The 20th Jogja-NETPAC Asian Film Festival (JAFF) continues to present a selection lineup of curated programs that will expand the cinematic experience for lovers of Asian cinema. Today’s highlights include selections from the Light of Asia program, screenings such as A Story About Fire, one of the most anticipated events at JAFF—Cinematic Concert, featuring White Shoes & The Couples Company—and a community forum offering fresh perspectives on martial arts in film.
A STORY ABOUT FIRE: AN ANCIENT QIANG MYTH IN A POETIC ANIMATION
Friday, 5 December | Empire XXI Studio 5 | 21:15 WIB
One of today’s featured films from the Asian Perspectives Features program is A Story About Fire (Li Wenyu, 2025), a Chinese animated film adapted from an ancient Qiang myth. The film follows the journey of a monkey raised among a tribe of prehistoric humans. In search of the meaning of “warmth,” he embarks on a pilgrimage to the Sacred Mountain, tracing the footsteps of his mother, Awubaji. After overcoming various trials, he discovers a firestone guarded by a feared creature, undergoing a spiritual transformation that turns him into a human.
Directed by Li Wenyu, an alumnus of Peking University and now a professor at Sichuan University specializing in Animation and Digital Arts, the film has traveled across international festivals, including Berlinale Generation 2025 (Germany), Asia Pacific Screen Awards 2025 (Australia), and Shanghai International Film Festival 2025 (China).
LIGHT OF ASIA 1: SELECTED ASIAN SHORTS IN COMPETITION
Friday, 5 December | Empire XXI Studio 2 | 12:00 WIB
The Light of Asia program once again showcases a selection of outstanding short films from across Asia, all competing for the Blencong Award—the festival’s highest honor for short films, chosen directly by the jury as a guiding light for the future of short-form cinema.
Today’s lineup for Light of Asia 1 includes A Better Plaza (Du Hoc Sinh) (Ben Oui, 2024), After Colossus (Timoteus Anggawan Kusno, 2024), Au Revoir Siam (Domenico Singha Pedroli, 2024), Honey, My Love, So Sweet (JT Trinidad, 2025), and Vox Humana (Don Josephus Raphael Eblahan, 2024).
Through this program, JAFF reaffirms its role as a vital space for diverse perspectives and emerging voices in Asian cinema.
COMMUNITY FORUM
SPECIAL PRESENTATION: STUNT IN ACTION!
Friday, 5 December | Sender Coffee | 19:00–22:00
JAFF20 presents a community forum that challenges common perceptions of how violence is portrayed on screen. Stunt In Action! brings together filmmaker Gugun Arief, Freedom Art Stunt Yogyakarta, and Fight Club YK in a dialogue about crafting controlled action scenes, safety protocols, and how aesthetics and narrative converge in fight choreography.
The program emphasizes that action sequences are not chaotic bursts of violence; rather, they emerge from thoughtful screenwriting, risk calculation, and rigorous technical discipline. The forum also highlights the social role of Fight Club YK in mitigating violence among youth through community-based approaches and structured martial arts practice.
Speakers include Faqi Huda, an actor and stunt coordinator with more than a decade of experience in film and extreme sports. As the founder of Freedom Art Stunt, he is known for his expertise in stunt coordination, fight choreography, rigging, and safety consulting, with recent work in the film Gak Nyangka (2025). Also joining the discussion is Adhi Bayu “Eyang Kocok,” a member of Fight Club YK who also works as a Graphic Designer at PERK and Event Creator at Kultura Space, managing entertainment events and bridging collaborations between creators, brands, and audiences.
CINEMATIC CONCERT
WHITE SHOES & THE COUPLES COMPANY
Friday, 5 December | Empire XXI Studio 1 | 21:30 WIB
One of JAFF’s most anticipated programs, Cinematic Concert, introduces a new way of enjoying music, not just through the ears, but through the unique atmosphere of the cinema space: dark, focused, and unifying. JAFF’s Cinematic Concert celebrates the meeting of two worlds: the raw energy of live music and the magic of the movie theater, creating an experience that is closer, warmer, and truly unforgettable
At JAFF20, the Cinematic Concert features White Shoes & The Couples Company, Jakarta-based pop sextet, formed in 2002, known for their unique “Indonesiana” sound. Their music blends influences from 1970s Indonesian film soundtracks, 1930s acoustic jazz, and classic Indonesian pop from the 1950s–1970s,
Before the live performance, the festival will screen White Shoes & The Couples Company in Cikini, a documentary by Henry Foundation, capturing the band’s special homecoming concert. More than music and nostalgia, the film becomes an emotional journey back to the roots of the legendary group—the Cikini neighborhood. Through archival materials, intimate conversations, and fragments of the concert atmosphere, the documentary reveals the personal connections each member shares with the spaces that shaped their artistic identity: the streets, the campus, and the creative venues that witnessed their beginnings.
Complete screening schedules and program updates for JAFF20 are available on the official website jaff-filmfest.org and on social media @jaffjogja.
