INAFFF (INDONESIA INTERNATIONAL FANTASTIC FILM FESTIVAL) READY TO ROCK JAKARTA & BANDUNG!

Two years in a row, INAFFF has been entertaining horror/thriller, sci-fi and anime hardcore  fans in Jakarta and Bandung, and this November it will be back for the third edition. Last year, we managed to gather more than 11.000 movie fans to film screenings, free workshops and costume party. The festival has indeed reached its objective to reach a bigger audience beyond horror fans, and expand the festival content to a broader spectacle. Satisfying not only the horror fans, but also the ever-growing sci-fi, fantasy and anime lovers.  Especially, looking at the enthusiastic responses on screenings of anime titles last year.

For a total of 13 days, genre movie fans in Bandung and Jakarta will have a feast of blood, zombies, vampires, ghosts and ghouls at the third  edition of such festival in the country – the first international fantastic film festival in Indonesia and in South East Asia. Second in Asia only after Puchon International Fantastic Film Festival in Korea. A whole new generation of movie fans in Jakarta & Bandung who love genre movies in the range of horror, thriller, sci-fi, anime and fantasy, now has grown accustomed to the festival as the one and only event satisfying the genre fans. INAFFF in its third year has also become an important addition to the already the established Jakarta International Film Festival (Jiffest), Europe On Screen and Konfiden (Short Film Festival) in Indonesia.

The festival will showcase more than 35  films  from over 10  countries around the world. From award winning genre films to pure fun B-movies, and a few short films from up and coming young local talents.  Film screenings will be  done in Jakarta first from 13-22 November 2009 and then move on to Bandung from 27-29 November 2009. This year, we will open the festival with the most anticipated feature debut by The Mo Brothers (Timo Tjahjanto & Kimo Stamboel) titles MACABRE aka RUMAH DARA, based on their critically acclaimed short DARA which garnered its infamous reputation during its screening at the very first edition of INAFFF which was previously knows as Screamfestindo. The film itself had already won accolades in festivals around the world, recently won Best Actress for Shareefa Danish playing Dara at Puchon International Fantastic Film Festival in Korea. This will be its first Indonesia premiere before its initial cinema release in their home country. The directors and casts including Julie Estelle, Sigi Wimala, Shareefa Danish, and lots more will be in attendance during the opening ceremony of the festival. Two local films will also be screened in the festival as well. Both of them had also won international awards in most fantastic festivals around the world. PINTU TERLARANG (FORBIDDEN DOOR) by Joko Anwar, which has just won Best Film at Puchon International Fantastic Film Festival in Korea, and MERANTAU by Gareth Evan which also won Audience Award at Fantastic Fest in Austin Texas last September. Both film directors will be in attendance during screenings to meet their fans for a Q&A sessions during the festival.  

The festival will close with the latest sci-fi supernatural blockbuster starring Milla Jovovich. Directed by Olatunde Osunsanmi, the film will chronicles the strange events of disappearance in a small town in Alaska which was suspected to be abduction by aliens.  The intensely creepy film successfully mixed the real footage of the incidents with the lice action adaptation, which already has some critics said, “extremely disturbing” . Aside from film screenings, the festival also organize a film workshop with production crew of the martial arts-action film directed by Gareth Evans MERANTAU as guest speakers. They will specifically shared their experience in creating fighting sequences and stunt works. These events will be free for  all festival goers.



Same with previous year, INAFFF 3rd edition will be  supported by Norwegian Embassy and French Embassy who sponsored one to two films respectively from their country. This year, two Norwegian films HIDDEN and DEAD SNOW, and one French film, an anthology of animation shorts by acclaimed directors, FEAR(S) OF THE DARK will be screened at the festival.

Audience polling will also be conducted to determine the Audience Choice Award. Last year, the winner of  of the Audience Award  was the SURPRISE MOVIE of the festival, the horror film from Thailand titled COMING SOON, produced by the infamous director duo  who directed  SHUTTER and ALONE. As a surprise movie, the film packed the screening hall where audiences screamed their lungs out and gave their seal of approval as their favorite in the festival.

After an incredibly successful screenings of anime titles last year, this year will feature MUSASHI: THE DREAM OF THE SAMURAI by Mamuro Oshii (the mastermind behind GHOST IN THE SHELL series), and also a live action adapatation of Osamu Tezuka  (creator of Astro Boy) popular manga MW. Aside from these fantasy/anime titles, the festival is also proud to screen the fantasy action film, YATTERMAN,  the latest film by the renowned director Takashi Miike (who directed AUDITION).

Drawing around 11.000 admissions in Jakarta and Bandung last year  including an estimate of 300 workshop participants, INAFFF has  managed  to provide a fun film festival experience to movie fans in Indonesia, who screamed, yelled and clapped in the cinema. The key word is fun and this is indefinitely what differentiate INAFFF from  other festivals in Indonesia. The festival got an even more comprehensive coverage from  the local and national media. An estimate of 50 media from print, radio and magazine covered and promoted  the event as part Indonesia’s ever-growing festival film scene.

After premiering at Screamfestindo in 2007, COLD PREY (from Norway), THE ORPHANAGE (from SPAIN), and THE FALL (from UK) was picked up by local distributors where these films eventually got a successful run during its cinema release in 2008. Last year, LET THE RIGHT ONE IN (from Sweden), COMING SOON (from Thailand), EVANGELION 1.0 (Japan)  and EDEN LOG (from France) was instantly picked up by local distributors as well. The festival has also become a promotional platform for these genre films including foreign-language titles in attracting buyers and for its subsequent cinema release.

The festival’s objective is still to establish itself as an internationally recognized film festival in the world, being the first in Indonesia and South East Asia. And hopefully strive to be bigger and better in the upcoming years.

SIAPKAN ADRENALIN MU UNTUK INAFFF
(Indonesia International Fantastic Film Festival) 2009 !!!


Setelah sebelumnya dikenal dengan nama Screamfestindo di tahun 2007, dan menjadi festival film bergenre fantastic pertama di Asia Tenggara (dan yang kedua di Asia setelah Puchon Film Festival, Korea), LA Lights presents INAFFF (Indonesia International Fantastic Film Festival) kembali hadir dengan jiwa yang sama, nuansa yang gempita, dan kesegaran yang selalu akan memuaskan kebutuhan pecinta film akan genre horror/thriller, fantastic, sci-fi dan kali ini juga melebarkan wadah untuk para penggemar film Anime.

Menggeliat dan selalu berkembang, setelah sukses di tahun 2007, INAFFF 2008 berhasil memuaskan nafsu anime para pecinta film Jakarta dan Bandung dengan diputarnya Evangelion 1.0. Jumlah penonton yang bertambah dua kali lipat di tahun 2008, bertambahnya jumlah film, berkembangnya lokasi, menjadi acuan INAFFF untuk terus menjadikan media festival ini sebagai wadah tempat berkumpulnya fans fanatik film genre tersebut dan menapakkan dirinya sebagai bagian dari peta festival film yang sudah ada di Indonesia.

LA Lights INAFFF 2009, dengan periode kurang lebih 13 hari, akan diselenggarakan di 2 kota, yakni Jakarta (Blitz Megaplex Grand Indonesia dan Blitz Megaplex Mall of Indonesia) pada tanggal 13 – 22 November 2009 dan Bandung (Blitz Megaplex Paris Van Java) pada tanggal 27 – 29 November 2009,  memutarkan lebih dari 35 film dari berbagai Negara di dunia (Norwegia, Amerika, Inggris, Spanyol, Thailand, Korea, Jepang, dll).

Film RUMAH DARA (Macabre) akan menggebrak festival ini, yaitu sebuah film karya anak bangsa hasil arahan Mo Brothers (Timo Tjahjanto & Kimo Stamboel), sebagai film pembuka yang banyak dinanti dan akan diputar untuk pertama kalinya di Indonesia.  Rumah Dara (Macabre) adalah film  layar lebar kelanjutan dari film pendek Dara yang pada tahun 2007 yang pertama kali diputar di Indonesia melalui Screamfestindo, dan sudah memenangkan berbagai penghargaan di berbagai festival film dunia.

Dua film lokal lainnya yang juga bisa dinikmati adalah PINTU TERLARANG (Forbidden Door) arahan Joko Anwar yang baru saja memenangkan penghargaan “Best Film” pada Puchon International Fantastic Film Festival, dan satu film karya Gareth Evans dengan judul MERANTAU, yang memenangkan “Audience Award” pada Austin Fantastic Film Festival pada bulan September lalu.

Kecantikan dan kepiawaian acting Milla Jovovich dibawah arahan sutradara Olatunde Osunsanmi lewat film 4th Kind menjadi salah satu film yang memberikan nuansa misteri. Hilangnya seluruh penduduk desa di Alaska secara misterius yang akan dituturkan lewat 4th Kind, mencuatkan imaginasi tentang hadirnya mahluk luar angkasa yang datang menculik seluruh isi desa tersebut.

Bermain-main dengan imajinasi, temuilah kompilasi film-film pendek hitam putih dari Prancis yang satir karya Charles Burns berjudul FEARS OF THE DARK. Kemegahan sosok fiksi Mushasi dari Jepang bisa dirasakan lewat film animasi MUSHASI: The Dream of the Samurai karya Mizuho Nishikubo.  Kemunculan zombie-zombie nazi yang haus darah dan kocak dapat dinikmati lewat film DEAD SNOW dari Norwegia.

Seperti tahun sebelumnya, LA Lights INAFFF 2009 kembali mengadakan Movie Workshop yang  didukung penuh oleh Majalah Cinemags, dan di tahun ini akan mengambil film Merantau sebagai topic pembahasan. Gareth Evans, sutradara film Merantau akan bercerita tentang sisi bela diri dan peran pemeran pengganti dalam film ini. Audience Award juga masih dilakukan untuk mengetahui selera subjektif penonton Indonesia terhadap film-film yang mereka sukai, di tahun 2008, Audience Award dimenangkan oleh film Coming Soon dari Thailand.

LA Lights INAFFF mendapatkan dukungan yang luar biasa hingga akhirnya dapat melanjutkan perjalanannya hingga ke tahun ketiga di tahun 2009 ini. Masih sama dengan tahun sebelumnya, dukungan penuh didapatkan dari Norwegian Embassy lewat film Hidden dan Dead Snow dan juga French Embassy melalui film Fears of the Dark.

Melalui ajang ini, diharapkan juga penonton dapat menerima karakter dan keunikan film-film dari berbagai negara dan secara tidak langsung dapat menjadi wadah dibeli dan diputarkannya berbagai film oleh distributor lokal, seperti Orphanage (Spanyol – Screamfestindo 07), The Fall (UK – Screamfestindo 07), Cold prey (Norwey – Screamfestindo 07), Let The Right One In (Sweden – Inafff 08), Coming Soon (Thailand - Inafff 08), dan Evangelion 1.0 (Japan - Inafff 08).

Kedekatan dua arah dengan penonton, kekakuan yang ditiadakan, dan kebebasan berekspresi menciptakan nuansa seru, ramah dan penuh kejutan, adalah karakter yang selalu akan dibawa LA Lights INAFFF  tahun ini maupun tahun-tahun yang akan datang. Diharapkan jiwa ini akan mengakar kuat dan meluas hingga menjadikan festival ini sebagai salah satu festival film di Indonesia yang diperhitungkan di mata dunia Internasional.

Terimakasih sebesar-besarnya kami ucapkan kepada LA Lights sebagai pihak yang tidak ragu memberikan kepercayaan selama 3 tahun terakhir, Blitz Megaplex, Norwegian Embassy, French Embassy, MT Entertainment, Radio Trax FM Jakarta, Hard Rock FM Jakarta dan Bandung, Cinemags, Flashy Clothing, Circle K, Kaskus online, Focus Media, Big Oak Tree, O Channel, Go Girl Magazine, Total Film Magazine,Trailer Magazine, View Magazine, Djakarta Magazine, Cita Cinta Magazine Sound Up Magazine, Chic Magazine, Kawanku Magazine, Area Magazine, Juice Magazine, Teen Magazine, Time Out Magazine, High End Teen Magazine, Bintang Indonesia, Prambors FM Bandung, OZ FM Bandung, Rase FM Bandung, Rileks.com, Kapanlagi.com.