The 21st Jogja-Netpac Asian Film Festival (JAFF) will open with Lawrence Fajardo’s Filipino drama “Silenced Nights” and close with Ueda Makoto’s Japanese comedy-drama “You Are the Film.”
The festival will screen 254 films from 34 countries across its competitive and non-competitive sections.
The festival runs Nov. 28–Dec. 5 in Yogyakarta, Indonesia, under the theme “Influx.” “Silenced Nights,” which bowed at Toronto, will receive its Indonesian premiere on opening night. “You Are the Film” picked up the White Raven Award at this year’s Brussels International Fantastic Film Festival.
“In line with the theme ‘Influx,’ this year JAFF wants to look at how currents of change affect our lives and the way we understand one another. Amid a social climate full of uncertainty and instability, cinema gives us the chance to listen to different experiences and see issues from other perspectives,” said Budi Irawanto, festival president of JAFF.
Ten features will vie for the Golden and Silver Hanoman Awards in the main competition, with Dita Gambiro, Riar Rizaldi and Shan Zuolong on the jury. Two of the contenders are first features from women filmmakers. China’s “A Girl Unknown,” directed by Zou Jing, won the Fipresci Prize in Cannes’ Critics’ Week this year. Singapore’s “Ah Girl,” from Priscilla Ang Geck Geck, took the Youth Jury Award at Rotterdam, and its lead actress won the Firebird Award for best actress at the Hong Kong International Film Festival.
Also in the main competition are Sompot Chidgasornpongse’s “9 Temples to Heaven,” Jeremias Nyangoen’s “Black Coffee,” Kawajiri Masanao’s “Cherry and Virgin,” Aung Phyoe’s “Fruit Gathering,” Lê Bảo’s “Hearing,” Arvin Belarmino’s “Ria” and Mejbaur Rahman Sumon’s “Roid.”
On the local front, 10 Indonesian films will compete in the Indonesian Screen Awards across 10 categories, from best film and director through to original music and poster design. The field includes Eddie Cahyono’s “Ibuku,” which claimed the Busan Award Special Jury Prize at the 31st Busan International Film Festival, and Ravi Bharwani’s “Secrets,” which will world premiere in Yogyakarta. Ferdinand Almi’s “Shattered Vows,” Ariani Darmawan’s “Jani Be Good” and Andrew Kose’s “Mate’s Rate” are also in the running. Sharifah Amani, Tanigaki Kenji and Yoon Ga-eun make up the jury.
Shorts are the focus of Light of Asia, where 21 titles compete for the Blencong Awards, while the Netpac Awards consider only debut and sophomore features. Viewers will get a vote of their own through the new Amar Bank Audience Choice Award, which picks a favorite from the Light of Asia selection.
Also new this year are the JAFF Awards, which will recognize individuals, communities and institutions that sustain Asian cinema through work ranging from production and financing to archiving, exhibition and knowledge-sharing.
“JAFF was born from a community spirit, and over two decades we have seen how a single encounter can open the way for a film’s or a filmmaker’s journey. The JAFF Awards come from the same belief: that Asian cinema grows through the work of many connected people,” said festival director Ifa Isfansyah.
Gelanggang Inovasi dan Kreativitas (GIK) UGM serves as venue partner for the awards.
Outside competition, the Panorama section gathers 12 features and five shorts from leading Asian directors. They include Hamaguchi Ryusuke’s “All of a Sudden,” Lav Diaz’s “Let Us Through, Dear Ancestors,” Hur Jin-ho’s “The Assassin(s),” Yoon Dan-bi’s “The World Before,” Edmund Yeo’s “The Age of Goodbyes” and John Torres’ “The Remotes.” Asian Perspectives offers 26 features and 28 shorts, and the Indonesian Film Showcase has five local features.
The 15-title Rewind strand revisits three Studio Ghibli classics from Miyazaki Hayao: “Spirited Away,” “My Neighbor Totoro” and “Howl’s Moving Castle.” Kurosawa Kiyoshi’s “Cure,” Yeon Sang-ho’s “Train to Busan” and Yasmin Ahmad’s “Mukhsin” are also on the slate, as are a pair of 2000s Indonesian teen romances, Nasri Cheppy’s “Eiffel…I’m in Love” (2003) and Hanny R. Saputra’s “Heart” (2006).
“Asian cinema keeps moving forward through new voices, a willingness to experiment with form, and stories that stay close to people’s lives. We put together this year’s program to bring that diversity to audiences, including opening new conversations through films we already know,” said program director Alexander Matius.
The Cinematic Concert, back after four previous editions, will see Grrrl Gang perform live against scenes from five shorts screening at the festival.
Sponsor partnerships shape several strands. Amar Bank presents Undercurrent, a special screening program of Rafael Manuel’s “Filipiñana” and Kimura Taichi’s “Fujiko,” the latter a winner of Udine’s Golden Mulberry Award and the New York Asian Film Festival’s Uncaged Award for best feature. Cinema XXI returns as main venue partner at Empire XXI Yogyakarta and is backing JAFF Kids and the festival’s Inclusive Screening strand.
TikTok Film Circle will pair TikTok creators chosen from Indonesia, Thailand and Vietnam with professional film critics in a film analysis workshop. The Asian Film Awards Academy, meanwhile, is co-presenting five Hong Kong titles in the Hong Kong Film Gala Presentation.
On the industry side, JAFF Market runs Nov. 28–30 at the Jogja Expo Center, with six programs: JAFF Future Project, JAFF IP Connection, Talent Day, the Film & Market Conference, Market Screening and Film Lab.
JAFF21 is backed by Indonesia’s Ministry of Culture through its Dana Indonesia Raya program. Tickets go on sale via TipTip from Nov. 21.
