Brilio.net/en - 1. Maria Harfanti
Maria Harfanti made Indonesia proud when she became the first ever Indonesian to place second-runner up and top three in the world famous Miss World pageant. Representing Indonesia on the resort island of Sanya in China last year, the 23 year-old also emerged victorious for the Continental Queens of Beauty competition, which was held amongst Asian contestants.
And she doesnt just have the looks: Maria also claimed a third award on the day - she won the Beauty with a purpose challenge where she proposed supplying clean water and sanitation to rural sectors in Banten, Indonesia.
2. The Raid Boys
In the filming industry, three local actors made a mark for themselves on the global stage. Their names are Cecep Arif Rahman, Iko Uwais and Yayan Ruhian, and previously shot to fame for their roles in the 2011 martial arts movie, The Raid. This time around, they were a part of last years most awaited film, Hollywood blockbuster movie, Star Wars: The Force Awakens. The movie has already broken records despite being less than a month old, and has grossed a whopping $250 billion! Let us keep supporting Cecep, Iko and Yayan as the trio seek to embark on future Hollywood projects.
3. Asias Next Top Model
Photo: http://asias-next-top-model.com/
For the first time in its history, Asias Next Top Model saw its top prize claimed by an Indonesian. Ayu Gani, who hails from Yogyakarta, beat . participants to claim the title. Amongst an array of rewards, Ayu was presented with a contract to work with Storm Model Management, a modeling agency based in the UK. To those of you who have a passion in modeling, may Ayu Ganis success story be an inspiration to chase your dreams!
4. Joey Alexander - a very special artist in the making
Photo: http://joeyalexandermusic.com/
This 12-year old kid is a Jazz music enthusiast who picked up an interest in the music by listening to his fathers past jazz albums. After that, there was no looking back. Joey rapidly honed his talents in jazz music and conquered stages across several countries through his mind-blowing piano performances. Recently, he launched his debut album titled, My Favorite Things, which earned him two nominations in 2015 for the 58th Grammy awards to be held in 2016! Should he win either of the awards, Joey will officially be the youngest person to have ever achieved such a feat. Lets keep supporting this young prodigy on his remarkable journey and hopefully see him write history by winning the Grammys on February 15, 2016. Mark the date people!
5. Joko Anwar, renowned director and filmmaker
Last but certainly not least, 2015 was a great year for Joko Anwar. This 40-year old saw his film, A Copy of My Mind, premiere at the 72nd annual Venice Film Festival in Italy! Made with a minimal budget of just over $17,000, the film will play in cinemas this February. Dont you miss it, movie lovers! And thats not all he also made his television debut with HBO Asias eight-part series, Halfworlds, which began its run on November 29, 2015, and concluded with a 2-episode season finale last week.
(Reported bySahil Nathani)