Joachim Trier, Jafar Panahi Films to Bookend Jakarta World Cinema Festival (EXCLUSIVE)

The Jakarta World Cinema Festival will open and close with a brace of Cannes winners – Joachim Trier‘s “Sentimental Value” and Jafar Panahi‘s “It Was Just an Accident.”

In a move to support local filmmaking, JWC 2025 introduces the inaugural KlikFilm Short Movie Competition. Thirty Indonesian short films will compete, with winners receiving grants from Falcon Pictures and KlikFilm to produce their first features. The competition jury features director Joko Anwar, director Aditya Ahmad, scriptwriter Alim Sudio, and actor Asmara Abigail, who recently served on the Locarno Film Festival jury.

The first feature competition will have 11 directorial debuts competing for best director and best film awards. The jury comprises actor Faradina Mufti, director Tumpal Tampubolon, and director Kamila Andini. The lineup includes includes Danzuka Yuiga’s “Brand New Landscape,” Sven Bresser’s “Reedland,” Sarah Miro Fischer’s “The Good Sister,” Valentine Cadic’s “That Summer in Paris,” Mehrnoush Alia’s “1001 Frames,” Lloyd Lee Choi’s “Lucky Lu,” Matthew Shear’s “Fantasy Life,” Cole Webley’s “Omaha,” Gerard Oms’ “Away,” Pauline Loquès’ “Nino,” and Fanny Ovesen’s “Live a Little.”

The Spotlight Asia section has Miyake Shô’s “Two Seasons, Two Strangers,” Sakamoto Yukari’s “White Flowers and Fruits,” Nawapol Thamrongrattanarit’s “Human Resource,” Tarzan and Arab Nasser’s “Once Upon a Time in Gaza,” Ameer Fakher Eldin’s “Yunan,” Ratchapoom Boonbunchachoke’s “A Useful Ghost,” Ishikawa Kei’s “A Pale View of Hills,” and Fukada Koji’s “Love on Trial.”

An In Focus section celebrates Japanese director Hamaguchi Ryusuke with screenings of “Drive My Car,” “Evil Does Not Exist,” “Wheel of Fortune and Fantasy,” “Happy Hour,” and “Passion.”

The festival’s Icon section features films from cinema’s most celebrated auteurs. Highlights include Richard Linklater’s “Nouvelle Vague,” Julia Ducournau’s “Alpha,” and Kristen Stewart’s directorial effort “The Chronology of Water.” Festival darlings include Bi Gan’s “Resurrection,” which won the Jury Special Prize at this year’s Cannes, and Dag Johan Haugerud’s “Dreams,” recipient of the Golden Bear at Berlin. Other Icon selections include Oliver Laxe’s “Sirat,” Mascha Schilinski’s “Sound of Falling,” and Lynne Ramsay’s “Die, My Love.”

The Discovery section features newcomers, including Harris Dickinson’s directorial debut “Urchin,” which premiered in Un Certain Regard at Cannes, alongside Valery Carnoy’s “Wild Foxes,” Simón Mesa Soto’s “A Poet,” Laura Wandel’s “Adam’s Sake,” Dylan Southern’s “The Thing with Feathers,” Mohamed Rashad’s “The Settlement,” and Alissa Jung’s “Paternal Leave.”

The World Cinema section presents narrative films by established directors including Erige Sehiri’s “Promised Sky,” Robin Campillo’s “Enzo,” Thomas Ngijol’s “Untamable,” Anne Émond’s “Peak Everything” (which premiered at Cannes Directors’ Fortnight), Stéphane Demoustier’s “The Great Arch,” Nadav Lapid’s “Yes,” Mary Bronstein’s “If I Had Legs I’d Kick You,” and Cherien Dabis’ “All That’s Left of You.”

The Night Screamer section caters to genre enthusiasts with John Maclean’s “Tornado,” Alireza Khatami’s “The Things You Kill” (winner of the directing award in Sundance’s World Cinema Dramatic Competition), R.T. Thorne’s “40 Acres,” Johanna Moder’s “Mother’s Baby,” Vincent Maël Cardona’s “No One Will Know,” Tarik Saleh’s “Eagles of the Republic,” and Miike Takashi’s “Blue Fight: The Breaking Down of Young Blue Warriors.”

The Weekender section presents animated features including Félix Dufour-Laperrière’s “Death Does Not Exist,” Zaven Najjar’s “Allah is not obliged,” Patrik Pass Jr., Jean-Claude Rozec, and David Sukup’s “Tales from the Magic Garden,” Seto Momoko’s “Dandelion’s Odyssey,” and Usman Riaz’s “The Glassworker.”

The Luminary Lens section focuses on films celebrating individuals, featuring Diego Céspedes’ “The Mysterious Gaze Of The Flamingo” (Un Certain Regard Award winner at Cannes), Hafsia Herzi’s “The Little Sister” (winner of the Cannes Queer Palm and best actress award), Pedro Pinho’s “I Only Rest in the Storm,” Gala del Sol’s “Rains Over Babel” (Sundance Next premiere), Anton Balekdjian, Léo Couture, and Mattéo Eustachon’s “Drifting Laurent,” Marcelo Caetano’s “Baby,” Carmen Emmi’s “Plainclothes,” Will Seefried’s “Lilies Not For Me,” and Rebecca Lenkiewicz’s “Hot Milk.”

Real to Reel highlights acclaimed documentaries, including Sepideh Farsi’s “Put your Soul on Your Hand and Walk,” Tony Benna’s “André Is an Idiot,” Mstyslav Chernov’s “2000 Meters to Andriivka,” Shoshannah Stern’s “Marlee Matlin: Not Alone Anymore,” and Heidi Ewing and Rachel Grady’s “Folktales.”

In all, the 2025 program features 185 films from 66 countries.

The festival is powered by KlikFilm, supported by CGV Cinemas, and organized by Yayasan Abhiseka. Executive director Frederica said: “From celebrated masters to groundbreaking new talents, the 2025 lineup reflects our commitment to presenting cinema that challenges, inspires, and connects us. We are especially thrilled to introduce the KlikFilm Short Movie Competition, a new initiative to champion Indonesia’s young filmmaking community and help them take the crucial next step in their careers.”