Born in Jakarta, Mouly SURYA (b. 1980, Indonesia) is considered one of the most promising female filmmakers in Indonesia. After graduating from Swinburne University, Melbourne with a BA in Media and Literature, Surya obtained an MA in Film and Television from Bond University, Queensland. In addition to making films, she also teaches a directing class in Jakarta. Her debut film, FIKSI, won numerous awards including Best Director at JIFFEST 2008. It premiered internationally at the 13th Busan International Film Festival.

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WHAT THEY DON'T TALK ABOUT WHEN THEY TALK ABOUT LOVE (2013) was her second feature. Before its theatrical run in Indonesia, the film screened at various international film festivals including the Sundance FF, the Hawaii FF and Karlovy Vary FF, among others. The film received the NETPAC Award at the International Film Festival Rotterdam in the Netherlands, was nominated for Best Feature Film at the 2013 Maya Awards, and was also nominated for Favorite Film at the 2014 Indonesian Movie Awards.

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MARLINA THE MURDERER IN FOUR ACTS is Surya’s first international co-production, including partners from France, Malaysia and Thailand. The film premiered at Cannes Directors' Fortnight in 2017. In 2018, it received 10 Citra Awards, equivalent to the Indonesian Oscars, for Best Film, Best Director, Best Script, Best Leading Actress, Best Supporting Actress, Best Cinematography, Best Music, Best Sound, Best Art Direction, and Best Editing, and two Awards for Best Cinematography & Best Sound at Asian Academy Creative Awards.

MARLINA THE MURDERER IN FOUR ACTS was the Indonesia’s official entry for the Best Foreign Language Film category at the 91st Academy Oscars Awards 2019.

Mouly Surya was for two times the recipient of the Citra Award for Best Director, in 2008 for her directorial debut for FIKSI and in 2018 for her third film MARLINA THE MURDERER IN FOUR ACTS. She is the first and only woman director to win the Citra Award.

In 2023, Mouly Surya was the recipient of the Kurosawa Akira Award. The Award honors the renowed auter's legacy and ongoing influence. It is presented to filmmakers who have made waves in cinema and are expected to help guide the industry's future.

In June 2024, her Hollywood debut film TRIGGER WARNING, an action thriller, starring Jessica Alba was released by Netflix who produced it.

PERANG KOTA This City Is A Battlefield is her fifth feature film. Adapted from the novel A ROAD WITH NO END by Mochtar Lubis (1952), it’s Surya’s first book to film adaptation, her first history based picture and the first with a male protagonist.

It will World Premiere at the 54th International Film Festival Rotterdam as its Closing Film.