JAFF To Open With ‘Opera Jawa’; Unveils Competition & Special Programmes

Jogja-NETPAC Asian Film Festival (JAFF) has unveiled its competition line-ups and special programmes to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the festival, which takes place November 29-December 6 in the city of Yogyakarta, Indonesia.
 
Under the theme of “Transfiguration”, the festival will open with a special ceremonial programme at the Gelanggang Inovasi dan Kreativitas (GIK), Universitas Gadjah Mada. The opening film is musical Opera Jawa, directed by JAFF co-founder Garin Nugroho, which originally premiered at the first edition of JAFF in 2006. The film will be screened in its original 35mm celluloid format.
 
The festival will close with Comedy Buddy (Suka Duka Tawa), the feature directorial debut of Aco Tenriyagelli, produced by Bion Studios and Spasi Moving Image.
 
“Indonesian cinema continues to show significant growth. In just the first quarter of 2025, cinemas recorded 35 million admissions, or around 44% of the total audience in 2024. A remarkable milestone this year was the animated feature Jumbo, which broke records by surpassing 10 million viewers. Indonesian films have also premiered at major international festivals and brought home prestigious awards. Our industry talents are also increasingly recognised and appointed to prominent roles, including serving as jury members at major international awards,” said JAFF director Ifa Isfansyah.
 
“The spirit of Transfiguration, which serves as this year's JAFF theme, also symbolises the celebration of JAFF’s twenty-year journey and the brilliant transformation of our cinema amid the ever-dynamic landscape of Asian filmmaking.”
 
In total, the festival will screen 227 films from 43 countries, across sections including the Main Competition for the Golden and Silver Hanoman Awards; the Indonesian Screen Awards, which is adding four new categories this year; and the Light of Asia programme, in which 17 films will compete for the Blencong Awards. The festival will also honour directors presenting their first or second feature films through the NETPAC Awards.
 
Non-competition sections include Asian Perspectives, Indonesian Film Showcase, the Emerging programme; the Panorama programme; Cinematic Concert featuring a live performance by White Shoes and the Couples Company; and classics section Rewind. Three films will be holding their Indonesian premieres at the festival: Lee Sang-il’s Kokuho, The President’s Cake, directed by Hasan Hadi, and Mamoru Hosoda’s animated feature Scarlet.
 
JAFF is continuing its longstanding partnership with Cinema XXI, which serves as the main screening venue for JAFF20, as well as partnering with the Asian Film Academy and Netflix.
 
Under the collaboration with Asian Film Academy, JAFF will bring Hong Kong filmmaker Ann Hui for a masterclass and screen two of her works: A Simple Life (2011) and July Rhapsody (2002) in newly restored 4K versions. The collaboration will also present seven Hong Kong feature films and four shorts as part of the Hong Kong Film Gala Presentation programme.
 
Joint programmes with Netflix include Reel Life Film Camp, a hands-on workshop designed for entry-level professionals in production, production finance and post-production; and the Creative Asia forum, featuring speakers including Kimo Stamboel, Joko Anwar, Erik Matti and Kulp Kaljareuk.
 
Meanwhile, JAFF Market will take place November 29-December 1 at the Jogja Expo Center (JEC), following its successful debut last year. The market includes six programmes: JAFF Future Project, Content Market, Talent Day, Film & Market Conference, Market Screening and Film Lab.

JOGJA-NETPAC ASIAN FILM FESTIVAL (JAFF) 2025: 

MAIN COMPETITION:

A Useful Ghost, dir: Ratchapoom Boonbunchachoke (Thailand, France, Singapore, Germany)

Amoeba, dir: Siyou Tan (Singapore, Netherlands, France, Spain, Korea)

Becoming Human, dir: Polen Ly (Cambodia)

Flames, dir: Ravi Shankar Kaushik (India)

Girl, dir: Shu Qi (Taiwan, China)

Hair, Paper, Water, dirs: Nicolas Graux & Trương Minh Quý (Vietnam, Belgium, France)

Lost Land, dir: Akio Fujimoto (Japan, France, Malaysia, Germany)

On Your Lap (Pangku), dir: Reza Rahadian (Indonesia, Saudi Arabia)

Summer's Camera, dir: Divine Sung (South Korea)

Sunshine, dir: Antoinette Jadaone (Philippines)

The World Of Love, dir: Yoon Ga-eun (South Korea)

INDONESIAN SCREEN AWARDS:

A Thousand Shades Of Purnama (Seribu Bayang Purnama), dir: Yahdi Jamhur (Indonesia)

Agak Laen: Menyala Pantiku!, dir: Muhadkly Acho (Indonesia)

Better Off Dead (Tinggal Meninggal), dir: Kristo Immanuel (Indonesia)

Dancing With The Body (Lenggak-Lenggok), dir: Andi Imam Prakasa (Indonesia)

Dopamine (Dopamin), dir: Teddy Soeriaatmadja (Indonesia)

Ikatan Darah, dir: Sidharta Tata (Indonesia)

Mothernet (Esok Tanpa Ibu), dir: Ho Wi Ding (Indonesia, Singapore)

Rangga & Cinta, dir: Riri Riza (Indonesia)

Smothered (Legenda Kelam Malin Kundang), dirs: Rafki Hidayat & Kevin Nugroho (Indonesia)

Sore: A Wife From The Future (Sore: Istri dari Masa Depan), dir: Yandy Laurens (Indonesia)

The Period Of Her, dir: Erlina Rakhmawati, Praditha Blifa, Sarah Adilah & Yulinda Dwi Andriyani (Indonesia)

The Tiger, dir: Ardiansah Sulistiana (Indonesia)

Worn Out (Judheg), dir: Misya Latief (Indonesia)