Menu
IFFest NY 2023
This year’s edition of IFFest NY, generously supported by the Consulate General of the Republic of Indonesia in New York, will feature three feature fiction films, one documentary film, and a program of three short films. This lineup showcases films that have resonated with wide Indonesian audiences and gained recognition at international festivals alike. It includes a classic of Indonesian cinema (Tjoet Nja’ Dhien), two highly anticipated and popular works of contemporary Indonesian film (Like & Share, Sleep Call), as well as three short films from emerging Indonesian filmmakers (Vania on Lima Street, The Sea Calls for Me, Dancing Colors). Additionally, there will be a documentary that reflects Indonesia’s rich past and dynamic present (You and I). This year’s festival, curated by Yulia Evina Bhara from “KawanKawan Media” Indonesia, promises to make Indonesian Film Festival New York 2023 (IFFestNY2023) an unforgettable cinematic experience.
You can find tickets to this year’s IFFest NY here.
Screened as part of Tribute to Christine Hakim, 50 Years in Film
Friday, September 15th, 2023, 4:30 PM
Regal UA Kaufman Astoria (35-30 38th Street, Long Island City, New York, 11101)
An undisputable classic of Indonesian cinema featured at the Selection de la Semaine de la Critique at the 1989 Cannes Film Festival, Tjoet Nja’ Dhien centers around the six-year period of the life of Cut Nyak Dien (Christine Hakim), a female Acehnese revolutionary leader in the Aceh War against Dutch colonists in the late 1800s. This film and its following success helped cement Christine Hakim as one of the most legendary and sought-out actors in the Indonesian film industry.
1988. Drama, historical. 150 minutes. Indonesian and Dutch languages with English subtitles. Directed by Eros Djarot. Starring Christine Hakim, Pitradjaya Burnama, Rudy Wowor, Slamet Rahardjo.
***
Friday, September 15th, 2023, 8:00 PM
Regal UA Kaufman Astoria (35-30 38th Street, Long Island City, New York, 11101)
A cautionary tale on the prevalence of rape culture and social media, two best friends Lisa and Sarah (Arawinda Kirana and Aurora Ribero) hosts an ASMR video channel as they explore their own tumultuous teenage worlds. Lisa discovers and befriends a victim of revenge porn that she found on social media, while Sarah strikes a match with a new flame (Jerome Kurnia) that might not be what he seems.
2022. Drama. 112 minutes. Indonesian language with English subtitles. Directed by Gina S. Noer. Starring Aurora Ribero, Arawinda Kirana, Jerome Kurnia, Aulia Sarah.
***
Short Film Series
Saturday, September 16th, 2023, 4:45 PM
SVA Beatrice Theatre (333 West 23rd Street, New York, New York, 10011)
A screening of three short films from the past year directed by up-and-coming Indonesian filmmakers.
Seven-year-old Vania (Alexa Jeslyn Hendrawan) rescues an injured motorbike thief in her family’s drugstore on quiet Lima Street at night. Winner of the Best Southeast Asian Short Film Silver Screen award at the 2022 Singapore International Film Festival.
2022. Drama. 24 minutes. Indonesian and Javanese languages with English subtitles. Directed by Bayu Prihantoro Filemon. Starring Alexa Jeslyn Hendrawan, Dayu Wijanto, Dexara Hachika.
The Sea Calls for Me (Laut Memanggilku)
Lonely Sura (Muhammad Umar) lives in a fishing village on his own, without his parents. When he finds a sex doll washed up ashore, he fixes and takes care of it. The Sea Calls for Me won awards in several 2022 international film festivals, including the French Riviera Film Festival and Busan International Film Festival.
2022. Drama. 17 minutes. Indonesian language with English subtitles. Directed by Tumpal Tampubolon. Starring Muhammad Umar, Dikky Takiyudin.
Dika (Dimas Juju) prepares for his parents’ arrangement for an ustadz to perform a ceremony to cleanse him of his djinn, however, Dika knows that his identity is not an abnormality as he expresses himself by dancing. Dancing Colors was featured in multiple 2022 international film festivals, including Locarno International Film Festival and Concorto Film Festival.
2022. Drama. 15 minutes. Indonesian language with English subtitles. Directed by M. Reza Fahriyansyah. Starring Dimas Juju, Brilliana Desy Dwinawati, Eko Budi Antara, Miko Cakcoy.
A Forest of Fortune
A documentary presented by WALHI, an Indonesian NGO and a part of the worldwide Friends of the Earth International (FoEI) network, A Forest of Fortune follows the culture of the indigenous peoples of Meratus, South Kalimantan, and their sustainable practices applied in their economic model and land management, ubiquitous with their local cultural values and has been passed on for hundreds of generations.
2022. Documentary. 5 minutes. Indonesian language with English subtitles. Presented by WALHI (The Indonesian Forum for Living Environment).
The short film series will be followed by a discussion with WALHI members and a music performance by DEXT.
***
Saturday, September 16th, 2023, 6:50 PM
SVA Beatrice Theatre (333 West 23rd Street, New York, New York, 10011)
This film tells the story of a group of villagers — Ni Ta (Jajang C Noer), Da Am (Jose Rizal Manua), Si Mar (Shenina Cinnamon), and others — in a village on the banks of Lake Maninjau and their conspiracy to steal IDR 2 billion’s worth of a competition prize when its winner Angku Wan, whose last promise was to build a village for mutual prosperity using the prize, dies unexpectedly. However, the plans prepared by villagers invite pros and cons. This laugh-out-loud comedy with touching lessons explores the culture of the Indonesian region of Padang and the Minangese people and was featured as a selection in the 2023 Udine Far East Film Festival. 2023. Drama, comedy. 97 minutes. Indonesian and Minang languages with English subtitles. Directed by Paul Agusta. Starring Jose Rizal Manua, Yusril Katil, Shahabi Sakri, Ajil Ditto, Jajang C. Noer, Rivanzsa Alfath, Shenina Cinnamon, Emir Mahira
***
Impetigore (Perempuan Tanah Jahanam)
Saturday, September 16th, 2023, 9:00 PM
SVA Beatrice Theatre (333 West 23rd Street, New York, New York, 10011)
This 2019 folk horror hit and late-night festival darling marks the long-awaited collaboration between renowned Indonesian horror/thriller director Joko Anwar and legendary actor Christine Hakim. After a traumatic incident at her workplace, Maya (Tara Basro) discovers truths about her family and travels to the remote Javanese village Harjosari with her best friend Dini (Marissa Anita) to hopefully secure inheritance on her family home. Maya and Dini meet a cast of village residents, including the village head Saptadi (Ario Bayu), witch doctor Nyi Misni (Christine Hakim), and villager Ratih (Asmara Abigail), and soon enough they realize that things are not what they seem.
2019. Horror. 106 minutes. Indonesian and Javanese languages with English subtitles. Directed by Joko Anwar. Starring Tara Basro, Marissa Anita, Ario Bayu, Christine Hakim, Asmara Abigail.
***
Sunday, September 17, 2023, 2:00 PM
SVA Beatrice Theatre (333 West 23rd Street, New York, New York, 10011)
Kaminah and Kusdalini met as political prisoners during the 1965 mass Communist killings in Indonesia. They have been friends since then. Fanny Chotimah’s documentary explores their friendship 55 years on, where Kaminah and Kusdalini reside in Surakarta, Central Java together, selling rice crackers to make ends meet.
2020. Documentary. 76 minutes. Indonesian and Javanese languages with English subtitles. Directed by Fanny Chotimah. Featuring Kaminah and Kusdalini.
***
Sunday, September 17, 2023, 4:45 PM
SVA Beatrice Theatre (333 West 23rd Street, New York, New York, 10011)
Dina (Laura Basuki) is a single woman in Jakarta working for a personal online loan lending company, while being strapped by debt herself. She finds refuge through nightly calls with a man she meets on a dating app (Juan Bione Subiantoro), but the more she finds herself in trouble, the more she realizes that things are not what they seem.
2023. Thriller, romance. 100 minutes. Indonesian language with English subtitles. Directed by Fajar Nugros. Starring Laura Basuki, Juan Bione Subiantoro, Kristo Immanuel, Della Dartyan, Erika Carlina.
