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The Bali bombings changed public perceptions of Islamic education in Indonesia. Since the discovery of the bombers’ connections to Indonesian Islamic boarding schools, or pesantrens, the institutions have endured suspicion and prejudice for their perceived conservatism and radicalism.

A new film seeks to counter these perceptions by following the friendship of six Muslim boys.

Director Affandi Abdul Rachman’s “Negeri 5 Menara” (“The Land of Five Towers”) is an adaptation of the best-selling novel by Ahmad Fuadi published in 2009, and offers an alternative portrayal of pesantrens.

The plot follows Alif (Gazza Zubizzaretha), whose mother asks him to attend Pondok Madani, a boarding school in Ponorogo, East Java. But Alif is reluctant to go. He idolizes former President B.J. Habibie, but Alif’s mother wants him to be like Hamka, a prominent Indonesian author and cleric.

Born and raised in Minangkabau, West Sumatra, Alif is horrified at the idea of leaving his home and friends to move to East Java. But out of respect for his parents, Alif acquiesces.

And while he initially dislikes the boarding school, which restricts activities like watching TV, Alif eventually makes friends with his roommates: Said (Ernest Samudera), Baso (Billy Sandi), Atang (Rizki Ramdani), Dulmajid (Aris Adnanda Putra) and Raja (Jiofani Lubis).

These boys come from all across Indonesia, from islands including Java, Sulawesi and Sumatra.

Alif is intrigued by how the school embraces foreign languages; English and Arabic are heard throughout the school. He learns an Islamic phrase from his teacher, “Man Jadda Wajada,” which means “He who gives his all will surely succeed.” Alif joins the school’s newspaper to learn more about Pondok Madani.

During their free time, Alif and his roommates gather by the mosque’s minarets, and soon start calling themselves “Sahibul Menara,” or the tower’s owners.

As their friendship grows, the boys dream of traveling together, and each has his own ideal destination. Alif wants to go to America, Atang wants to study at Al-Azhar University in Egypt, Baso hopes to be able to go to Mecca, Raja dreams of England while Said and Dulmajid both want to travel around Indonesia.

The six of them promise each other they will make their dreams come true, and make a pact called “The Land of Five Towers,” where each tower symbolizes each destination.

Scriptwriter Salman Aristo said his adaptation of “Negeri 5 Menara” differed noticeably from the book. For example, the character Baso plays a very prominent role in the movie. Author Ahmad, however, said he was satisfied with Salman’s film because it embraced the spirit of a modern Islamic boarding school.

“Negeri 5 Menara” was Ahmad’s attempt to portray Gontor, a prestigious Islamic boarding school in East Java, in a more positive light. Ahmad was himself a student at the pesantren from 1988 to 1992, and parts in his novel are inspired by his own experiences.

“Negeri 5 Menara” is the first in a trilogy — he has already written the second book, “Ranah Tiga Warna” (“The Realm of Three Colors”), and is working on a third.

For Ahmad, his experiences at Gontor made a lasting impression. The school accepts students from all over Indonesia and from abroad, and (similar to the movie) teaches in English and Arabic in addition to Indonesian.

“I came from a small village, and Gontor made me feel like a global citizen,” Ahmad said. “My classmates came from all over the nation. It gave me broader understanding of being an Indonesian.”

Director Affandi, who did not attend a pesantren, spent a significant amount of time at Gontor to better understand the students’ mind-set.

But because the film was shot during a school holiday, Affandi was unable to get the kinds of scenes he wanted.

“I couldn’t get all 4,600 students because only about 1,000 were still on campus. But I got a shot where they run to the school’s mosque, which is beautiful,” he said.

Affandi filmed in Gontor boarding school in Ponorogo, Lake Maninjau in West Sumatra, Bandung as well as in London.

The director said he was most impressed by the diligence of the students. He noticed that some students stayed up until 2 a.m., but were still up for morning prayers at dawn. These are the details that the director tried to portray in the film.

Affandi wanted to feature young actors who embodied the ethnic diversity Ahmad portrays in his novel, and all six boys are fresh talents who make their silver screen debut in “Negeri 5 Menara.”

Gazza, who originally comes from Medan, said he practiced Alif’s Padangnese accent by talking with Ahmad. While he is a Muslim, Gazza never attended an Islamic boarding school either.

Consequently, Affandi held a “boot camp” for the young actors before the shooting began to allow them to better understand their roles.

“I locked these boys in a cave for two and a half months,” Affandi joked. “It’s how I made them bond. I also trained them to cry.”

“Negeri 5 Menara” hits local cinemas on March 1.