Abisin Abbas, better known by his pseudonym Andjar Asmara, was a dramatist and filmmaker active in the cinema of the Dutch East Indies. Born in Alahan Panjang, West Sumatra, he first worked as a reporter in Batavia. He became a writer for the Padangsche Opera in Padang, where he developed a new, dialogue-centric style, which later spread throughout the region. After returning to Batavia in 1929, he spent over a year as a theatre and film critic. In 1930 he joined the Dardanella touring troupe as a writer. He went to India in an unsuccessful bid to film his stage play Dr Samsi.

Alahan Panjang is a village in the kecamatan of Lembah Gumanti, Solok, West Sumatra, Indonesia. The village is located on Kerinci Seblat National Park's eastern slopes, at an altitude of 1,400–1,600 metres (4,600–5,200 ft), near Mount Talang. Situated between Alahan Panjang and the other nearby major town of Muara Labuh are the subvillages of Air Dingin Barat, Alang Laweh, and Sungai Kalau II.