Unveiling the Winning Formula of a 9.1 Million Audience Film at JAFF 19 Public Lecture

The Indonesian film industry has had a remarkable year, achieving over 60 million cinema audiences, surpassing the number of audiences for imported films. This impressive figure, only recorded up to September 2024, is expected to grow even further towards the end of the year. Even more interesting is that the film with the highest audience in 2024 is Agak Laen (dir. Muhadkly Acho, 2024), a horror-comedy film.

In light of this success, JAFF 19 is organizing a public lecture titled “Between Tension and Comedy: The Dynamic Duo Film Recipe (Agak Laen)” on Monday, 2 December 2024, at 10:00 AM at the LPP Building. The speakers include Dipa Andika (producer), Bene Dion Rajagukguk (comedian and filmmaker), and Muhadkly Acho (comedian and filmmaker). The film’s success stems from a well-crafted screenplay, collaboratively written by writer-director Muhadkly Acho, along with producers Ernest Prakasa and Dipa Andika, and Bene Dion Rajagukguk, one of the members of “Agak Laen” group.

Each scene was meticulously prepared and discussed. Horror was used as a conflict-triggering angle, subverted and led to a comedic situation. This storytelling formula was applied, making the Agak Laen screenplay a strong and engaging narrative.

The success of Agak Laen has inspired a surge of more films with similar genres. This has energized the film industry and given viewers more diverse movie options. The speakers agreed that they hope the film industry continues to grow and develop, inspiring filmmakers to create even better storytelling creativity.

Be part of the next non-screening programs from JAFF 19. For detailed information, follow the official social media account @jaffjogja and the website jaff-filmfest.org.