Jogja-NETPAC Asian Film Festival

The Jogja-NETPAC Asian Film Festival (JAFF) is an annual film festival held in Yogyakarta, Indonesia. The festival has partnered with the Network for the Promotion of Asian Cinema (NETPAC) since its inaugural edition in 2006.[1] It aims to introduce Asian cinema to a wider audience and provides a space for arts, culture, and tourism.

Jogja-NETPAC Asian Film Festival
LocationYogyakarta, Indonesia
Founded7 August 2006; 17 years ago (2006-08-07)
AwardsGolden Hanoman Award and others
Websitejaff-filmfest.org

The 18th Jogja-NETPAC Asian Film Festival was held from 25 November to 2 December 2023.

History

Several Indonesian filmmakers, Garin Nugroho, Ifa Isfansyah, Budi Irawanto, Yosep Anggi Noen, Ajish Dibyo, Dyna Herlina and Ismail Basbeth along with NETPAC curator Philip Cheah, initiated the festival.

The first edition of the festival was held from 7 to 12 August 2006, about three months after the 2006 Yogyakarta earthquake.[2] Kompas noted that the inaugural edition marked the recovery of Yogyakarta post-earthquake.[3] Meanwhile, Eric Sasono of Tempo noted that the festival created a new film market to develop the Asian cinema even further.[4]

Programs

As of 2022, the Jogja-NETPAC Asian Film Festival is organized in various sections:

  • Main Competition: feature films compete for Hanoman Awards and NETPAC Award, the most prestigious awards of the festival.
  • Light of Asia: short films compete for Blencong Award, screened in compilations
  • Indonesian Screen Awards: Indonesian feature films compete for five categories.
  • Panorama: selection of feature films screened during the international film festivals previously.
  • Asian Perspectives: encapsulates feature films which showcase different Asian perspectives.
  • Indonesian Film Showcase: showcases Indonesian feature films out of competition.
  • Classic: revisiting the history by showcasing films by certain notable directors
  • Emerging: presentation of films by directors whose work shown at JAFF for the first time
  • JAFF-Series: showcases series
  • Community Screen (Layar Komunitas): screenings and discussions with several film communities
  • Whisper Cinema (Bioskop Bisik): film screenings where blind and visually impaired people are guided by volunteers that verbally describe a film sequence.
  • JFA Showcase: showcases the work of the Jogja Film Academy students.

Awards

The most prestigious award given at JAFF is the Golden Hanoman Award for best film. As of 2022, the festival has presented the following awards:[5]

  • Competition
    • Golden Hanoman Award – best film
Golden Hanoman Award
YearFilmDirectorCountry/Region
2006Men at WorkMani HaghighiIran
2007Crossing the DustShawkat Amin KorkiIraq
2008Kantata TakwaEros Djarot, Gotot PrakosaIndonesia
2009Agrarian UtopiaUruphong RaksasadThailand
2010Survival SongGuangyi YuChina
2011Ang Damgo ni Eleuteria KirchbaumRemton Siega ZuasolaPhilippines
2012BunohanDain Iskandar SaidMalaysia
2013TelevisionMostofa Sarwar FarookiBangladesh
2014NagimaZhanna IssabayevaKazakhstan
2015Cambodian SonMasahiro SuganoCambodia
2016Solo, SolitudeYosep Anggi NoenIndonesia
2017The Seen and UnseenKamila AndiniIndonesia
201827 Steps of MayRavi BharwaniIndonesia
2019House of HummingbirdKim BoraSouth Korea
2021TasteLê BảoVietnam
2022AutobiographyMakbul MubarakIndonesia
2023MonismeRiar RizaldiIndonesia, Qatar
    • Silver Hanoman Award – runner-up of best film
    • NETPAC Award – rewards to best first or second feature of Asian directors, chosen by Network for the Promotion of Asian Cinema
    • Geber Award – rewards to best first or second feature of Asian directors, chosen by film communities around Indonesia
  • Indonesian Screen Awards – rewards to best work on Indonesian feature films
    • Best Film
    • Best Director
    • Best Storytelling
    • Best Cinematography
    • Best Performance
  • Shorts
    • Blencong Award – best short film
    • Student Award – best short film, chosen by representatives of film students in Yogyakarta

References