From Camera to Cinema: UIN Jakarta Students Receive Insights of Filmmaking from Yatima Films

Student Center Hall, UIN Online News— Yatima Films brought its new masterpiece, Tak Kenal Maka Ta’aruf, to the Aula Student Center in a “Goes to Campus” visit held on Thursday (23/10/2025). The event was organized by UIN Jakarta’s Research and Publishing Center (Puslitpen) together with UIN Jakarta Press and featured four actors from the film, its creative team, and members of the academic community at Syarif Hidayatullah State Islamic University Jakarta.

During her opening remarks, Puslitpen researcher Khodijah Hulliyah, M.Si., Ph.D., explained that the visit is meant to foster networking and bring students together with the actors and creators behind the screen.

“We intend to give ourselves a real‑world look at how to produce meaningful work that contains positive messages and agendas,” she explained.

Hulliyah went on to stress the importance of strengthening the campus–community and creative‑industry ecosystem by encouraging respectful mutual acquaintance and opening up healthy public spaces at higher education.

“As students, we learn in classrooms, but we have to think out of the box. Creative ideas and even the craziest stuff that ever existed came out from an open mind. In UIN Jakarta, we can start with constructive dialogue on campus and within our academic community, inspiring us to create more works in the future,” she added.

During the talk-show segment, novelist and producer Mim Yudiarto shared his journey toward Tak Kenal Maka Ta’aruf.

“The production of the film was challenging. I pulled an all-nighter to finish the manuscript in eight days straight just to keep up with my production team,” he admitted.

Yudiarto clarified that the film's pre-marriage (taaruf) theme serves to instruct teenagers on the appropriate dating practices within Islam. Through the movie, viewers receive entertaining content that also carries a meaningful message about healthy romantic relationships.

“We’re not just looking to entertain; we want to deliver the message that Islam actually has a respectful and correct approach to dating. Through this film, I want to show that taaruf isn’t as scary as people think since Islam is about respecting one another,” he conveyed.

The session was further enlivened by the presence of Saskia Chadwick, Dinda Mahira, Ghina Salsabiela, and Cahyari Nagara. Their participation made the talk show interactive, with students asking questions and actors sharing personal experiences that offered motivation, enthusiasm, and additional insight for UIN Jakarta’s students.

(Meisa Aqilah N.H./Fauziah M./Zaenal M./Muhamad Arifin Ilham)