Paul Tazewell, the Oscar-winning costume designer for “Wicked,” has joined the creative team for “Rose Pandangwangi,” an Indonesian-Philippine co-production film based on the famous Seriosa singer Rose Pandangwangi, the filmmakers have revealed to Variety.
The project, directed by Razka Robbie Ertanto (Johanna) and produced by Chelsea Islan, Ertanto and Christine de Leon through their production company Summerland, was selected as a JAFF Future Project at this year’s JAFF Market in Yogyakarta, Indonesia.
Tazewell’s involvement is a significant milestone for this biographical drama, bringing his award-winning expertise to a story spanning post-war Indonesia and the Netherlands. The designer won an Academy Award for Best Costume Design for her work on “Wicked.”
Set in post-war Indonesia, “Rose Pandanwangi” follows the eponymous Seryosa singer whose life reflected the nation’s turbulent birth. Born in wartime Makassar with a voice powerful enough to bring soldiers to tears, Rose navigated changing empires, identities, and expectations. After years in exile in Rotterdam, she returned to Jakarta determined to pursue her dreams, rising from factory worker to national icon while balancing motherhood and ambition.
The film chronicles Rose’s illustrious career even as her marriage quietly disintegrates and the gulf between her family life and her artistic calling widens beyond repair. In Jakarta’s post-war art world, she developed a kinship with the painter Sujojono, whose passionate dedication to truth and freedom reignited her own passion. When political darkness descends and Sujojono disappears during a purge of anti-communists, Rose faces a world in which voices like hers are silenced.
For Ertanto, this project represents a deeply personal artistic mission. “Her voice is timeless, but her story is history,” says the director. Seriosa music, which is Indonesia’s uniquely Indonesian take on Western art songs, deeply shaped his artistic identity.
Brought to the archipelago by the Dutch through German songs in the 16th century, seriosa evolved into a sophisticated and expressive form that blended Western vocal techniques with Indonesian language, values, and nationalist themes. In the 1940s, Rose Pandanwangi emerged as a leading figure in the genre, embodying technical excellence and deep cultural pride and resilience.
Ertanto’s journey into this film began with a visit to an exhibition of paintings by Sujojono, a pioneer of Indonesian contemporary art. Although the artist’s work, known for his evocative depictions of women, attracted Ertanto, it was the quiet presence of Sujojono’s wife, Rose Pandanwangi, who appears repeatedly in his canvases, that piqued the director’s interest.
“I saw in her gaze a story waiting to be told,” Ertanto says. “That was the moment I knew I had to make this film.”
Producer de Leon (Agapito), who met Ertanto in Cannes, was immediately drawn to his passion and precision. “He is a meticulous director with a deep love of Southeast Asian history and a commitment to telling women’s stories with nuance and care,” de Leon says.
De Leon, a Filipino producer and mother, felt a deep connection not only to this story, but also to Rose herself as a woman, artist, and mother who balances creative ambition and personal responsibility.
“‘Rose Pandanwangi’ is not a biopic of Indonesia’s leading Seriosa singer. It is an intimate, layered portrait of a woman who refused to be silenced by war, patriarchy, displacement and politics,” de Leon says. The film follows Rose across continents and over several decades, from Japanese-occupied Indonesia to post-war Europe and ultimately her return to her homeland where she becomes a national symbol.
The project is currently under development. The JAFF Future Project is designed to serve as a development platform and co-creation hub, advancing independent works towards completion and distribution. The initiative will run from November 29th to December. It was held at Yogya Expo Center in Yogyakarta as part of the broader 20th anniversary celebrations of the Yogya Netpac Asian Film Festival.
