Discoveries from Indonesia World Cinema

Ludruk Tobong artists are trying to maintain the arts that support their livelihood and are also trying to eliminate the negative stigma of trans women through cultural media.

A story about the family of victims of the Lapindo mudflow, Sidoarjo. Delta Santoso's entire life was immortalized to see his mother, Sriyani, whatever the situations and conflicts in life she faced. The disaster that hit Sriyani was not only the Lapindo mudflow, but also the husband who took himself to another woman without giving status. As a result, Sriyani has to fulfill her daily needs and pay for the schooling of her two children, Delta and Iqbal. He works as a washing iron worker while selling lontong kupang, which he sells himself on his parents' bicycle.

A group of film students travel to a mysterious village named the Kalimati to make a documentary. While there, one of the students leaves with a necklace, leaving the students plagued with an evil curse.

A man violates his village's law by seducing and abandoning his childhood sweetheart. Exiled to Jakarta, he learns to love and respect those in the red light district, causing him to return home in an effort to make amends.

Bunga, an introverted translator, experiences flashbacks of past sexual trauma and the only person she could turn to for solace is Bintang, an erotic movie star.

a Desert spirit who sees the past of human memories on each path in the desert.

After Tini catches her boyfriend Narno trying to seduce her sister Tina and ends their relationship, she mysteriously dies from a snakebite. Narno's mother then visits a shaman to place a curse on one of Tina's potential suitors. As all of that is going on, a mysterious murderer is lurking around bumping off other members of both Tina and Narno's families.

Deep in the slums of Indonesia, a ruthless crime lord uses the locals as human shields to evade capture. But when an elite tactical unit infiltrates his stronghold, a brutal battle erupts—one that will only end with blood, betrayal, and the fall of a kingpin.

Indonesian film about a Punjabi girl getting tricked into living with a big time pimp. Uncle MG as they call him, abducts virgins, and forces them to submit to his hymen bustin ways. The not so attractive gals get several chances to marry Uncle MG, or it's into his private jail. Old wives become queen bees, and must submit to the guards.

Released early on remission during the COVID-19 pandemic, a former prisoner joins her grandmother on a walk that slowly leads her toward an unexpected reckoning with the past she thought she had left behind.

Gurda is a wandering traveler, his life is very miserable and forever in sorrow. Fortunately there are also friends who are Duati, Bonto, Binti who always cheer him up. Gurda promised his friends that he would leave the traveler's job and ask her brother's help, was a merchant, but they did not get help. Then the Gurda makes another living by looking for firewood in the forest to sell and the results are used to feed his friends who become travelers. It is known that the Chajali king, by the regulation of the Great Minister and the Truna Commander, was prohibited from looking for firewood. Meanwhile, a young merchant accompanied by Gurda and Hadam went to propose Princess Aziza, who turned out to be the daughter of Minister Trenggana. Gurda later found out if Princess Aziza was Duati, his lovers. With a variety of ideas, Gurda can cancel the marriage of her brother with Princess Aziza.

Director Teguh Karya intended to make a “real” comedy amidst the many slapstick comedies at the time, and in fact calls this film a bitter comedy. In the film, Ms. Sumirah, a widow who used to be a favourite pretty girl in Padalarang, worries about her daughter Anna, who is shy and self-conscious. She keeps pushing Anna’s brother, Willy, to invite home a co-worker from the clothing factory he works in. Then a change occurs after Anna meets Jaka, an English teacher living near her house. When their relationship starts to bloom, it is found out that Jaka is the son of Saodah, a woman who once had an affair with Sumirah’s husband, Van Nijs. Sumirah changes her mind and opposes their relationship. Finally Anna and Jaka elope.

Alfa, a young singer at the top of his career, is still gentle and faithful to his girlfriend, Laras. But his crazy fans are dominated by young girls, amongst whom is Jane, his most fanatical fan. Jane is obsessed about making Alfa fall for her. As she is the favorite grand daughter of the wealthy Hasan Bakti, who will give her anything she wants, she just might succeed.

As Sarah and her child look to settle in Jakarta, Zaenab searches for answers and gets caught between defending her marriage to Doel or letting it go.

A young woman returns to her hometown after being away for years. However, her homecoming reopens old wounds and triggers a series of strange events that slowly engulf the villagers in suspicion and fear.

Sammi has the ability to remove parts of his body and give them to those he loves and wants to help. After his death, Sammi’s mother goes in search of the pieces of her son.

An unemployed slacker and his younger brother open the door to unexpected chaos when they launch their own transportation business.

On the way to the hospital, a man and his pregnant wife are both murdered while she's in the middle of giving birth. And then the men responsible for the deaths start mysteriously dying.

Canting and Raga are opposites who are finally attracted to each other. When Widya, Canting’s friend, holds her wedding in Bali, Raga’s irresponsible behavior causes Tomtom, the groom, and his best friend, to miss the wedding. Canting is determined to rewire the love string between Tomtom and Widya, while Raga intends to dissolve the couple’s relationship. The climax of the confrontation between Canting and Raga occurs when both are stranded in a strange and remote area. But when they are alone together, the seeds of love begin to grow, especially when they spend the night in a fishing boat on the beach. Unfortunately, Canting has previously agreed to her father’s request, to marry Bimo, the son of his best friend.

After their mother’s death, a brother and sister remain in the house shaped by her control, negotiating conflicting memories of abuse and care. As ritual, body, and memory intertwine, their grief exposes a deeper entrapment, one that persists beyond her absence.

An ojek driver who helps his mom sell nasi uduk until his life takes a turn after he gets into an accident.

Abdi celebrates his graduation by watching an old memorable video with his family.

Under the crushing pressure of a film deadline, Ryo finds an unexpected confidant in Ridhwan. What starts as a simple vent session in the school restroom turns into a chilling discussion about a mysterious figure terrorizing their friends.

This war drama finds a group of rebels grappling with their imprisonment while in the custody of Dutch colonialists.With several of their comrades recently executed, the soldiers are left to contemplate their fates – and plan a possible escape – as the threat of their impending mortality closes in.

Beautiful Lina is gravely ill and in a coma so her husband decides to take her to a professor / supernatural researcher who has a collection of ghosts and monsters as research objects. Unfortunately, the professor’s research is tainted by his corrupt assistant so when Mrs. Lina needs blood, she is given a tainted blood transfusion which is the blood of Mrs. Kemangmang... a spirit who likes to suck human brains.

The lives of five students change after the arrival of a mysterious woman who claims to be the administrator of a nursing home.

This story begins with Yana (Nia Harun), who has been forbidden to go camping by her father, Hendra (Eeng Saptahadi). However, Hendra gives in when he sees Yana painting a picture of her mother Laksmi (Eva Arnaz), whom Hendra has never spoken of to Yana. It turns out that Yana had gotten the photo from the family servant. At the camp, Yana meets Yani (Ade Harun), who turns out to be her twin. The two girls then switch identities because they both long to meet the parent they have been separated from. They also hope to find a way to reunite their mother and father, whom they believe still love each other, but split up because Laksmi could not endure the interference of in-laws

Olga, a high school student, is obsessed with roller skating.

Kara is a little girl living in an isolated place. Her father disappeared after Ronald killed her mother. A journalist's invasion of her life makes her decide to seek out Ronald and ask him the ultimate question.

Ramon invites kung fu experts to trap his teacher who wants to eradicate drug dealers. Ramon is finally defeated by Sony and friends from other schools.

A husband and wife caught in an avalanche while driving in a car. While having difficulty breathing, the secrets that had been hidden for so long, were slowly revealed.

Slamet, a big chicken businessman, has an accident. He is treated at the hospital and falls in love with the nurse, Fajarwati. Everything goes smoothly till the wedding day.

Two detectives pursue a cunning and sadistic serial killer who punishes his victims in gruesome ways each murder inspired by the seven deadly sins

Teguh was dishonorably discharged as a policeman due to his sexual orientation. With the support of his partner Tonny, Teguh decided to purue justice by bringing his case to court, an act that has never been done before in Indonesia from the LGBTQI+ community. From this, the question arises, why would he put himself in potential danger by going against the institution? The film tells a love story between Teguh and Tonny, which becomes the foundation of why this fight needs to be fought for.

Prospective martyrs face their last night.

A wolf who is an animation director, is annoyed that his series was always told to revise continuously by his producer until he is scared to death.

Basically a courtroom drama, Sumi is arrested and brought for a trial after her husband, Aditya’s penis is stabbed and he is rendered dysfunctional. Sumi is suffering in her marriage because of her husband's illness. She doesn’t leave him for the sake of her children. However, when she finds that her husband is having an affair with Lena, she loses her patience. She plans to kill her husband while he is sleeping, but the plan fails. Instead of actually killing him, she accidentally stabs him in the penis. At the end of the trial, their second baby dies, and it creates a lifetime of regret.

Amidst the election rivalry of two villages for the village head post, Cigugur and Cijulang, a troupe of Ronggeng artists, with its prima donna, Sari, arrives at the sub-district center for their regular performance. Sari and Dadang, the son of the Village Elder of Cijulang, are in love with each other. Dadang is also running as a candidate in the village head elections. But Ohim, the son of the Cigugur Village Elder, is also madly in love with Sari. He gets even more daring after a humiliating incident when he tries to touch Sari’s hair bun on the ronggeng stage. The touching of the hair bun is one of the rituals in the traditional art of Ronggeng. Dadang’s father is angered by his son’s relationship with Sari, since it could jeopardize his candidacy as the head of the village.

Two bickering siblings unite to fight pirates who want to steal their precious Sun Pearl necklace that’s needed for their family ritual.

66 tells the story of an assassin-for-hire, who is hired to kill a police informant, but instead steals the money and runs, igniting the spark that leads a criminal organization to go to war with itself.

Randy and Dinar are married couple, and Dinar is pregnant. Their happiness disappears when a middle-aged mother becomes their new neighbor.

Agil (Tora Sudiro), a taxi driver, and his wife Luli (Alexandra Gottardo), a salon employee. live in a mediocre state. They are bussy looking for income. It makes them difficult to get a baby. Then Agil makes a wish: if his wife is pregnant then he will fulfill all requests of his wife. His prayer is answered. Luli is pregnant. Instead of being happy, Agil actually is confused. One morning he finds a brochure of a red Yaris car under the pillow of his wife's bed. He asks his wife if she really wants a red Yaris. Luli says yes. His efforts to fulfill the wishes of his wife failed continuously, and he falls into a failed robbery.

Eat, Bella..!! Part 2 continues the psychological terror of the first film, drawing viewers deeper into the cruel power dynamic between Martha and Bella. As days pass, the “special” food Martha has been giving Bella begins to run out, pushing Bella closer to fear and despair. After the final meal, Martha reveals her intention to kill Bella. Overcome with terror, Bella begs for her life, promising to obey anything Martha desires as long as she is spared. Faced with the choice between death and submission, Bella surrenders completely. But Bella’s plea sparks an even more disturbing idea. Martha chooses not to kill her, instead, she devises a far crueler fate, one that strips Bella of control and dignity in ways she never imagined possible.

A pickpocket who has been wanted by the police, trying to kill a friend who had cooperated with the police to take him to jail.

A group of students were making a documentary film about disability. During the filmmaking process, they began to feel concerned about the topic of disability itself. They felt that they did not fully understand the topic, yet they were responsible for presenting the documentary film to the general public. Finally, they reflected on the mistakes they had made and decided to change their journey into a documentary film.

Anang, Saman and Ahmad are three best friends from a village in Subang. Anang and Ahmad fall in love with Saman's sister, Hasanah. When the call for enrollment in Heiho (army troops formed by Japanese) is announced, Anang and Saman register themselves but Ahmad does not. Anang is accepted as a soldier. When the village people welcome the Heiho, Ahmad commits theft. Hasanah's heart leans more and more towards Anang, and she yearns for his return.

Tells about Tegar, a person who doesn't believe that COVID-19 really exists.

Bumi, a 14-year-old boy, is stranded on a foreign planet, when the shuttle that transports him has an accident. He loses contact with his father and all he has is a device that repeatedly transmits his father's last messages. It tells that his father left him a castle at the end of the planet named Utopian. With the help of a dragon, Bumi finds the Utopian castle. What he does not know is that a sword symbolising the power of four kingdoms that were at war, is being kept in the castle. Nino, one of the kingdom's warlords thinks that Bumi has pulled out the sword and hence becomes the true ruler of the four kingdoms. So Nino tries to take over the castle. With the help of his friends, Bumi defends his new home.

In the ancient Bugis way of life in Indonesia, gender non-binary 'bissu' were once revered spiritual leaders. Eka, one of the last remaining bissu, decides to leave behind their identity, searching for belonging in a world that insists on definitions.

A sequel to Kuasa Gelap (Dominion of Darkness), 2024

Martha is the daughter-in-law of MD Raya. Her Husband is the first son of MD Raya's twelfth wife. When Adi, Martha's husband, was studying at the University in Malang, Martha worked for MD Raya while waiting for her husband to come home. In the meantime, MD Raya is waiting for Adi to graduate with hope that he can get back his family's pride that was lost since he's not the head of the village anymore.

Rumi is a rebellious yet intelligent and creative Islamic boarding student. While on a pilgrimage, he is stunned by a group of Sufi dancers he sees. This admiration inspires him to go to Turkey to participate in a calligraphy festival.

The poet Ibrahim Kadir plays himself in a political drama about his arrest and incarceration in Aceh in the 1960s. Kadir survived the mass murder of suspected communists by the Indonesian government that cost between 500,000 and two million lives.

In the 1970s, Jarno, an overlooked stage crew member of a popular traditional theatre, dreams of stardom despite being demeaned by the lead actor, Arjuna. After a disastrous debut leads to a violent reaction from villagers, Jarno leaves to pursue solo fame. He teams up with Supri, an opportunist, to become a traveling horror storyteller. Success reveals Jarno’s ability to make his stories real. Uncovering his dark past and mysterious powers, Jarno seeks revenge against those who wronged him, including a sugar factory monopoly responsible for his family’s downfall, using his newfound abilities to bring justice.

The world is getting more modern, people are starting to try to use metaverse technology. This gave rise to new ways of having fun, worshiping gods, and even strange ways of living.

Inspired by a true story, the drama follows a coffee-farming couple living a simple life in Central Aceh’s Gayo Highlands, highlighting local culture, Didong art, and scenic landscapes.