News

International finance, production and sales company Est N8 has acquired Indonesian horror Sorop during Asia TV Forum & Market (Atf) in Singapore.

Upi Avianto, known for her work on Till Death Do Us Part, Sri Asih,and the My Stupid Boss films, directed the story of siblings who return to their hometown following their uncle’s death and experience terrifying supernatural events.

Hana Malasan, Yasamin Jasem, and Ratu Felisha star in Sorop, which is produced by MD Pictures, part of MD Entertainment, which will distribute in Indonesia on December 19.

The MD Entertainment group is behind the hits Ayat Ayat Cinta and Habibie & Ainun.

Korean production and sales powerhouse Barunson E&a is investing in and taking on international sales for upcoming Indonesian horror Sorop, produced by MD Pictures, and will launch the film in Busan’s Asian Contents & Film Market (Acfm) next week.

The film is written and directed by veteran Indonesian filmmaker Upi, known for her work on superhero action film Sri Asih, co-written and produced by Joko Anwar, as well as popular romcom franchise My Stupid Boss. It was co-written with SimpleMan, one of the leading creators on Indonesian Twitter, based on a viral horror thread.

The story revolves around siblings Hanif and Isti as they return to their hometown due to their uncle’s illness. After his death, their grief is disrupted by eerie events, including their uncle’s reappearance.

MD Pictures previously produced Indonesia’s highest-grossing film ever, Kkn Curse Of The Dancing Village, which was also based on a viral Twitter thread by SimpleMan.

South Korea’s Barunson E&a has boarded international sales of upcoming Indonesian horror Sorop, which it will launch at the Asian Contents & Film Market (Acfm) in Busan.

The feature is directed and co-written by Upi, the Indonesian filmmaker behind 2022 superhero title Sri Asih, which was co-written and producer by Joko Anwar and screened at International Film Festival Rotterdam (IFFR).

Sorop has been co-written by SimpleMan, a social media creator renowned for writing numerous viral horror threads who has more than one million followers on X, formerly Twitter. The story first appeared on the platform in 2020.

The film follows siblings Hanif...

If the past two decades have taught us anything then it is that modern cinema is currently in the age of the “Superhero”. With both Marvel and D.C. cinematic universes dominating box office figures, it is perhaps inevitable that others would follow suit. Comic books have proven popular in most cultures and provide a wealth of source material as well as storyboarding shorthand. Therefore, we eventually got the announcement in 2019 of the Bumilangit cinematic universe in Indonesia using the Marvel model of interconnected stories and media to tell their own stories. Following “Gundala” in 2019 came a delay due to the pandemic. With “Sri Asih: The Warrior” comes an attempt to regain momentum and unleash comic book action Indonesian style on a global audience as Shout Factory releases it on Blu-ray.

A volcanic eruption sees the tragic loss of Alana’s parents and she grows up in an orphanage along with her friend Tangguh.

Fantastic Fest is currently winding down in Austin, Texas, with two more days of blood-splattered programming unfurling at the Alamo Drafthouse on South Lamar.

But before the festival concludes (with a closing-night screening of Nahnatchka Khan’s “Totally Killer”), TheWrap can exclusively reveal the winners from this year’s festival – in all of their gore-drenched glory.

“We were graced with wonderful films from around the world this year,” said Annick Mahnert, Director of Programming for Fantastic Fest, in an official statement. “Curating this diverse showcase of cinema for our esteemed jurors was a real privilege. With so many incredible perspectives represented, their job reviewing these fantastic movies was undeniably challenging. Their thoughtful and professional critiques of each work embody the cinematic excellence we love to champion at Fantastic Fest.”

Choosing the very best films of this year’s festival must have been though; not only were there a ton of...

The Indonesian superhero outing is the second entry in the Bumilangit Cinematic Universe. 

Premiere Entertainment Group (Peg) has licensed Indonesian superhero feature Sri Asih to Shout! Studios for North America. 

Shout! is planning a release on multiple platforms later this year. The film was released theatrically in Indonesia on 1,270 screens in November and later premiered on Disney+ Hotstar in Indonesia and selected Asian territories. 

Produced by Screenplay Bumilangit in association with Sk Global, Sri Asih is the second installment of the Bumilangit Cinematic Universe, a series of superhero films based on the more 500 comic book characters in the library of Indonesian publishing company Bumilangit.

Joey Bragg, Tyler Alvarez, Genevieve Hannelius star.

Premiere Entertainment Group has acquired international rights to American High and Ld Entertainment’s teen comedy Sid Is Dead starring Joey Bragg, Tyler Alvarez and Genevieve Hannelius and is kicking off talks in Cannes this week.

Eli Gonda directed the film from Peter Warren’s screenplay based on a novel by Drew Frist and Tom Dolby. The story centres on a high school senior (Bragg) who fears for his life after getting the school bully suspended and creates a bucket list of everything he will miss out on when he expects his life...

Exclusive: Premiere Entertainment Group has acquired world sales rights to the Indonesian superhero action film Sri Asih, starring Pevita Pearce, and will launch sales at EFM.

The film, produced by Indonesian production company Screenplay Bumilangit in association with Sk Global, was released theatrically in Indonesia on 1,270 screens in November and is set to premiere on Disney+ Hotstar in Indonesia and select Asian territories.

Sri Asih is the second installment from the Bumilangit Cinematic Universe (Bcu), a series of superhero films drawing on a library of more than 500 comic book characters published by Indonesian content company Bumilangit, following Gundala (2019).

The film follows Alana (Pearce), a young woman trying to find her own identity amidst a world of crime and corruption. She also happens to be the reincarnated Goddess Asih, protector of the masses and is tasked with preventing a demon spirit commander from releasing the Fire Goddess from captivity inside a volcano.

After being dormant for 3 years since the first feature “Gundala”, the announced Bumilangit Cinematic Universe from Indonesia remained dormant for a few years until springing back to life last year, first with the release of “Sri Asih” and now followed by the latest Indonesian comic-book adaptation “Virgo and the Sparklings”.

Synopsis

The story follows Riani and her schoolmates Ussy, Monica, and Sasmi, who together form the band Virgo and The Sparklings and embark on the beginnings of a musical career. However, the initially successful debut of the band is interrupted by a spate of magical attacks on ordinary people, leading Riani and her bandmates to don costumes to fight back against the mysterious attack.

Produced by Joko Anwar, “Virgo and the Sparklings” stars Adhisty Zara, Ashira Zamita, Satine Zaneta, Mawar Eva De Jongh, Rebecca Klopper, Rachel Florencia and Bryan Domani. It is scheduled to release in Indonesian theatres on March 2nd,...

The wait is over: Intl. Film Festival Rotterdam (IFFR), set to kick off on Jan. 25, is returning for its first full on-site edition in three years.

“We are finally able to present the reshaped program as it was intended: in cinemas across Rotterdam. We find it incredibly encouraging to see that the number of accredited guests is similar to pre-covid editions,” says festival director Vanja Kaludjercic.

Alongside IFFR’s Tiger competition strand, which celebrates innovative and adventurous up-and-coming filmmakers, there are retrospectives of Judit Elek, Stanya Kahn, Arc and Japanese animator Yuasa Masaaki, as well as “Sunshine State,” Steve McQueen’s much-anticipated artwork, originally commissioned for the festival’s 50th anniversary back in 2021.

“It’s great to see that this extra time has allowed it to evolve into what it is today: a monumental two-channel video projection that will surely move all those who witness it,” she adds. “With this commission,...

Remember the Bumilangit Cinematic Universe? The superhero movie franchise is based on the characters from the Indonesian Bumilangit comic-books, which has a rich history and character roster. The project was announced a few years back, with Joko Anwar overseeing it and kickstarting it with 2019’s “Gundala”. However, since the release of Anwar’s film and the tease at the end of it, not much has been heard about the Bcu’s future, likely because of pandemic-related delays. That’s all changed now though, with the first teaser trailer for the second film “Sri Asih”, written by Upi Avianto, who also takes the director’s chair on this, and Joko Anwar.

Not much is known about the synopsis of the feature, but it is based on the Sri Asih character from the Bumilangit comic books by Ra Kosasih, with actress Pevita Pearce playing the titular character. The film is expected to...