The Jogja-NETPAC Asian Film Festival (JAFF) 2025 brings back one of its most beloved family programs. Carrying the spirit of transformation and nurturing the life of cinema through this year’s theme, Transfiguration, JAFF offers children the chance to experience cinema while stepping into a safe, comfortable learning environment.
In previous years, JAFF Kids focused solely on child-friendly film screenings. This year, for the first time, the program arrives with an added feature: a workshop. On the second day yesterday, JAFF brought a compilation of three short films, they are Bridge -My Little Friends- (Kazuyuki Ishihara, 2024), Cone (Ji-In Yoo, 2024), and Goldfish (Eslam Hassona, 2024) were screened as both entertainment and learning material. Although they come from different countries and are presented in their original languages with English subtitles, these films offer a shared entry point for children and their parents: an opportunity to learn together through cinema.
Building on this idea, JAFF created moments for parents and children to discuss the films between screenings. These conversations were further supported by a guidebook containing synopses and a set of psychologically informed questions to help children articulate their feelings and experiences while watching films in the cinema.
Other than the screenings, JAFF also hosted a creative workshop for kids titled “Animator Cilik Stop Motion”, designed to introduce children to the world of animation. Here, participants learned how to bring everyday objects to life—from their favorite toys to items around the room—by creating stop-motion animations using a mobile phone camera.
Twenty-five young animators had the chance to go through this mini-production process with Alfi Zachkyelle, founder and Chief Monsters Officer of PT Kampoong Monster Indonesia, which includes Kampoong Monster Studio, KAMONS SCHOOL, Kampoong Meong, Kampoong Pusaka Mitolongi Nuswantara, KAMONS Hobbies, and Mysthosic Komik Publishing.
Writer : Shofiatunnisa Azizah
Photos : JAFF Documentation Team
