Grapevine

By Al Jazeera
Aug 2, 2024

‘Opening horizons’: Why Indonesian star Dian Sastrowardoyo champions women

The model turned award-winning actress runs a scholarship fund to help young women get an education and make their mark on the world.

Jakarta, Indonesia – Indonesian actor and filmmaker Dian Sastrowardoyo started her career as a model when she was just a teenager, hoping to save up enough money to study overseas.

Her entertainment career took off and Dian never did get that degree from a foreign university.

But now, more than 20 years later, dozens of other Indonesian women are furthering their studies, and it is all thanks to Dian.

In an interview with Al Jazeera, the 42-year-old said she “needed to pave the way” for women in “rural Indonesia to have access to higher education”, inspired by Raden Adjeng Kartini, Indonesia’s national hero who fought for women’s rights more than a century ago.