Indonesia’s cinematic renaissance under the spotlight in Busan

Indonesia will shine bright at this year’s Busan International Film Festival (BIFF), which has dedicated a special programme to showcase the country’s emergence as a major player in the global market.

The festival’s Renaissance of Indonesia Cinema lineup comprises seven features and series as well as five short films. Three are world premieres: Yosep Anggi Noen’s science-fiction feature 24 Hours With Gaspar, LGBTQ-themed Sara by Ismail Basbeth, and Netflix series Cigarette Girl from Kamila Andini and Ifa Isfansyah (see below).

BIFF programmer Park Sungho, who curated the programme, notes how Indonesia was somehow falling under the international radar, despite its deep history and rich culture.

“It’s not just cinema that is captivating, they are also strong in music, literature, painting and performing arts,” he says. “It’s about time to celebrate their achievements and explore what makes the Indonesian film industry strong. Last year, the [local] box office was one of the first to recover from the pandemic, while Korea and some other countries are still suffering.”

BIFF previously dedicated a special programme featuring director Garin Nugroho and up-and-­coming Indonesian directors in 2004. “Filmmakers had passion and skills back then,” recalls Park, who has been following Southeast Asian cinema for several years. “I believe they have now found the way to capitalise on their success. The domestic market share is very positive. The local audience has become more passionate, which encourages more storytelling.”

For this year’s focus, Park has curated a wide range of films from the last decade to reflect the most recent trends of Indonesian cinema. These also include Joko Anwar’s horror Impetigore (2019), dark teen romance Posesif (2017) by Edwin, romantic drama What They Don’t Talk About When They Talk About Love (2013) by Mouly Surya and BW Purba Negara’s Tales Of The Other­words (2016).

BIFF has been a launchpad for these Indonesian directors who are regulars at the festival, having either had their first feature films screened in Busan or attended the Busan Asian Film Academy. Edwin, whose feature debut Blind Pig Who Wants To Fly competed in BIFF’s New Currents section in 2008, returns as a jury member for the competitive strand.

Awards success

While the local box office is generating big business, Indonesian cinema has been garnering international accolades. It was a profound moment when Edwin’s Vengeance Is Mine, All Others Pay Cash won the Golden Leopard at Locarno in 2021. Other recent notable successes include Mouly’s Marlina The Murderer In Four Acts, which premiered in Directors’ Fortnight at Cannes 2017; Garin’s Memories Of My Body from Venice 2018’s Horizons; and Yuni by Garin’s daughter Kamila Andini, which won the top prize in Toronto’s Platform in 2021.

Makbul Mubarak’s Auto­bio­graphy, which has received more than 20 awards following its premiere in Venice’s Horizons last year, is now selected to represent Indonesia in the Oscars race, and Wregas Bhanuteja’s Andragogy received its world premiere last month in Toronto’s Discovery strand.

This year, two international productions from Southeast Asia co-produced by Indonesia’s Yulia Evina Bhara stood out. Malaysian director Amanda Nell Eu’s Tiger Stripes scooped the Critics’ Week grand prize at Cannes, and Singapore director Nelson Yeo’s Dreaming & Dying took the filmmakers of the present Golden Leopard and first feature award at Locarno.

“The Indonesian film industry is evolving with the climate of its cultural, economic and political growth,” says Sara director Ismail. “Due to the size of the demographics [Indonesia has the world’s fourth-­largest population], the industry keeps making progress despite the lack of long-term and sustainable government initiatives.”

He adds: “However, eager filmmakers from this generation can bring change to the industry because the internet and digital era of cinema might break the limitation of access and resources of the previous generations.”

While Asian countries including the Philippines, Singapore and Taiwan have regional funding schemes in place to encourage international collaborations, Indonesia finally jumped on the bandwagon when the Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology (MoECRT) launched a $10m film matching fund grant in May for international projects with an Indonesian producer or director attached.

Netflix has also made Indonesian content accessible across the world. Cigarette Girl is the streamer’s first Indonesian period drama and will have its world premiere at BIFF before a global launch on the platform.

Five short films are also showcased in the Renaissance of Indonesia Cinema programme, including the world premiere of Nirartha Bas Diwangkara’s Where The Wild Frangipanis Grow, Khozy Rizal’s Basri & Salma In A Never-­Ending Comedy, which premiered in Cannes’ short-film competition this year (both produced by veteran John Badalu), Vania On Lima Street by Bayu Prihantoro Filemon, Dancing Colours by M Reza Fahriyansyah and The Sea Calls For Me by Tumpal Tampubolon.

“All five directors are prepping their first feature-length films,” says curator Park. “Don’t miss the screenings to discover the next cineastes from Indonesia.” Among the new directors, Tumpal has shot his first feature Crocodile Tears, which is currently in post-production.

A further two Indonesian feature films are set for their world premieres in BIFF’s A Window on Asian Cinema strand: Sidharta Tata’s second feature Ali Topan and Jeremias Nyangoen’s debut Women From Rote Island. 

24 Hours With Gaspar

Dir Yosep Anggi Noen
This near-future sci-fi focuses on a detective in a mismanaged society where humanity is suffering. It was presented at Busan’s Asian Project Market last year and now returns to premiere in BIFF’s Jiseok competition. The cast includes Reza Rahadian, Shenina Cinnamon and Berlinale award winner Laura Basuki (Before, Now & Then). It is produced by Yulia Evina Bhara’s KawanKawan Media and Cristian Imanuell’s Visinema. Yosep previously directed Peculiar Vacation And Other Illnesses (2012), Solo, Solitude (2016) and The Science Of Fictions (2019), all of which premiered at Locarno.
Contact Yulia Evina Bhara, KawanKawan Media

Cigarette Girl

Dirs Kamila Andini, Ifa Isfansyah
Based on a novel by Ratih Kumala, Netflix period series Cigarette Girl is a family drama and epic romance spanning two timeframes. It is set against the backdrop of Indonesia’s clove industry, which is closely linked to the history of the country. Starring Dian Sastrowardoyo, Ario Bayu and Putri Marino, it is directed by husband-and-wife team Ifa and Kamila (Before, Now & Then) and produced by Base Entertainment with Shanty Harmayn and Tanya Yuson as showrunners. BIFF will world premiere the first two of the series’ five episodes.
Contact Mira Febri Mellya, Netflix Indonesia

Sara

Dir Ismail Basbeth
Loosely based on stories from his childhood, director Ismail’s latest film follows a trans woman who decides to play-act as her recently deceased father — who was the reason she ran away from the family almost two decades ago — after her bereaved mother loses any memory of her. It was shot in a remote location near Ismail’s hometown of Wonosobo in central Java. Ismail is a self-taught filmmaker, artist, writer and singer/songwriter. His directing credits include Another Trip To The Moon, which played in competition at Rotterdam in 2015, and Crescent Moon, which competed in Tokyo’s Asian Future strand.
Contact Charlie Meliala, Bosan Berisik Lab

• Busan 2023 line-up guide: New Currents and Jiseok competition titles