Setiawan Hanung Bramantyo (born 1 October 1975) is an Indonesian director known for his films ranging from teen romances to religious dramas. After becoming interested in theatre as a child, Bramantyo made his directorial debut with the 1998 short film Tlutur. He made his feature-length debut in 2004, with Brownies. After making several commercial films, he directed the 2008 religious romance Ayat-Ayat Cinta, which was a critical and commercial success. Since then he has directed several more films with religious themes, as well as two sports-related ones. Bramantyo's works have been noted as covering a variety of genres and political ideologies, with most of his early works being teen romances while his more recent works have been religious dramas. He has also seen controversy for his portrayal of Islam. However, his films have received numerous awards, including two Citra Awards for Best Director at the Indonesian Film Festival. Early life Bramantyo was born in Yogyakarta, Yogyakarta on 1 October 1975 to leather importer Salim Purnomo and his wife Mulyani; he is the oldest of five children. He did his schooling in Muhammadiyah-run schools there. While in grade school, he became interested in theatre; in his high school years, he performed Samuel Beckett's satire Waiting for Godot with his troop. After dropping out from the economics program of the Islamic University of Indonesia, Bramantyo studied at the Yogyakarta Educational and Teaching Institute (IKIP Yogyakarta). After dropping out, he moved to Jakarta, where he studied at the Jakarta Art Institute. Career Bramantyo released his first short film, Tlutur, in 1998. It dealt with a dancer whose leg was broken by an Indonesian Communist Party member. This was followed by the television film Gelas-gelas Berdenting (Tinkling Glass) Although initially reluctant to commercial films due to peer pressure in Yogyakarta, he later drifted towards more mainstream films. Starting with 2004's Brownies, Bramantyo's first commercial films were romantic and teen dramas. Films released during this period include Catatan Akhir Sekolah (Notes from the End of School; 2005), Jomblo (Single; 2005), the horror film Lentera Merah (Red Lantern; 2006), Kamulah Satu-Satunya (You Are the One and Only; 2007), Legenda Sundel Bolong (Legend of Sundel Bolong; 2007), and Get Married (2007). In 2008, Bramantyo directed the Islamic romance Ayat-Ayat Cinta (Verses of Love), based on the novel of the same name by Habiburrahman El Shirazy. The film, seen by 1.5 million in its first 9 days, has