Erizal Chaniago Secretary-General, Indonesian Pencak Silat Association
Our goal is to have pencak silat in the Olympics

Indonesian martial arts or pencak silat recently caught the attention of the social and mainstream media following the appearance of some silat fighters in certain Hollywood films, like Star Wars: The Force Awakens, currently showing in local cinema halls. Iko Uwais, Yayan Ruhian and Cecep Arif Rahman are some of the silat fighters who have appeared in Indonesian as well as foreign films. In The Raid, directed by Gareth Evans, the three actors were equally impressive.

They are by no means the first Indonesians to be given the chance to play a role in a foreign film. Previously, Iko played a role in Man of Tai Chi and Beyond Skyline. In an interview with Tempo last month, Iko said he would always be an 'ambassador' of pencak silat in every international films he is involved in.

January 12, 2016