The Cannes Critics’ Week has announced four short films crafted by Indonesian writers-directors under the Next Step Studio initiative. The program pairs eight emerging voices—four from Indonesia and four international collaborators—to write and direct 15-minute works that will screen at the 65th edition of Critics’ Week between May 13 and 21.
This year’s edition is steered by producer Yulia Evina Bhara, Amerta Kusuma, and Dominique Welinski, with a broad set of co-producers and partners across Indonesia and beyond, including cultural institutions and private studios. The aim is to help fresh talent transition from shorts to feature filmmaking.
Here are the four titles set to be shown during Cannes Critics’ Week:
Holy Crowd
Directors: Reza Fahriyansyah (Indonesia) and Ananth Subramaniam (Malaysia). A joint Indonesia–France project from 2025, running 16 minutes in Indonesian.
- Synopsis: After Ratna returns at her funeral, her silent body begins healing people, drawing her husband into a growing frenzy as faith and exploitation collide and the miracle spirals out of control.
- Cast: Prilly Latuconsina, Yusuf Mahardika, Yudi Ahmad Tajudin, Arswendy Bening Swara
- DOP: Vera Lestafa (Indonesian Cinematographers Society)
- Editor: Carlo Francisco Manatad
Original Wound
Directors: Shelby Kho (Indonesia) and Sein Lyan Tun (Myanmar). Indonesia–France collaboration, 2026, 14 minutes, Indonesian language.
Synopsis: In the wake of their mother’s death, a brother and sister remain inside a house shaped by her control, as memories of abuse and care come into conflict and grief reveals a deeper entrapment.
- Cast: Agnes Naomi, Omara Esteghlal, Vivian Idris
- DOP: Vera Lestafa
- Editor: Carlo Francisco Manatad
Annisa
Directors: Reza Rahadian (Indonesia) and Sam Manacsa (Philippines). Indonesia–France, 2025, 14 minutes, Indonesian language.
Synopsis: In a crowded housing complex, a blind teenage girl named Anissa traverses a world mostly understood by sound, and during a national day celebration, discovers a way to be heard amid the surrounding noise.
- Cast: Choirunnisa Fernanda, Nazira C. Noer, Shakeel Fauzi
- DOP: Faozan Rizal
- Editor: Carlo Francisco Manatad
Mothers Are Mothering
Directors: Khozy Rizal (Indonesia) and Lam Li Shuen (Singapore). Indonesia–France, 2025, 17 minutes, Indonesian language.
Synopsis: Nia, 50, trapped in an abusive marriage, navigates a fractured inner life where desire, memory, and ritual intertwine. A reunion with a former lover rekindles intimacy but also exposes ongoing violence as reality dissolves into a dreamlike withdrawal, prompting a final escape attempt.
- Cast: Happy Salma, Asmara Abigail, Yudi Ahmad Tajudin
- DOP: Deska Binarso
- Editor: Carlo Francisco Manatad
The initiative’s latest run is presented by a team including Yulia Evina Bhara, Amerta Kusuma, and Dominique Welinski, and features co-production partners across Indonesia and overseas, supported by cultural bodies and international allies, in close collaboration with the French Embassy in Indonesia, Timor-Leste, ASEAN, and the French Institute Indonesia. Cannes Critics’ Week runs May 13–21.
Source: Original article
