Entertainment
Jakarta World Cinema Plans to Revive First Feature Competition With International Jury
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Published 11/1/2026 6:57:04 PM
Jakarta World Cinema Plans to Revive First Feature Competition
Jakarta World Cinema aims to bring back its First Feature Competition next year, open to filmmakers from around the world and judged by an international jury.
This year’s edition did not accept submissions. The competition was put on hold because of the difficulty of assembling an international jury.
“[Previously] we’ve only had Indonesian judges,” festival director Shandy Gasella tells Variety.
Next year, the team wants to bring in international jury members with strong filmographies, so the category can open to submissions from filmmakers worldwide.
The festival sits between October’s Jakarta Film Week and the Jogja-Netpac Asian Film Festival at the end of November. Its lineup is made up of “80-90% award-winning films from Cannes, Berlin, Venice and Sundance,” according to Frederica, executive director of Jakarta World Cinema and director of KlikFilm, who oversees acquisitions.
“We travel to [different] film markets, Berlin, Toronto, Cannes, etc.,” says Frederica, adding that the festival aims to bring the year’s most important art films to local audiences.
This year’s edition has 102 theatrical titles, the most in the festival’s history, out of a total program of 207. Programming director Daniel Irawan says the goal for next year is to expand the lineup and keep working with its main venue, CGV Grand Indonesia, to increase audience capacity.
Jakarta World Cinema also runs a short film competition, which took place in June and drew more than 300 entries from professionals, amateurs and students. All 30 competition titles and 20 non-competition titles on the shortlist will screen during the festival. The best short film and audience choice award winners will be announced on closing day, with the best short film winner receiving full funding from KlikFilm for the production and distribution of a debut feature.
The festival is backed by Dana Indonesiaraya, a matching fund shared by the government and the film industry, according to Indonesian Culture Minister Fadli Zon. After the Jakarta edition closes on Nov. 7, the same program will travel to Bandung World Cinema and Malang World Cinema, two local extensions running Nov. 14–21.
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The Japan IP Market will be back in Cannes next May for a second straight year. The Cannes Film Market and TIFFCOM, the content market of the Tokyo International Film Festival, are again teaming up on the event, and the 2027 edition will run May 14-15.
The return was revealed at TIFFCOM in Tokyo, during a conference on how Japan can forge new international partnerships after its stint as Country of Honor in Cannes. Alexandra Zakharchenko, head of industry programs at the Cannes Film Market, was among the panelists.
“The success of Japan, Country of Honor showed what can happen when a focused national presence creates lasting opportunities for the industry. The Japan IP Market is one of those outcomes: a collaboration that extends beyond a single edition and gives Japanese intellectual properties greater access to international partners,” said Guillaume Esmiol, executive director of the Cannes Film Market. “I’m delighted that we are continuing this work with TIFFCOM to create more opportunities for rights holders to connect with international producers and partners, develop new adaptations and bring their stories to global audiences.”
The Japan IP Market first ran in May 2026, one of the initiatives tied to Japan’s turn as Country of Honor at the Cannes Film Market. It put Japanese rights holders in the same room as industry professionals from abroad via pitches, one-on-one meetings and industry discussions. Kadokawa, Shochiku and Toei Company were among the companies taking part. The speaker lineup included Fujimura Tetsu, executive producer of “One Piece” and founder and CEO of Filosophia, Inc.
“The Japan IP Market is about creating the right conditions for business opportunities between Japanese rights holders and international companies,” said Zakharchenko. “By bringing them together in Cannes, we can help turn growing interest in Japanese content into concrete adaptation deals and acquisitions, while fostering new collaboration opportunities.”
Shiina Yasushi, executive adviser at UNIJAPAN and CEO of TIFFCOM, said the partnership with the Cannes market plays an important role for Japan’s audiovisual industry. He described the Cannes market as the biggest market attached to any film festival in the world. “Meeting the international professionals who gather there and creating together with them is the key to nurturing Japanese IP into global content,” he said.
Ikeda Kaori, managing director of TIFFCOM, said the first edition had shown how keen producers and partners worldwide are on Japanese IP. “Through the continued partnership linking Cannes in May with the Tokyo IP Market in October, we are pleased to offer more professionals the opportunity to meet Japanese rights holders directly and discover the rich diversity of Japanese IP,” she said.
The 2027 roster of companies and the rest of the program will be unveiled in the months ahead.
