Before it had an audience, it had to survive a pile of over 2,400 films. That's how many short films competed just to earn a spot in the top 11 at La Semaine de la Critique — Critics' Week — at the 2026 Cannes International Film Festival. One of the eleven is Indonesian.

What is VATERLAND or A Bule Named Yanto ?

VATERLAND or A Bule Named Yanto is an Indonesia–Germany co-production short film directed by Berthold Wahjudi, selected to compete in the 65th edition of La Semaine de la Critique at Cannes, held from 13 to 21 May 2026 in Cannes, France. The film is produced by madfilms (Germany) and Aftersun Creative (Indonesia), with producers Jonas Egert, Sylvain Cruiziat, and Annisa Adjam. It was shot on 16mm film in Yogyakarta by cinematographer Noah Böhm.

The story follows Yanto — played by Aggai Simon — a young man of German-Indonesian descent who visits his younger sister in Indonesia. What starts as a simple family trip becomes something heavier: a slow reckoning with identity, belonging, and the particular kind of alienation that comes from feeling foreign in the culture you're supposed to call home.

The tension sharpens when Yanto realizes his sister has assimilated far more deeply into Indonesian life than he ever has. What follows is a quiet unraveling — awkwardness, envy, and a growing sense of loss.

Why does La Semaine de la Critique matter?

Critics' Week is not just another sidebar at Cannes. It's an independent program founded by the French Union of Film Critics in 1962, and it has launched the careers of directors like Wong Kar-wai, Guillermo del Toro, Alejandro González Iñárritu, and Julia Ducournau — the director behind Palme d'Or winner Titane.

For a short film to land here is significant. The selection process is ruthless: the 65th edition received submissions from dozens of countries, narrowed to just 11 short films. VATERLAND made it from a field of 2,400 entries.

Who made it, and what does it mean for Indonesian cinema?

The film is a true co-production. The German side came through madfilms, while Aftersun Creative handled the Indonesian production. Most of the crew on set were Indonesian. Annisa Adjam from Aftersun Creative described the film's participation as an important step in expanding representation of Southeast Asian stories and diaspora identities through genuine international collaboration.

Shot in the golden-hour haze of Yogyakarta on grainy 16mm film, the movie has a tactile, intimate quality that's rare in contemporary short filmmaking. It looks and feels like something you'd find in a film archive — in the best way.