Jakarta World Cinema plans to revive its First Feature Competition in 2027, with an international jury and submissions open to filmmakers from around the world. The category was suspended for the 2026 edition because organizers had difficulty putting together an international judging panel, and no submissions were accepted this year.
Festival director Shandy Gasella told Variety that previous juries had consisted entirely of Indonesian judges. For the competition’s planned return, organizers want to recruit international jurors with strong filmographies. Bringing those members onto the panel is part of the team’s effort to open the category to filmmakers worldwide.
The festival occupies a place in Indonesia’s film calendar between Jakarta Film Week in October and the Jogja-Netpac Asian Film Festival at the end of November. Frederica, Jakarta World Cinema’s executive director and the director of KlikFilm, said award-winning films from Cannes, Berlin, Venice and Sundance account for between 80% and 90% of its lineup.
Frederica, who oversees acquisitions, said the team visits film markets including Berlin, Toronto and Cannes to select titles. The aim is to give local audiences access to the year’s most important art films. The 2026 program comprises 207 titles, with 102 receiving theatrical screenings, the highest theatrical total in the festival’s history.
Programming director Daniel Irawan said organizers hope to increase the size of the lineup next year. They also intend to continue working with CGV Grand Indonesia, the festival’s main venue, to expand audience capacity. Those ambitions accompany the proposed return of the First Feature Competition as the team prepares for its next edition.
A separate short film competition took place in June, attracting more than 300 entries from professional filmmakers, amateurs and students. The festival will screen all 30 competition titles, along with 20 shortlisted films outside the competition. Winners of the best short film and audience choice awards will be revealed on closing day. KlikFilm will fully fund production and distribution of the best short film winner’s debut feature.
Indonesian Culture Minister Fadli Zon said the festival receives backing from Dana Indonesiaraya, a matching fund shared by the government and the film industry. Jakarta World Cinema closes on November 7. Its program will then travel to Bandung World Cinema and Malang World Cinema, two local extensions scheduled to run from November 14 to 21.
