Bridging Modernity and Religiosity: A Semiotic Analysis of Islamic Values Representation in Contemporary Indonesian Digital Cinema

Abstract

Ethics and morality are central to Islamic education in shaping youth character and spirituality. In the digital era, when media strongly influences adolescents’ values and behavior, film can become an effective medium for contextual Islamic teaching. This study analyzes the representation of Islamic values in *Santri Pilihan Bunda* through symbols, narrative structure, and character development, while offering a different focus from Harahap (2025), which examines children’s animated films with explicit religious symbols. Unlike that study, this research explores a youth-oriented digital series and how Islamic values are negotiated within modern popular culture. Using a qualitative semiotic approach, the study examines scenes, dialogues, and visual signs through repeated viewing and interpretation. The findings show that the film represents key Islamic values, including parental responsibility, the sanctity of relationships through *ta’aruf*, respect for parents, sincerity, patience, and the spirit of *hijrah* (self-improvement). The film also constructs these values as a counter-narrative to permissive culture by framing app-based dating and social-media virality as signs of moral crisis, then presenting *ta’aruf*, family authority, the pesantren environment, and religious rituals as symbols of moral restoration. Thus, *Santri Pilihan Bunda* functions not only as entertainment, but also as a medium of *da‘wah* and character education for Muslim youth in the digital age.