JAFF20 “TRANSFIGURATION”: Celebrating Two Decades of Indonesia’s Largest Asian Film Festival
Jogja-NETPAC Asian Film Festival (JAFF) returns for its 20th edition, taking place over eight days from 29 November to 6 December 2025, showcasing 227 titles from 43 countries. This edition marks a special milestone: two decades since the festival was first held in 2006. The announcement was made during an offline press conference in Jakarta on November 5th. The event featured JAFF Festival Director Ifa Isfansyah, and Program Director Alexander Matius. Also present at the event were actor Hannah Al Rashid, director Aco Tenriyagelli, and musician/director Henry Foundation as speakers who will also attend the festival.
Celebrating its 20-year journey, JAFF will open with a special ceremonial program at the Gelanggang Inovasi dan Kreativitas (GIK), Universitas Gadjah Mada, Yogyakarta. The opening film is a musical Opera Jawa by renowned filmmaker Garin Nugroho, originally premiered at JAFF’s inaugural edition in 2006. The film will be screened in its original 35mm celluloid format. Closing the festival is Suka Duka Tawa (Comedy Buddy), a feature directorial debut of Aco Tenriyagelli, produced by Bion Studios and Spasi Moving Image.
Eleven titles will compete in the Main Competition for the Golden and Silver Hanoman Awards, including A Useful Ghost (Ratchapoom Boonbunchachoke), winner of Cannes Critics’ Week Grand Prix; Girl (Shu Qi), which premiered at the 82nd Venice Film Festival, and Pangku (On Your Lap) (Reza Rahadian), recipient of the White Light Post-Production Award at JAFF Future Project 2024 and award winner at Busan International Film Festival 2025.
In Indonesian Screen Awards, thirteen Indonesian titles will compete for Best Film, Best Director, Best Screenplay, Best Performance, and Best Cinematography with four new categories added this year: Best Production Design, Best Sound, Best Original Music, and Best Poster Design. Among the competing titles are Ikatan Darah by Sidharta Tata and Esok Tanpa Ibu (Mothernet) by Ho Wi Ding, both having their Indonesian premieres at JAFF20.
In the non-competition programs, JAFF20 will feature works by acclaimed Asian directors, including It Was Just An Accident (Jafar Panahi), winner of Cannes Palme d’Or; Two Seasons, Two Strangers (Sho Miyake), winner of Locarno Golden Leopard; also Kokuho (Lee Sang-il), The President’s Cake (Hasan Hadi), and Scarlet (Mamoru Hosoda). A program showcasing classic masterpieces across Asia, Rewind, brings back titles such as Yi Yi: A One and A Two (Edward Yang), Battle Royale (Kinji Fukasaku), and Asrama Dara (Girl’s Dormitory) (Usmar Ismail). One of JAFF20 highlights is also Cinematic Concert; pairing White Shoes and the Couples Company’s live performance with Henry Foundation’s documentary.
In the non screening program, JAFF in collaboration with Asian Film Academy will bring Ann Hui, one of the most acclaimed female directors in Asian cinema, for a masterclass, and will also screen two of her seminal works A Simple Life (2011) and July Rhapsody (2002) in newly restored 4K versions. Renowned filmmakers such as Kimo Stamboel, Joko Anwar, Erik Matti, Kulp Kaljareuk, and many others, will also take part in Creative Asia, a Netflix’s forum first introduced at the Busan International Film Festival (BIFF) and now returning in collaboration with JAFF20 — bringing together creators from across Southeast Asia to share insights, exchange ideas, and hear firsthand about Netflix’s upcoming projects.
Full details of JAFF20 program and ticketing information is available at jaff-filmfest.org and @jaffjogja
