Celebrating its 20th edition, Jogja-NETPAC Asian Film Festival (JAFF) continues to spotlight Indonesian cinema with a raft of seven world premieres of local titles, including closing film Comedy Buddy by Aco Tenriyagelli.
A further three films are vying for the Indonesian Screen Awards: Andi Imam Prakasa’s documentary Dancing With The Body, Ardiansah Sulistiana’s action film The Tiger and Misya Latief’s family drama Worn Out.
Screen profiles six world premiere titles below except for Lost In The Spotlight (aka Lupa Daratan) directed by Ernest Prakasa, the hitmaker producer behind last year’s massive hit Agak Laen, which will be launched on Netflix’s streaming platform after the festival.
Sidharta Tata’s Ikatan Darah, which is receiving an Asian premiere at JAFF, is also in competition at the Indonesian Screen Awards.
Comedy Buddy (aka Suka Duka Tawa)
Dir. Aco Tenriyagelli
JAFF closing film is a comedy drama about a female stand-up comedian, a character rarely explored in Indonesian cinema, who wants to take revenge on her father, a famous comedian who abandoned her since childhood, by revealing his secrets in her performance. Lead actress Rachel Amanda has worked with director Aco on his short films Java Man and We Have No idea. It is produced by Bion Studios from Visinema Group and Spasi Moving Image as the first feature for short film and music video director Aco. A local release is scheduled on January 8.
Contact: Visinema Pictures
Dancing With The Body (Lenggak-Lenggok)
Dir. Andi Imam Prakasa
Running in the Indonesian Screen Awards, this documentary was shot entirely in black-and-white to offer an intimate portrait of the timeless resilience of a traditional performing art that is increasingly marginalised. Through the lives of grassroot Jaipong dancers from West Java, the film showcases their moving bodies and distinctive voices as they perform on small stages and in local communities. While none of them is nationally known, they keep alive the spirit that preserves their cultural heritage despite the changing times. It is produced by director Andi’s production company Padamu Negri Pictures, which focuses on stories of culture and identity.
Contact: Padamu Negri Pictures
Gestures Of Care
Dir. Aryo Danusiri
Playing in the Indonesian Film Showcase, this Indonesia-Australia ecological documentary explores how the indigenous Dayak people in Central Kalimantan navigate climate challenges that require them to end their traditional practices of using fire to clear land before a new farming season and sustain anti-fire initiatives in their villages to prevent wildfires. It has received support from Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT). Aryo is a video artist and anthropologist whose works have been featured at film festivals and art galleries such as Yamagata, Rotterdam and the Whitney Biennial. He holds a PhD in social anthropology with critical media practice from Harvard University and teaches anthropology at the University of Indonesia.
Contact: Ragam Production
Ikatan Darah
Dir. Sidharta Tata
Following its world premiere at Fantastic Fest in the US, the first action film produced by The Raid star Iko Uwais’s company Uwais Pictures made its Asian premiere at JAFF’s Indonesian Screen Awards. It follows a female Silat martial artist who must end her career due to an injury, only to find herself fighting for her and her brother’s life when an army of henchmen want to avenge the death of a loan shark. Sidharta was in advertising before directing his first feature, 2023’s horror film Waktu Maghrib, which became a smash hit in Indonesia with 2.4 million admissions. His works also include Netflix series Tunnel (as co-director) and Ali Topan, which premiered in at Busan in 2023.
Contact: Ryan Santoso, Uwais Pictures
The Last Supper (Perjamuan Terakhir)
Dir. Daniel Rudi Haryanto
This documentary playing in the Indonesian Film Showcase, tracks three former political prisoners from Suharto’s authoritarian regime that spanned from 1966-1998: a musician locked up in a concentration camp for 10 years, and a radioman and a farmer detained for one year. Now in their twilight years, they hope to find justice and restore their political and citizen rights. Daniel is a documentary filmmaker with a keen interest in culture, identity and social issues whose works include 2010’s Prison And Paradise, winner of the Directors Guild of Japan Award at Yamagata Documentary Film Festival. Fluid Boundaries, which he co-directed, screened at Busan and DMZ International in 2014.
Contact: Produksi Dari Hati
The Tiger
Dir. Ardiansah Sulistiana
This traditional martial arts film was presented in the inaugural JAFF Future Project last year and now returns to premiere at JAFF’s Indonesian Screen Awards competition. The story follows a family of Silat martial artists whose hidden legacy of tiger fighting style is exposed when a chili vendor at the local market unintentionally displays his extraordinary skills, attracting the unwanted attention of outsiders. The cast is led by Epy Kusnandar and Cecep Arif Rahman, a Silat grandmaster whose credits include The Raid 2 and John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum. It is set in Garut – director Ardiansah’s hometown in West Java – and is produced by ANP Films’ Aris Nugraha.
Contact: ANP Films
Worn Out (Judheg)
Dir. Misya Latief
This drama competing in the Indonesian Screen Awards focuses on a teenage girl going through a rough patch in life, from struggling to producing milk to breastfeed her young baby to surviving her husband’s domestic violence. She must make a choice between staying in the toxic household and leaving for a better life. Misya began filmmaking in junior high school, having produced award-winning short films such as 2009’s Clothes For Grandpa and 2013’s Lawuh Boled. Her short filmmaking achievements earned her a full scholarship to the Indonesian Television Academy in 2014. Judheg, her directorial feature debut, is produced by Rekam Films’ Yuda Kurniawan.
Contact: Yuda Kurniawan, Rekam Films
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