Novianto made his feature film debut in 2009 with Jagad X Code, for which he also wrote the story.
It followed three youths from the village who, unable to buy the things they want owing to omnipresent poverty, agree to find a flash drive for a local thug.
[2][3] In 2011 Novianto's television film Papi, Mami, dan Tukang Kebun (Father, Mother, and the Gardener) won twelve prizes at the FTV Awards in Jakarta, including Best Director.
[5][6] Novianto described it as a surprise, but suggested he was burdened by the prize because he would be pressured to produce better work the following year.
It followed a polygamous marriage in the Dieng Plateau of Central Java and starred Slamet Rahardjo and Ratna Riantiarno.