Stories about fine-dining chefs, tobacco artisans and detective bloggers have burst into life on screens across Southeast Asia. Streaming giants in the region are increasingly placing their series bets on creators armed with a glittering list of prizes from the international festival circuit, and independent filmmakers and producers are making high-production-value shows with small-to-midrange budgets. The result? A veritable “prestige TV” wave on streamers. It’s a development sure to drive chatter at the Asia TV Forum & Market, which is part of the larger Singapore Media Festival umbrella running from Nov. 30 to Dec. 10.
After winning awards at the Berlin and Toronto festivals, Indonesian director Kamila Andini has kept busy with the Netflix series Cigarette Girl and the Amazon film 4 Seasons in Java. An ambitious period drama revolving around Indonesia’s clove cigarette industry in the 1960s, Cigarette Girl has ranked on Netflix’s global top 10 list for non-English series for two consecutive weeks,...
After winning awards at the Berlin and Toronto festivals, Indonesian director Kamila Andini has kept busy with the Netflix series Cigarette Girl and the Amazon film 4 Seasons in Java. An ambitious period drama revolving around Indonesia’s clove cigarette industry in the 1960s, Cigarette Girl has ranked on Netflix’s global top 10 list for non-English series for two consecutive weeks,...
- 12/7/2023
- by Sara Merican
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Acclaimed film-making duo Kamila Andini and Ifa Isfansyah take a calculatedly side-on approach to Indonesian societal history in “Cigarette Girl,” a new Netflix series that releases on Nov.1 and which premiered its first episodes at the Busan International Film Festival earlier this month.
Starting with a wealthy family about to lose its aging patriarch in 2001, the series uses flashbacks to the 1960s to uncover not only the origins of the family’s herbal cigarette or ‘Kretek’ fortune, but also the hidden romance underlying it. And it highlights the overbearing and only slowly changing societal pressures placed on women, from high and low ranks, even as Indonesian politics and government underwent tectonic shifts.
Ahead of the Busan premiere Andini and Isfansyah told Variety how their lush and romantic treatment is both a product of changing society and a way of facing up to recent Indonesian history.
Watch the new trailer here:...
Starting with a wealthy family about to lose its aging patriarch in 2001, the series uses flashbacks to the 1960s to uncover not only the origins of the family’s herbal cigarette or ‘Kretek’ fortune, but also the hidden romance underlying it. And it highlights the overbearing and only slowly changing societal pressures placed on women, from high and low ranks, even as Indonesian politics and government underwent tectonic shifts.
Ahead of the Busan premiere Andini and Isfansyah told Variety how their lush and romantic treatment is both a product of changing society and a way of facing up to recent Indonesian history.
Watch the new trailer here:...
- 10/19/2023
- by Patrick Frater
- Variety Film + TV
Indonesian filmmakers Kamila Andini and Ifa Isfansyah are making their Netflix debut with five-part series Cigarette Girl (Gadis Kretek), which streams worldwide from November 2.
Deadline sat down with the husband-and-wife filmmaking team, both award-winning arthouse directors in their own right, in Busan International Film Festival, where the first few episodes of the series world premiered as part of the festival’s Indonesia Special Program.
Based on Ratih Kumala’s novel ‘Gadis Kretek’, the story spans two time periods – in the 1960s, the daughter of a family business producing Indonesia’s world-famous clove cigarettes struggles to make her mark in a male-dominated industry, while in the early 2000s, a young man is searching for a mystery woman to fulfil his father’s dying wish.
Dian Sastrowardoyo and Ario Bayu, both big stars in Indonesia, play the love struck main characters in the 1960s, while Putri Marino and Arya Saloka play a...
Deadline sat down with the husband-and-wife filmmaking team, both award-winning arthouse directors in their own right, in Busan International Film Festival, where the first few episodes of the series world premiered as part of the festival’s Indonesia Special Program.
Based on Ratih Kumala’s novel ‘Gadis Kretek’, the story spans two time periods – in the 1960s, the daughter of a family business producing Indonesia’s world-famous clove cigarettes struggles to make her mark in a male-dominated industry, while in the early 2000s, a young man is searching for a mystery woman to fulfil his father’s dying wish.
Dian Sastrowardoyo and Ario Bayu, both big stars in Indonesia, play the love struck main characters in the 1960s, while Putri Marino and Arya Saloka play a...
- 10/17/2023
- by Liz Shackleton
- Deadline Film + TV
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,...
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,...
- 10/11/2023
- by Liz Shackleton
- Deadline Film + TV
Distribution in Indonesia was the subject of a lively debate at the Busan International Film Festival’s Asian Contents and Film Market.
With 277 million people, Indonesia has one of the largest populations in the world. However, geographically it is an archipelago and for its population, the country is under-screened with just 2,300 cinema screens. Despite this, box office is booming. The 2022 total surpassed pre-pandemic 2019 levels, with more than 54 million admissions. Indonesia also operates under a unique distribution model in that there are no independent distributors. Producers instead deal directly with the country’s three major multiplex chains and a smattering of small cinemas in second and third tier cities.
“The country’s span is from Dublin to Istanbul, but we have only 2,300 screens,” said producer Angga Dwimas Sasangko of Visinema, whose “Ali Topan” is screening at Busan. Sasangko was speaking at a panel on Indonesian distribution that also included producer Shanty...
With 277 million people, Indonesia has one of the largest populations in the world. However, geographically it is an archipelago and for its population, the country is under-screened with just 2,300 cinema screens. Despite this, box office is booming. The 2022 total surpassed pre-pandemic 2019 levels, with more than 54 million admissions. Indonesia also operates under a unique distribution model in that there are no independent distributors. Producers instead deal directly with the country’s three major multiplex chains and a smattering of small cinemas in second and third tier cities.
“The country’s span is from Dublin to Istanbul, but we have only 2,300 screens,” said producer Angga Dwimas Sasangko of Visinema, whose “Ali Topan” is screening at Busan. Sasangko was speaking at a panel on Indonesian distribution that also included producer Shanty...
- 10/8/2023
- by Naman Ramachandran
- Variety Film + TV
It’s no exaggeration to say that Korea’s Busan International Film Festival (Biff) has been through a fair amount of drama this year.
The turmoil started in May when Biff chairman Lee Yong-kwan appointed a close associate, Cho Jongkook, as managing director alongside artistic director Huh Moonyung, a decision that proved highly unpopular with some sectors of the local Korean film industry.
Huh resigned, and in an apparently unrelated development, was accused of sexual harassment by a festival employee around the same time. Lee also resigned, Cho was dismissed by the Biff board, and Oh Seok-geun, director of Busan’s Asian Contents & Film Market (Acfm), who had supported Lee’s decision to hire Cho, also stepped down. By early July, four of the festival’s top management were out of the door.
Fortunately, the festival has a strong layer of middle management with many years experience. When the top brass departed,...
The turmoil started in May when Biff chairman Lee Yong-kwan appointed a close associate, Cho Jongkook, as managing director alongside artistic director Huh Moonyung, a decision that proved highly unpopular with some sectors of the local Korean film industry.
Huh resigned, and in an apparently unrelated development, was accused of sexual harassment by a festival employee around the same time. Lee also resigned, Cho was dismissed by the Biff board, and Oh Seok-geun, director of Busan’s Asian Contents & Film Market (Acfm), who had supported Lee’s decision to hire Cho, also stepped down. By early July, four of the festival’s top management were out of the door.
Fortunately, the festival has a strong layer of middle management with many years experience. When the top brass departed,...
- 10/3/2023
- by Liz Shackleton
- Deadline Film + TV
Kamila Andini is based in Jakarta, her concerns include culture, gender and the environment. Her second feature, “The Seen and the Unseen” (2017), enjoyed international success in 50 festivals worldwide, winning several awards.
Ifa Isfansyah is an Indonesian film director. Initially a maker of short films, his first featured film, Garuda di Dadaku (Garuda on my Chest), was released in 2009. His following film, Sang Penari (The Dancer), won four Citra Awards at the 2011 Indonesian Film Festival. Currently, he is mostly working as producer.
Gita Fara is a producer mostly known through her collaborations with Kamila Andini as much as films like “Preman”
On the occasion of “Before, Now & Then” screening at Red Sea International Film Festival, we speak with them about the difficulties of shooting a film in Sundanese and in different time periods of the past, the place of women in Indonesian society now and then, the local movie industry and many other topics.
Ifa Isfansyah is an Indonesian film director. Initially a maker of short films, his first featured film, Garuda di Dadaku (Garuda on my Chest), was released in 2009. His following film, Sang Penari (The Dancer), won four Citra Awards at the 2011 Indonesian Film Festival. Currently, he is mostly working as producer.
Gita Fara is a producer mostly known through her collaborations with Kamila Andini as much as films like “Preman”
On the occasion of “Before, Now & Then” screening at Red Sea International Film Festival, we speak with them about the difficulties of shooting a film in Sundanese and in different time periods of the past, the place of women in Indonesian society now and then, the local movie industry and many other topics.
- 12/20/2022
- by Panos Kotzathanasis
- AsianMoviePulse
In a gated compound camouflaged by the thick, dripping vegetation of inland Indonesia, all is quiet. A curtain may stir. The hushed commentary on a TV chess match may mutter indistinctly. An insect or two may chirrup. But mostly, this dark-cornered, sinister place, which is being minded by callow young caretaker Rakib (Kevin Ardilova), feels eerily still and expectant, like a spiderweb waiting for the return of its spider. Makbul Mubarak’s “Autobiography” — the Indonesian filmmaker’s impressive debut — gives a “Godfather”-style, power-corrupting-the-naive story the Conradian overtones of “Apocalypse Now.” But with its powerful sense of mood, it emerges from Coppola’s shadow by summoning evocative, specific shadows of its own, out of Indonesia’s troubled, genocidal, terrifying past.
The spider returns. General Purna (Arswendy Bening Swara), recently a towering figure in the military dictatorship, has retired and is coming home to run for Mayor of the region. Rakib,...
The spider returns. General Purna (Arswendy Bening Swara), recently a towering figure in the military dictatorship, has retired and is coming home to run for Mayor of the region. Rakib,...
- 9/30/2022
- by Jessica Kiang
- Variety Film + TV
“It’s a big time for us,” said Indonesian filmmaker Makbul Mubarak, whose debut feature has just premiered in the Orizzonti section of the 79th La Biennale di Venezia and is currently being showcased in Toronto. After Edwin, Kamila Andini, and Mouly Sourya, Mubarak is another Indonesian filmmaker whose presence at the international festival was well-noted and his “Autobiography” was granted a Fipresci award. Mubarak, formerly an established film critic and a director of two short films, prepared his “Autobiography” through a formula that many seem to follow these days. With the opening credits of the film, what lights up is a number of co-production projects and script labs – including the one in Torino – friendly reminding of the international nature of the project.
Indeed, the co-production opportunities seem to be on the rise for Indonesia – after the international successes of the aforementioned filmmakers, there is definitely a possibility window for...
Indeed, the co-production opportunities seem to be on the rise for Indonesia – after the international successes of the aforementioned filmmakers, there is definitely a possibility window for...
- 9/15/2022
- by Lukasz Mankowski
- AsianMoviePulse
Netflix has announced its biggest slate of Indonesian projects to date, with seven new films and TV series from leading local talents including Timo Tjahjanto (The Night Comes For Us), Joko Anwar (Impetigore) and Kamila Andini.
Tjahjanto is directing his first action comedy film for Netflix, The Big 4, about a female detective who teams up with a group of assassins to investigate her father’s murder. Known internationally for horror and action films, also including cult favorites Headshot and May The Devil Take You, Tjahjanto has signed a multi-project deal with Netflix.
Anwar, also known internationally for stylish action and horror movies, is working on a sci-fi thriller series, Nightmares And Daydreams, for Netflix. The series has multiple storylines about ordinary people encountering strange phenomena. “Indonesia is so full of unique and extraordinary stories. I’m always excited to have the chance to bring these stories to a wider audience,...
Tjahjanto is directing his first action comedy film for Netflix, The Big 4, about a female detective who teams up with a group of assassins to investigate her father’s murder. Known internationally for horror and action films, also including cult favorites Headshot and May The Devil Take You, Tjahjanto has signed a multi-project deal with Netflix.
Anwar, also known internationally for stylish action and horror movies, is working on a sci-fi thriller series, Nightmares And Daydreams, for Netflix. The series has multiple storylines about ordinary people encountering strange phenomena. “Indonesia is so full of unique and extraordinary stories. I’m always excited to have the chance to bring these stories to a wider audience,...
- 9/2/2022
- by Liz Shackleton
- Deadline Film + TV
Amazon Prime Video has announced its first slate of Southeast Asian local-language originals, including a trio of situational comedy improv shows, Comedy Island, across Indonesia, Thailand and the Philippines, and projects from local talents including Joko Anwar, Kamila Andini and Banjong Pisanthanakun.
The trio of comedy shows – Comedy Island: Indonesia, Comedy Island: Thailand and Comedy Island: Philippines – all involve famous comedians and other celebrities being stranded on a paradise island and are expected to start streaming in 2023.
In Thailand, the comedians must escape from a mysterious scientist who is trying to reprogram them; in Indonesia, they’re forced to take part in bizarre, role-playing games to amuse the local inhabitants; and in the Philippines, they’re trapped on a lost island that has reappeared and are competing for a life-changing prize. Indonesia’s Base Entertainment is producing the Indonesian and Filipino versions, while Liminal Productions is producing the Thai version.
The trio of comedy shows – Comedy Island: Indonesia, Comedy Island: Thailand and Comedy Island: Philippines – all involve famous comedians and other celebrities being stranded on a paradise island and are expected to start streaming in 2023.
In Thailand, the comedians must escape from a mysterious scientist who is trying to reprogram them; in Indonesia, they’re forced to take part in bizarre, role-playing games to amuse the local inhabitants; and in the Philippines, they’re trapped on a lost island that has reappeared and are competing for a life-changing prize. Indonesia’s Base Entertainment is producing the Indonesian and Filipino versions, while Liminal Productions is producing the Thai version.
- 8/1/2022
- by Liz Shackleton
- Deadline Film + TV
Click here to read the full article.
Amazon launched localized versions of its Prime Video service on Monday in key Southeast Asian markets — Indonesia, Thailand and The Philippines. The tech giant boosted its subscriber push in the three markets by simultaneously unveiling slates of localized originals for each territory, as well as discounted introductory Amazon Prime membership offerings.
Amazon Prime Video launched in Southeast Asia in 2016, but the versions of the service available in the region have never featured the local-language interfaces, subtitling and original content offerings that are common in more developed markets.
That changes Monday in Southeast Asia’s three biggest markets, where Amazon Prime is relaunching with seven-day free trials, followed by special discounts that will last until the end of the year — 59,000 Indonesian rupiah (3.98), 149 Thai baht (4.10) and 149 Philippine pesos (2.69).
Amazon said its first Southeast Asian shows will be localized versions of its situational comedy improv format,...
Amazon launched localized versions of its Prime Video service on Monday in key Southeast Asian markets — Indonesia, Thailand and The Philippines. The tech giant boosted its subscriber push in the three markets by simultaneously unveiling slates of localized originals for each territory, as well as discounted introductory Amazon Prime membership offerings.
Amazon Prime Video launched in Southeast Asia in 2016, but the versions of the service available in the region have never featured the local-language interfaces, subtitling and original content offerings that are common in more developed markets.
That changes Monday in Southeast Asia’s three biggest markets, where Amazon Prime is relaunching with seven-day free trials, followed by special discounts that will last until the end of the year — 59,000 Indonesian rupiah (3.98), 149 Thai baht (4.10) and 149 Philippine pesos (2.69).
Amazon said its first Southeast Asian shows will be localized versions of its situational comedy improv format,...
- 8/1/2022
- by Patrick Brzeski
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Netflix has revealed cast for upcoming Indonesian original series Gadis Kretek, including award-winning actresses Dian Sastrowardoyo and Putri Marino.
The historical drama, produced by Indonesia’s Base Entertainment, will also star popular actors Ario Bayu and Arya Saloka.
It will be directed by Kamila Andini, whose Before, Now & Then won best supporting performance at this year’s Berlin film festival, and producer-director Ifa Isfansyah.
Based on a novel of the same name by Ratih Kumala, the series is set against the backdrop of Indonesia’s tobacco industry, and delves into the country’s rich history through the story of an estranged son searching for a girl from his father’s past who can fulfil the cigarette mogul’s dying wish.
Base Entertainment’s Shanty Harmayn and Tanya Yuson will serve as showrunners on the series, with writers including Yuson, Kumala, Kanya K. Priyanti and Ambaridzki Ramadhantyo.
Indonesia is becoming a...
The historical drama, produced by Indonesia’s Base Entertainment, will also star popular actors Ario Bayu and Arya Saloka.
It will be directed by Kamila Andini, whose Before, Now & Then won best supporting performance at this year’s Berlin film festival, and producer-director Ifa Isfansyah.
Based on a novel of the same name by Ratih Kumala, the series is set against the backdrop of Indonesia’s tobacco industry, and delves into the country’s rich history through the story of an estranged son searching for a girl from his father’s past who can fulfil the cigarette mogul’s dying wish.
Base Entertainment’s Shanty Harmayn and Tanya Yuson will serve as showrunners on the series, with writers including Yuson, Kumala, Kanya K. Priyanti and Ambaridzki Ramadhantyo.
Indonesia is becoming a...
- 7/14/2022
- by Liz Shackleton
- Deadline Film + TV
IMDb.com, Inc. takes no responsibility for the content or accuracy of the above news articles, Tweets, or blog posts. This content is published for the entertainment of our users only. The news articles, Tweets, and blog posts do not represent IMDb's opinions nor can we guarantee that the reporting therein is completely factual. Please visit the source responsible for the item in question to report any concerns you may have regarding content or accuracy.