Abisin Abbas (Indonesian: [aˈbisɪn aˈbas]; 26 February 1902 – 20 October 1961), better known by his pseudonym Andjar Asmara ([anˈdʒar asˈmara]), was a dramatist and filmmaker active in the cinema of the Dutch East Indies.

In 1940 he was asked to join The Teng Chun's company, Java Industrial Film, helping with marketing and working as a director for two productions.

Historians recognise him as a pioneer of theatre and one of the first native Indonesian film directors, although he had little creative control of his productions.

He gravitated toward traditional theatre at a young age after visits from the wandering Wayang Kassim and Juliana Opera stambul troupes;[2][3] he pretended to act with his friends in stage plays which they had seen.

[14] In 1936 Andjar went with Dardanella to India to record a film adaptation of his drama Dr Samsi, which followed a doctor who was blackmailed after an unscrupulous Indo discovered he had an illegitimate child.

[20][21] After handling the marketing for Rentjong Atjeh (Rencong of Aceh, 1940),[22] Andjar made his directorial debut in 1940 with Kartinah, a war-time romance starring Ratna Asmara.

[26] In these films, he had little creative control, and performed as what the Indonesian entertainment journalist Eddie Karsito describes as a dialogue coach.

[29] Although he wrote several short stories during this time, three of which were published in the pro-Japanese newspaper Asia Raja in 1942,[30] Andjar focused on theatre, forming the troupe Tjahaya Timoer.

[31] He often visited the Cultural Centre (Keimin Bunka Sidosho) in Jakarta, where two employees, D. Djajakusuma and Usmar Ismail, discussed filmmaking with him.

[34] This was followed by two additional films, Anggrek Bulan (Moon Orchid; 1948) and Gadis Desa (Maiden from the Village; 1949), both based on plays he wrote several years earlier.

[1] In 1950, Andjar published his only novel, Noesa Penida, a critique of the Balinese caste system, which followed lovers from different levels of the social hierarchy.

Critics wrote that Lewat Djam Malam was easily the stronger of the two and suggested that Djamaluddin Malik, Tarmina's producer, had influenced the jury's decision.

[39] Andjar's toneels were generally based on day-to-day experiences, rather than the tales of princes and ancient wars which were standard at the time.

[40] Andjar believed that the Padangsche Opera's performances influenced other troupes in West Sumatra to adapt the toneel format, which later spread throughout the Indies.

[3][41] Matthew Isaac Cohen, a scholar of Indonesian performing arts, describes Andjar as "Indonesia's foremost theater critic during the colonial period", noting that he wrote extensively on the history of theatre in the Indies.