The 2nd JAFF Market opened in Yogyakarta with a traditional Hanoman dance performance, after which market director Linda Gozali, who is also a producer at Magma Entertainment, officially launched the program, setting the tone for what she described as a strategic phase in the platform’s development for a year.
Gozali mentioned the Yogya Netpac Asian Film Festival, a long-running film festival in Yogyakarta whose industry platform is JAFF Market, saying, “JAFF has been around for 20 years and is still a baby. Our market is only in its second year.” “However, we believe it is a reliable, structured and future-oriented industry platform.” She announced a significant increase in the number of participants. “This year we have 116 exhibitors, 122 companies, and over 1,400 certification badges, compared to just 900 to 1,000 last year.” She encouraged attendees to move around the expanded venue, saying, “What I want to remind everyone is that you have to walk to every nook and cranny of this venue. You can’t miss anything.”
Gozali positioned JAFF Market as a regional and global connector. “JAFF Market exists as a strategic bridge to connect Indonesian projects, talent, companies and investors to regional and even global industries,” she said. “Ideas find direction, strategies find momentum, and creative ambitions meet real paths to production, distribution, and beyond.” Now in its 20th year, the festival awards Asia’s best works with its highest honor, the Golden Hanoman Award.
Mr. Gozali then introduced Mr. Ahmad Mahendra, Director-General of Cultural Development, Utilization and Nurturing, Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Indonesia, and the Minister of Culture gave an address. Noting that JAFF Market provides important visibility, Mahendra said, “JAFF Market is more of a forum for trading and pitching. This is where the ecosystem finds room to respond,” adding that this is “the one showcase that needs to be more visible internationally.”
Mahendra elaborated on the ministry’s efforts over the past year: “We have invited 85 filmmakers to six international film festivals… 13 film festivals within Indonesia… 27 Indonesian films have been nominated for international film festivals… 5 films have been internationally acclaimed. ” He added that four Indonesian filmmakers served as jurors at the major global event, highlighting efforts to develop talent. “More than 1,200 talents were produced…18 of them were internationally recognized in Busan, Hong Kong, Singapore, Berlin and Rotterdam.”
He praised Yogyakarta’s cultural ecosystem, saying, “Indonesia is grateful to JAFF and JAFF Market. This is our showcase that deserves more attention internationally.”
Next, Mr. Sultan Bakhtyar Najamuddin, Chairman of the Regional Representative Council of the Republic of Indonesia, made a statement that positioned JAFF Market within the cultural and economic structure of Indonesia. He began by acknowledging the recent disaster in Sumatra, saying, “The voice of nature has become louder than humans…This is an ecological wake-up call for all of us.”
He described the JAFF Market as a “reflection of the long journey of the Indonesian film ecosystem,” saying, “Ideas meet technology, technology becomes opportunity, and opportunity creates hope.” Mr. Najamuddin emphasized the economic effects of the industry, saying, “If the country’s film industry grows, the local economy will also develop.”
He called Indonesia “the greatest film setting that God has given us,” citing landscapes “from Sabang to Merauke…from the beaches of Mentawai to the jungles of Sumatra.” He spoke directly to young filmmakers and said, “The world is waiting.”
JAFF Market 2025 will be held in Yogyakarta from November 29th to December 1st.
