk the streets of Jakarta and explains how the encounter changes their lives, as they learn about love, loss and redemption.