Cambodian director Polen Ly’s Becoming Human scooped the top prize at Jogja-NETPAC Asian Film Festival (JAFF)’s landmark 20th edition as Kristo Immanuel’s Better Off Dead swept the parallel Indonesian Screen Awards.
Becoming Human, which follows the spirit guardian of an abandoned cinema who must decide to become human or remain a homeless ghost, received the Golden Hanoman award at the festival’s closing ceremony at Yogyakarta’s Empire XXI on December 6. It also won the Netpac award.
The film premiered at Venice’s Biennale Cinema in August before travelling to Busan, BFI London, Hong Kong Asia, Singapore and Taipei Golden Horse film festivals.
The Silver Hanoman went to Thailand’s A Useful Ghost by Ratchapoom Boonbunchachoke, which previously won Cannes’ Critics’ Week grand prize.
The jury special mention was handed to Antoinette Jadaone’s Filippino drama Sunshine and also picked up the Geber award. The film premiered at Toronto before going on to play the Berlinale, where it won the Crystal Bear for best film in Generation 14plus.
At the Indonesia Screen Awards, which run parallel to the festival, dark comedy Better Off Dead won five prizes including best film, best director and best screenplay. The feature directorial debut of Indonesian actor-turned-filmmaker Kristo and produced by Imajinari, its awards haul included best film, best director and best screenplay.
The jury comprised Eric Khoo, Suryana Paramita and Tumpal Tampubolon for JAFF’s main competition, and Amir Muhammad, Antoinette Jadaone and Puiyee Leong for the Indonesian Screen Awards.
Record attendance
This year’s festival drew a record 30,000 visitors, making it JAFF’s largest edition to date.
“Two decades of JAFF are about togetherness, celebration, and mutual trust,” said JAFF festival director Ifa Isfansyah. “Moving forward, the challenges will only grow, particularly in how we think about the sustainability of the film ecosystem amid rapid changes in media and digital landscapes.”
He added that the expansion of digital platforms and the shifting patterns of film consumption demand constant re-evaluation, not only of programming formats, but also of the festival’s role in sustaining filmmakers.
This year’s festival showcased 27 world premieres and 87 Indonesian premieres from a lineup of 227 films from 43 countries. It included works by 34 debut directors and 63 female directors as part of its commitment to nurture new talent and support women filmmakers.
JAFF programme director Alexander Matius noted the vibrant atmosphere and audience engagement throughout the festival. “Many discussions took place, including Q&A sessions with filmmakers that lasted well into the early hours of the morning and were attended enthusiastically by almost the entire audience,” said Matius. “This was an extraordinary experience, one that does not always happen.”
Some 47 discussions, forums and public lectures were held during the eight-day festival that ran from November 29 to December 6.
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