A documentary centring on the aftermath of the 2002 Bali bombings and a feminist horror exploring the relationship between a woman who longs for death and another who longs for life have been selected to participate in a new exchange initiative from the Adelaide Film Festival (AFF) and the upcoming Jogja-Netpac Asian Film Festival (JAFF) Market in Indonesia.
Ben Golotta’s Sampai Mati (working title) and Katrina Irawati Graham’s Raesita Grey will be brought to the Jakarta Future Project (JFP) market platform at next month’s inaugural JAFF Market, taking place in the city of Yogyakarta from December 3-5, 2024.
AFF will support two members of each film’s core team, which must include the producer, to attend the market, with each project to receive structured support from mylab, an established international development initiative with participants from across Asia.
Written by Juli Sastrawan, and to be produced by Repeater Productions (Australia), Sampai Mati follows the intertwined journeys of Australian survivors mourning lost loved ones and Balinese locals committed to community healing, following the 2002 Bali Bombings, which killed 202 people, including 88 Australians.
In Raesita Grey, produced by Ana Tiwary, the titular develops a deadly connection with a Kuntilanak, the most famous of Indonesian ghosts, while pregnant after being haunted by guilt over her husband’s death.
Producer and project market head Meiske Taurisia hailed the selections as “a diverse range of exciting film projects in early stages of development, presenting a variety of genres that should cater to the appetites of various investors, producers, and distributors, looking for stimulating film projects for their pipeline.”
The international market initiative is the final stage of the AFF and Jogja NETPAC Asian Film Festival Exchange, supported by the Australian Government.
AFF CEO and creative director Mat Kesting said the partnership had been an “incredibly satisfying experience”.
“This latest initiative is particularly exciting, helping to advance projects on their path to production,” he said.
“I’d like to thank the Federal Government and the Office for the Arts for their support of the initiative.”
In a joint statement, JAFF market chairperson Ifa Isfansyah and mylab curator Lorna Tee said they were confident of “more fruitful connections and vibrant exchanges” from the latest initiative.
“JAFF and mylab have previously worked with AFF with great pleasure and success in bringing Indonesian, Asian, and Australian filmmakers and industry together,” they said.