Documentary “Sampai Mati” (Until Death), which explores the aftermath of the 2002 Bali bombings through the perspectives of Australian survivors and Balinese locals, is being presented at the inaugural JAFF Market in Yogyakarta. The project, helmed by Australian director Ben Golotta and produced by Morgan Wright, brings a personal connection to the tragic events, as […]

SPOILER ALERT: This article contains spoilers from “Winter Break,” Season 4, Episode 8 of “Abbott Elementary,” now streaming on Hulu. Lisa Ann Walter is at the center of the “Abbott Elementary” Christmas episode “Winter Break,” which gives fans a nuanced lens into her character, the stubborn, pull-no-punches Melissa Schemmenti. The Melissa-focused episode reveals the fraught family […]

SPOILER ALERT: This article contains spoilers from “Winter Snow,” Season 4, Episode 7 of “Abbott Elementary,” now streaming on Hulu. Chris Perfetti shifts gears as Jacob Hill in the “Abbott Elementary” Christmas episode “Winter Show,” which introduces his younger brother Caleb Hill (Tyler Perez). Normally bubbling with positivity and naivety, Jacob experiences an emotional breakdown in […]

SPOILER ALERT: Details follow for Season 12, Episode 10 of “The Masked Singer,” “Quarter Finals: Merging of the Masks,” which aired Wednesday, December 4 on Fox. Sorry, Los Angeles Rams defensive tackle Kobie Turner just wasn’t quite Goo enough to move on to “The Masked Singer” semi-finals. Turner was unmasked on Wednesday’s episode as Goo, […]

Film distribution strategies are changing with the times, according to panelists at Indonesia’s inaugural JAFF Market, with experts presenting contrasting approaches to reaching audiences. Alternativa Film Projects, which launched in September 2023, approaches distribution through community screenings and discussions. “Film is a good starting point for change,” said Masha Shcherbakova, impact and community manager of […]

Indonesian production “The Light of Fire” (Tinju Api), a coming-of-age action drama from director-writer Sesarini, is being presented at the inaugural JAFF Market, running alongside the Jogja-Netpac Asian Film Festival. The project, produced by Lyza Anggraheni and Ismail Basbeth under their banner Ruang Basbeth Bercerita, follows 17-year-old Yuda, whose father is killed in an underground […]

Former table tennis champion turned match-fixer finds redemption through the sport in family drama from emerging filmmaker Najam Yardo, being presented at the inaugural JAFF Market. The project, produced by Hannan Cinthya under the Kreasi Angkasa Semesta – Arungi Films banner, follows 50-year-old Emma, who faces mounting medical bills for her son’s lymph node tuberculosis […]

A new documentary project, “Me, My Mother’s Favorite Monkey” (Aku, Monyet Kesayangan Ibuku), helmed by director Ivonne Kani, examines Chinese-Indonesian identity through the lens of intergenerational family dynamics at the inaugural JAFF Market in Yogyakarta. The film follows Kani’s year-long journey exploring her cultural heritage through traditional Chinese rituals including Chinese New Year, Tomb Sweeping […]

Singapore’s Silver Media Group is teaming with U.S. companies Ford Studios and Ark Entertainment on “Samurai Saint,” an animated feature chronicling the true story of Takayama Ukon, a 16th-century samurai who chose exile over renouncing his Christian faith. The project was unveiled on the sidelines of the inaugural JAFF Market that takes place alongside the Jogja-Netpac Asian Film Festival (JAFF) […]

Make no mistake about it, “Moana 2” is a hit. The Disney sequel set a Thanksgiving box office record with $225 million over the five-day holiday frame. While audiences have flocked to movie theaters, fans haven’t been so kind to the film’s music and its songwriters. The main criticism is that the songs don’t have […]

SPOILER ALERT: This article contains major spoilers from Season 2, Episode 5 of “Bad Sisters,” now streaming on Apple TV+. It took only two episodes for “Bad Sisters” showrunner Sharon Horgan to kill off a major character, so given we’re now halfway through the season, is it any surprise that the bodies are piling up? […]

SPOILER ALERT: This post contains spoilers from the first five episodes of “The Ultimatum” Season 3, now streaming on Netflix. Within the first few episodes of the third season of “The Ultimatum,” the cast was nearly cut in half. After the six couples chose new partners with whom to live out a “trial marriage,” two […]

The newly signed co-production treaty between the Netherlands and Indonesia aims to strengthen bilateral film collaboration, providing filmmakers from both countries access to national funding schemes and production incentives, industry leaders revealed at the inaugural JAFF Market in Jogja, Indonesia during a panel. The inaugural JAFF Market takes place alongside the Jogja-Netpac Asian Film Festival (JAFF) in Yogyakarta from Dec. […]

Marvin Laird, the award-winning Broadway and film composer who also conducted concerts for big stars like Diana Ross and Bernadette Peters, died Monday in Connecticut from natural causes. He was 85.  Laird participated in various hits on stage and the big screen. Among the most notable Broadway shows he conducted are “Annie,” “Get Your Gun,” […]

The last month of 2024 started with glitz and glam in London at The Fashion Awards, where Rihanna, Julia Fox and Nicola Coughlan were just some of the bold-faced names who stunned on the red carpet. Meanwhile, Jude Law and his “Skeleton Crew” co-stars launched the new “Star Wars” series at Disneyland in Anaheim, Calif. […]

Netflix is building on its 2023 Series Pitch Lab success by conducting the Reel Life Film Camp in partnership with the Jogja-Netpac Asian Film Festival (JAFF). The initiative, backed by the Netflix Fund for Creative Equity, marks an expansion into Indonesia following its earlier run in Thailand. The program selected 75 participants from over 600 […]

Mike Myers recently joined Vulture for a career-spanning interview in which he hilariously recounted how he was first pitched “Shrek” immediately after walking out of the the world premiere screening of Steven Spielberg’s “Saving Private Ryan.” But that didn’t stop DreamWorks co-founder Jeffrey Katzenberg from pitching him the chance to voice a a big green […]

“A three-year overnight success” is how producer and co-writer Julian Bunetta describes Teddy Swims’ breakthrough hit, “Lose Control,” which took so long to reach No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 (32 weeks after its debut) that it set a record for a male artist. “The first time Teddy and I wrote a song together […]

Over the past year, Benson Boone has had more than a few reasons to do backflips — literally. His acrobatic skills have become a staple of his live performances, whether it was during his opening slot on Taylor Swift’s “Eras Tour” or at the MTV Video Music Awards in September. At the latter event, where […]