Janji Joni
Janji Joni (English: Joni's Promise) is a 2005 Indonesian adventure romantic comedy film written and directed by Joko Anwar in his directorial debut. Starring Nicholas Saputra, Mariana Renata, Rachel Maryam, and Surya Saputra, the film was a commercial and critical success, earning Anwar his first Citra Award for Best Director nomination.
| Joni's Promise | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical poster | |
| Janji Joni | |
| Directed by | Joko Anwar |
| Written by | Joko Anwar |
| Produced by | Nia Dinata |
| Starring | Nicholas Saputra Mariana Renata Rachel Maryam Surya Saputra |
| Cinematography | Ipung Rachmat Syaiful |
| Edited by | Yoga Krispratama |
| Music by | Age Airlangga |
Production company | Kalyana Shira Film |
| Distributed by | Kalyana Shira Film (Indonesia) Golden Village Pictures (Singapore) Focus Films (Worldwide) |
Release date | 27 April 2005 |
Running time | 83 [minutes |
| Country | Indonesia |
| Languages | Indonesian English |
| Budget | Rp 3.5 billion |
The film features multiple cameo appearances from well-known celebrities.[1]
Synopsis
Joni works as a film/reel delivery man in Jakarta. One day, while waiting for the next pick-up, Joni meets a charming girl who is going to catch a film with her boyfriend Otto. The girl would only reveal her name to Joni if he successfully delivers the reels on time. However, things do not turn out well on that day as Joni faces obstacles such as the city's notorious traffic and various people that may disrupt his task.
Cast
- Nicholas Saputra as Joni
- Irshadi Bagas as young Joni
- Mariana Renata as Angelique
- Rachel Maryam as Voni
- Surya Saputra as Otto
- Sujiwo Tejo as Adam Subandi
- Dwiky Riza as Toni
- Gito Rollies as Pak Ucok
- Fedi Nuril as Jeffrey
Notable cameos
- Barry Prima as a taxi driver
- Adetasha as the taxi driver's wife
- Alvin Adam as a journalist
- Jajang C. Noer as an audience of "Spoiler"
- Indra Birowo and Noella Birowo as a couple
- Ananda Mikola and Wulan Guritno as a couple
- Indra Herlambang as a man in queue
- Aming Sugandhi as a man in queue
- Ersa Mayori as the pretty girl face mask
- Lukman Sardi as Joni's father
- Tora Sudiro and Winky Wiryawan as a gay couple
- Ronal Surapradja as an assistant director
- Shandy Tumiwa as an actor
- Catherine Wilson as an actress
- Tantowi Yahya as a gynecologist
Production
According to producer Nia Dinata, the shooting process for Janji Joni was very challenging due to unpredictable weather and also having to shoot secretly in certain areas due to the production team not having permits from local authorities.[2] This was coupled with intimidation from local thugs who demanded payment in order for the crew to be able to shoot in certain locations.[2] Overall, the shooting took place over 20 days.[2]
Release
Janji Joni received theatrical release on April 28, 2005, in Indonesia followed by Malaysia on September 1, 2005, and Singapore on November 9, 2006.[3][4] It was screened at several international film festivals, including Busan International Film Festival, Deauville Asian Film Festival, and Bangkok International Film Festival.[4]
A book containing Anwar's screenplay and production was published by Metafor titled Janji Joni: Skenario dan Catatan.[5]
Reception
Writing for Tempo, Leila Chudori praised the film, calling it "intelligent and calculated" while noting Anwar's "smart and sharp" directing style and singling out the performances of Nicholas Saputra and Surya Saputra.[6]
In 2019, fourteen years since the film's release, Panos Katzothanasis reviewed the film for Asian Movie Pulse and called the film "unique" with "extremely intelligent, pointy, and ironic sense of humor" while noting that it "thrives in context, intelligent irony, and overall entertainment and is definitely among the best in Joko Anwar’s oeuvre."[7] Katzothanasis singled out Nicholas Saputra and Sujiwo Tejo as stand-out performances in the film.[7]
Tempo magazine named Janji Joni its pick for best film of the year.[8]
Awards and nominations
| Year | Award | Category | Recipients | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 25th Citra Awards | Best Picture | Janji Joni | Nominated |
| Best Director | Joko Anwar | Nominated | ||
| Best Actor | Nicholas Saputra | Nominated | ||
| Best Supporting Actor | Gito Rollies | Won | ||
| Surya Saputra | Nominated | |||
| Best Supporting Actress | Rachel Maryam | Nominated | ||
| Best Editing | Yoga Krispratama | Won | ||
| Best Original Score | Age Airlangga | Nominated | ||
| Best Cinematography | Ipung Rachmat Syaiful | Nominated | ||
| 2005 | MTV Indonesia Movie Awards | Best Movie | Janji Joni | Won |
| Best Director | Joko Anwar | Nominated | ||
| Best Crying Scene | Adetasha | Nominated | ||
| Most Favorite Movie | Janji Joni | Nominated | ||
| Most Favorite Actor | Nicholas Saputra | Won | ||
| Most Favorite Supporting Actor | Barry Prima | Nominated | ||
| Most Favorite Supporting Actress | Mariana Renata | Won | ||
| Rachel Maryam | Nominated | |||
| 2005 | Asia-Pacific Film Festival | Best Editing | Yoga Krispratama | Won |
| 2006 | Vesoul International Film Festival of Asian Cinema | Golden Wheel | Joko Anwar | Nominated |
References
- Nasution, Irfan. "Bosan #DiRumahAja? Ini Rekomendasi Film dari Kami untuk TemanBaik". beritabaik.id. Retrieved 2021-02-07.
- "Nia Dinata: Banyak Hambatan di Syuting 'JANJI JONI'". www.kapanlagi.com. Retrieved 2021-02-07.
- "Janji Joni Rilis 28 April". detikhot (in Indonesian). Retrieved 2021-02-07.
- Joni's Promise (2005) - IMDb, retrieved 2021-02-07
- "Janji Joni". www.goodreads.com. Retrieved 2021-02-07.
- "Running with Joni | Leila S Chudori". www.leilaschudori.com. Retrieved 2021-02-07.
- Kotzathanasis, Panos (2019-12-10). "Film Review: Janji Joni (2005) by Joko Anwar". Asian Movie Pulse. Retrieved 2021-02-07.
- Wijaya, Lani Diana. "Joko Anwar Merasa Penghargaan Film Tempo Membesarkan Namanya". Tempo. Retrieved 2021-02-07.