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Exclusive: South Korea’s Showbox has landed international sales rights to Sleep No More, the upcoming body horror feature from Indonesian filmmaker Edwin, and will begin talks at the Cannes market.

It marks a significant step for the company in expanding its slate beyond Korea, representing Showbox’s first title directly solely by an Indonesian filmmaker and produced by an Indonesian outfit (it previously handled Indonesian-language film The Verdict but this was produced and presented by Korean companies and co-directed by both Korean and Indonesian directors).

Sleep No More marks the latest feature from Edwin, who became the first director...

With Indonesia’s first film market taking place during Jaff, the enthusiasm for the festival was even bigger, in a way that is actually quite contagious, particularly since the overwhelming majority of the audience were in their 20s, with their attitude giving the whole thing a party essence that was quite appealing. The program was also interesting, with the local films taking a rather large part of the program, allowing for new discoveries in an industry that is dominated by horror movies, but actually produces a number of other genres. Also of interest is the fact that the local productions seem to move more towards mainstream paths, something that also dictates the festival’s program, in contrast to European film festivals who usually pick the arthouse path.

Without further ado, take a look at our coverage of Jaff

Film Review: A Brother and 7 Siblings (2024) by Yandy Laurens

Dimas Bagus Triatma...

Jakarta Film Week 2024 was officially opened on October 23, 2024 with great excitement at Cgv Grand Indonesia, Jakarta. Now in its fourth year, the festival continues to demonstrate its commitment to strengthening Indonesia’s film ecosystem and bringing local

films to the international stage.

The commitment of the Jakarta Provincial Tourism and Creative Economy Agency (Disparekraf) and the Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology (Kemendikbudristek) in supporting the film industry

The Jakarta Provincial Tourism and Creative Economy Agency (Disparekraf) continues to support Jakarta Film Week as a way to encourage the growth of the national film industry. This

festival also strengthens the film ecosystem and helps Indonesian films gain broader recognition on an international scale.

In line with this, Nuzul Kristanto, Head of the Film Appreciation and Literacy Task Force at the Directorate of Film, Music, and Media (Pmm) of the Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology (Kemendikbudristek), expressed the...

Ali Topan follows a structure that has been seen in many Indian films (of various regions) countless times. A rich girl falls for a poor boy. The two of them elope, with the girl’s family going after them. Most of the time, there’s a stock character—a loser—the girl’s family wants her to marry; this film is no exception. Of course, Sidharta Tara’s Indonesian drama is the latest adaptation of the 1971 Indonesian novel “Ali Topan Street Child” (a 1977 film of the same name was the first adaptation). This version is set in the present day, and it has a heavily political angle, going hand in hand with the central romance. Also, the lead characters, Ali Topan and Anna Karenina (clearly an homage), are quite smart and pragmatic, contrary to what you usually see in films of this kind. Actors Jefri Nichol and Lutesha have a magnetic presence,...

"It will be the end of a corrupt system!" There's a new Indonesian action thriller arriving to watch soon on VOD in the US titled 13 Bombs in Jakarta, also known as simply 13 Bombs. This intense thriller first premiered and opened in Indonesia last year, and recently played at the 2024 Rotterdam Film Festival a few months ago. A government organization races against time to uncover and stop the mastermind behind the placement of 13 bombs in Jakarta before the city falls into chaos. IFFR adds this intriguing detail: "Loosely inspired by the biggest financial fraud in Indonesian history, Angga Dwimas Sasongko’s smart, taut action thriller 13 Bombs revolves around the promises and treacheries of digital currencies. The narrative weaves together three points of view: those of the entrepreneurs, the bureau, & the militants themselves, who come across not as dramatic abstractions, but full-fledged characters with rational, even humanist motivations." 13 Bombs...

Action blockbusters are not exactly the norm in Asian cinema, particularly outside of China, since the budget usually needed to shoot such a film is definitely a preventative factor. However, when these types of titles do come out, there seem to be from Indonesia, where, along with a number of other Asean countries, is where the epicenter of action/martial arts movies lies. Angga Dwimas Sasongko has come up with a film like that with “13 Bombs”, in a movie that also tries to incorporate some modern elements in the action, namely social commentary, the concept of cryptocurrency and the significant presence of women.

13 Bombs is screening at International Film Festival Rotterdam

When a van carrying money explodes in the middle of the street, actually allowing the passerby to pick the money inside, the Indonesian Bureau of Counter-Terrorism gets immediately notified, although the person in-charge, Damascus, does not want...

As we have mentioned many times the past few years, it seems that the future of Asian cinema lies somewhere among the Asean countries, with the filmmakers from the particular region having both the inspiration and the command of the medium to present new things, both in terms of stories and cinematic approach. Malaysia in particular seems to have one of its greatest years in that regard, with the huge success of “Tiger Stripes” being the tip of the iceberg. Indonesian audience seems to have returned to cinemas even more massively than before the pandemic, the Filipino film industry is also experiencing a boom in the last few years, particularly in amount of titles, while the rest of the countries in the region are following close by, mostly through approaches that combine genre with art-house filmmaking.

Without further ado, here are 30 movies that highlighted all the aforementioned in 2023, in reverse order,...

A rich girl and a street punk fall in love and run away together in Sidharta Tata’s polished adaptation of Teguh Esha's beloved novel Ali Topan Anak Jalanan, which was previously brought to the screen in the 1977 movie of the same name, as well as an iconic 90s TV show. Premiering as part of the Window on Asian Cinema section at this year’s Busan International Film Festival, Ali Topan brings together two of Indonesia’s hottest young performers for an effective update of this classic tale of star-crossed lovers from opposite sides of the tracks. Lutesha stars as the wonderfully named Anna Karenina, younger daughter of an incredibly wealthy minister and property tycoon, who meets the roguish, handsome bad boy with a heart of...

[Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]...

Exclusive: Indonesian actor Reza Rahadian and director Yosep Anggi Noen are attending Busan International Film Festival with their dystopian crime drama 24 Hours With Gaspar, which is receiving its world premiere in the festival’s Jiseok competition.

An adaptation of Sabda Armandio’s 2017 novel of the same name, the fast-paced thriller is the biggest budget film that Noen, an award-winning arthouse filmmaker, has ever made and marks the first time he’s worked with Rahadian and Laura Basuki, who are both big stars in Indonesia. Upcoming actress Shenina Cinnamon also stars in the film.

Noen says he was approached to direct the project by Angga Dwimas Sasongko, founder of Indonesia’s Visinema Pictures and immediately agreed because he liked the book. “It’s a story about loss, because the main character is coming to terms with losing his friend, but it’s also a visualization of a dystopian Indonesia which we’ve rarely seen,...

Adapted by Teguh EshaTegu’s 1977 novel, “Ali Topan” is an effort to place the classic trope of the rich girl falling in love with a cool, poor boy within an Indonesian context, while adding a number of social comments in the romantic basis.

Ali Topan is screening at Busan International Film Festival

The movie introduces Ali Topan being chased by the police along with a friend of his, making fun of the local authorities, under the sounds of punkish music. It turns out that the young man, despite his somewhat delinquent ways, is very loved in the Blok M community he is living in, where he makes a living running music events. Eventually, a common acquaintance brings Anna, the rich daughter of the owner of a conglomerate, and the two soon, after some convincing on Ali Topan’s part, start dating. However, neither Anna’s father nor Boy, a young...

Indonesian comedy action movie “The Big 4” is the second most watched non-English-language film of the past week, new data shows.

Directed by Timo Tjahjanto, “The Big 4” tells the story of a by-the-book female detective who investigates the death of her father and follows a clue to a remote tropical island, only to find out his true identity as a leader of a group of assassins. Now hunted by his enemies, she has to team up with the crooks her father had trained – four retired, down on their luck assassins itching to get back in the game.

For the week of Dec. 12 to 18, the movie ranks second in the streamer’s global non-English film list with 16.4 million hours viewed. The top title over the same period was “God’s Crooked Lines” which debuted at the San Sebastian film festival and had a limited theatrical career in its native Spain.

Earlier this week,...

Indonesian action comedy The Big 4, directed by Timo Tjahjanto, has entered Netflix’s Global Non-English Film chart at number two for the week December 12-18 with 16.4 million hours viewed.

The Netflix Original has also entered the Top 10 Country Film list in 53 countries, including Indonesia where it is the number one film. Spanish drama God’s Crooked Lines, directed by Oriol Paulo, is currently the number one global non-English film in its second week of release.

“What a great honor to have my work recognized across the globe, a particularly Indonesian story that’s close to my heart,” said Tjahjanto. “It is thrilling to witness how the story can resonate and travel the world, which is made possible by Netflix.”

The Big 4 revolves around a by-the-book female detective who investigates the death of her father and follows a clue to a remote tropical island, only to find out his true...

Following a series of films that are quite brutal or horrific (or both), Timo Tjahjanto decided to change his style a bit, by implementing intense comic elements in his narrative in a distinctly comic-book style, retaining, though, the aforementioned aspects. The result is “The Big 4”, which has now started to stream on Netflix.

The intro scene of the movie sets the tone for what is about to follow, as it starts inside an orphanage whose owners use the kids in order to harvest organs. Enter the titular Big 4, leader Topan, sniper Jenggo, tempered Alpha, the only woman of the group, and youngster Pelor, who save the children there while creating mayhem in their path, killing the bad guys in the most brutal, to the point of funny, ways. A bit later on, it is revealed that the group also has a leader, Petrus, who coordinates their efforts, while retaining a father-children relationship with them.

The Big Four is an action/adventure/comedy movie directed by Timo Tjahjanto starring Abimana Aryasatya, Putri Marino, Arie Kriting, Lutesha and Kristo Immanuel.

An entertaining, action-packed movie that has the virtue of not taking itself too seriously. Two hour and half of over-the-top action and comedic moments.

Premise

A by-the-book female detective teams up with four down-on-their-luck assassins to investigate her father’s murder.

About the Movie

In the first scene a child is left in the care of an orphanage, and we will soon find out that it is in fact an organ farm. What follows is a blood-fest of action, with kicking and punching, shooting and heads being blown off. And just like that, the tone is set in this feature about a team of vigilantes trained by the Big Boss, Petrus (the father), who will combat any and all injustices.

The Big 4 (2022)

The excess action and violence,...

"Once we go in, father's dream will be destroyed." Netflix has revealed an official trailer for The Big 4, an Indonesian action comedy from acclaimed Indonesian genre filmmaker Timo Tjahjanto. It's debuting on Netflix in December in just a few more weeks. The film tells the story of an elite assassin targeted by murderous gangsters after sparing a girl's life during a massacre. Four hitmen who have hung up their swords must return to the game when they encounter a virtuous police officer with a mission to catch a heinous villain who always escapes authorities. Starring Putri Marino, Abimana Aryasatya, Lutesha, Kristo Immanuel, and Arie Kriting, with Marthino Lio, Michelle Tahalea, Kho Michael, and Budi Ros. This looks like an intense blast of fun from Indonesia, with plenty of badass action and kooky characters. Maybe not the best trailer but it looks like an entertaining comedy. ›››

View the Post: Fun Trailer...

The Big 4 Trailer — Timo Tjahjanto‘s The Big 4 (2022) movie trailer has been released by Netflix. The Big 4 trailer stars Putri Marino, Abimana Aryasatya, Lutesha, Kristo Immanuel, and Arie Kriting. Plot Synopsis The Big 4‘s plot synopsis: “Four hitmen hang up their swords but must return to the game when they encounter a [...]

Continue reading: The Big 4 (2022) Movie Trailer: Four Retired Assassins are called Back into Action to Track-down a Murderer...

The last time Timo Tjahjanto delved in the action genre was with 2018’s superb “The Night Comes for Us”. While he has since been making horror films, he returns soon to action with “The Big 4”, which is gearing up for release on Netflix soon. However, never one to be legion-holed, Timo changes things up, with this being is first action comedy.

Synopsis

Four retired assassins spring back into action when they cross paths with a straight-arrow cop who is determined to track down an elusive murder.

The film stars Abimana Aryasatya, Putri Marino, Arie Kriting, Lutesha, Kristo Immanuel, Marthino Lio, Michelle Tahalia, Budi Ros and Donny Damara. It releases on Netflix worldwide on December 15th.

by Joseph Leong

Premiering at the 26th Busan International Film Festival in 2021 and streaming on Netflix since January 2022, “Photocopier” (Penyalin Cahaya) is Indonesian film director and screenwriter Wregas Bhanuteja’s feature-length debut.

This mystery thriller follows student Sur, played by Shenina Cinnamon, as she seeks to discover the truth behind how photos of her at a party had circulated online. Having failed in her scholarship application as a result of said photos, Sur performs an investigation of her own after her claims are dismissed by the interview board and father, only to uncover a startling series of numerous victims who have fallen prey to the same fate. Told mainly from the perspective of Sur as she embarks upon her quest, viewers are offered a voyeuristic look into the lives of those she investigates.

While at times forcing the viewer to question if her methods are justifiable, Sur is nonetheless a...

Following the critical and commercial success of the first May the Devil Take You, director Timo Tjahjanto brings several costars back this go-round for a second thrilling chapter in the series of Alfie confronting terrifying ghostly beings. Despite a few minor miscalculations from time-to-time, this is a spectacular and rewarding sequel now available to stream on Shudder.

Believing she has survived the ordeal, Alfie (Chelsea Islan) and Nara (Hadijah Shahab) try to get by with their lives only to be suddenly attacked and kidnapped by a group of intruders one evening. Revealing themselves as Budi, (Baskara Mahendra) Marta, (Karina Salim), Leo (Arya Vasco), Gadis (Widika Sidmore) and Kristi (Lutesha) who under the guise of Jenar (Shareefa Daanish) bring her back to the orphanage in order to help them deal with a spirit haunting the group. Realizing the spirit they’ve encounter is similar in appearance and intensity...