Film Festival Expansion: Jakarta World Cinema Targets 207 Titles and Global Jury
The festival is adding international judges to revive its feature competition after a one-year pause.
By Sienna Foster ·
The Jakarta World Cinema festival is currently screening 207 films, a program size that includes 102 theatrical titles. This count marks the highest number of theatrical releases in the event's history. Programming director Daniel Irawan stated that the team aims to expand this lineup for the following year.
The expansion efforts are tied to a structural change in the festival's competitive categories. The First Feature Competition, which was suspended this year due to logistical challenges in forming a panel, will return next year. Festival director Shandy Gasella explained that previous iterations relied solely on Indonesian judges. The 2027 edition will introduce an international jury to handle submissions from filmmakers worldwide.
Frederica, the executive director and head of acquisitions at KlikFilm, described the festival's programming strategy. She noted that the lineup consists of 80 to 90 percent award-winning films from major European and American festivals. Her team attends markets in Berlin, Toronto, and Cannes to secure these titles. The goal is to present the year's most important art films to local audiences in a specific window between the Jakarta Film Week in October and the Jogja-Netpac Asian Film Festival at the end of November.
Audience capacity is also a focus for the coming cycle. The festival is working with its main venue, CGV Grand Indonesia, to increase the number of seats available. This infrastructure upgrade supports the goal of handling a larger number of attendees for the expanded slate.
Parallel to the feature screenings, the festival is concluding its short film competition. More than 300 entries from professionals, amateurs, and students were received for the June event. All 30 competition titles and 20 non-competition shortlist entries are currently screening. Winners for best short film and audience choice will be announced on the closing day. The winner of the best short film award receives full funding from KlikFilm for the production and distribution of their debut feature.
The event is financially supported by Dana Indonesiaraya, a matching fund shared by the government and the film industry, according to Indonesian Culture Minister Fadli Zon. The Jakarta edition concludes on Nov. 7. The same program will then move to Bandung and Malang for two local extensions that run from Nov. 14 to 21.
Source: Variety
