Indonesian production giant MD Pictures is betting big on remakes and series in 2026, releasing films on the JAFF Market centered around an adaptation of Oscar-nominated director Majid Majidi’s Iranian drama Children of Heaven and the final chapter of the popular horror series Danur.
Director Hanun Bramancho is at the helm of the remake of Children of Heaven, starring young actors Jared Ali and Humaira Jahra as brothers Ali and Zahra. Bramancho led a lecture titled “Children of Heaven: The Art of Film Adaptation” at the MD booth.
The company also announced the final chapter of the Dhanur series, directed by Awi Suryadi, titled Dhanur Final Chapter. Cast member Gee Asadele attended a meet-and-greet with festival attendees.
MD Pictures’ 2026 lineup includes a Korean horror remake of “Gongjiam: Haunted Asylum” (2018) as Angi Ambala’s “Rumah Sakit Anker Korea.” The cast includes Albani Yasiz, Eran El Gibran, Saputra Kori, and YouTuber Jang Hansol.
Director Kimo Stambor, who led the creative talks with cast member Giselma on “Janur Iren: Seu Dino the Sequel” (released December 24th), will return to direct “Ivanna 2”, another film in the “Danur Universe” series.
“Our ambitions don’t stop here. MD can further expand internationally and prove that we are Southeast Asia’s largest content powerhouse,” said Manoj Panjabi, CEO and Founder of MD Entertainment. “Whatever good movies exist, we will fight for them.”
The company also hosted a panel titled “Set, Space, Story: When Space Tells a Story at TACO” featuring TACO Group, an Indonesian supplier of interior and exterior materials for film production. MD Entertainment has opened up collaboration opportunities for creative projects in the market.
MD Pictures released “KKN di Desa Penari” in 2022, which attracted over 10 million viewers and became Indonesia’s highest-grossing horror film. The company acquired and launched streaming platform MDTV in early 2025.
The 2nd JAFF Market will be held from November 29th to December. The first one was at Yogya Expo Center in Yogyakarta.
