Transpuan Asha Smara Darra Nominated for Best Actress at FFI 2023, Reza Rahadian Speaks Out

Kapanlagi.com - Actress Asha Smara Darra became one of the nominees in the category of Best Leading Actress at the Festival Film Indonesia (FFI) 2023. However, this has sparked controversy because Asha Smara Darra is a transgender woman. Asha, who was previously known as Oscar Lawalata, was chosen for her role in the film SARA produced by Charlie Meliala and Lyza Anggrahen.

In relation to this, Reza Rahadian, as the Chairman of the FFI Committee for the period 2021-2023, spoke up. He said that the names of actors nominated were submitted by the producers of each film.

"In the committee, we always receive a list of actors, both supporting and leading, through the full decision of the producers. So the decision is not made by the committee, but by the producers who register them," said Reza Rahadian, met in the Senayan area, Central Jakarta, on Thursday (2/11) afternoon.

"For example, if I play in a film where my role may be quite significant in the film, but suddenly the producer thinks I should be registered for the supporting actor category," he continued.

1. Registered as a Woman

Reza Rahadian © KapanLagi.com/Muhammad Akrom Sukarya

Reza also added that the FFI Committee's only task is to provide forms to producers for registration. After that, they write down the names and categories of actors they want to submit.

"It's up to the producers. So we only provide the form, filled out by the producers, so in my opinion, it's already clear enough. Asha was registered in the category of best leading actress, woman, and that's what we received," he said.

2. Getting Quite a Lot of Votes

Oscar Lawalata alias Asha Smarra Darra - instagram.com/oscarlawalata

The name Asha Smara Darra was approved and announced by the FFI 2023 because it received enough votes that meet the criteria for the registered nomination, even though Asha herself used to be a man named Oscar Lawalata.

"And we announced it when her name was already in the vote by quite a lot of academies, so she entered the ranks as one of the nominees for the Best Leading Actress," he concluded.

(kpl/irf/ums)