Not a single gold palm, not yet. But four Indonesian films showing up at La Semaine de la Critique — Cannes Critics' Week — is the kind of quiet cultural moment that tends to get louder in hindsight.

The Cannes Film Festival resumed on 12 May 2025, and while the red carpet grabbed every headline, the more interesting story was happening one program over. This year, Indonesian cinema earned a rare foothold at Critics' Week through a collaboration between Next Step Studio Indonesia and KawanKawan Media — with four short and feature projects selected: Holy Crowd, Original Wound, Annisa, and Mothers Are Mothering.

What is Cannes Critics's Week - and why does it matter for Indonesia ?

Cannes Critics' Week, or La Semaine de la Critique, is one of the most respected independent sections of the Cannes Film Festival. Founded by the French Syndicate of Cinema Critics, it focuses exclusively on the first and second films of emerging directors from around the world. It is not a sideshow — it is where careers begin. Directors like Xavier Dolan and Cristi Puiu made their international marks here. For Indonesian filmmakers, an invitation is a signal to the global industry that the country's next generation is worth watching.

What are the four Indonesian films at Cannes 2025?
Holy Crowd

Dir. Reza Fahriyansyah & Ananth Subramaniam

Starring Prilly Latuconsina, Yusuf Mahardika, and Arswendy Bening Swara, this satire uses deliberately absurd — yet deeply familiar — situations to examine the chaos of Southeast Asian collective culture. The visuals are experimental; the discomfort is intentional.

Original Wound

Dir. Shelby Kho & Sein Lyan Tun

Agnes Naomi and Omara Esteghlal lead this quiet, intimate film about emotional distance — specifically the kind that grows slowly between people who once knew each other completely. It is the type of film that stays with you at 2 AM for reasons you can't quite name.

Annisa

Dir. Reza Rahadian & Sam Manaesa

Starring Choirunnisa Fernanda, Nazira C. Noer, and Shakeel Fauzi, Annisa follows a blind teenager with a dream of becoming a singer — based on a real story. It is a film about hope, about finding your voice literally and figuratively, in a world that often asks you to be silent.

Mothers Are Mothering

Dir. Khozy Rizal & Lam Li Shuen

Happy Salma, Asmara Abigail, and Yudi Ahmad Tajudin anchor this sci-fi black comedy that uses genre conventions to ask genuinely difficult questions about women, domestic life, and personal relationships. The satirical angle is sharp; the emotional undertow is real.

What is the significance of this for the Indonesian film industry?
What makes this selection significant is not just the four films themselves, but the pipeline they represent. The Next Step Studio Indonesia program — run in collaboration with Cannes Critics' Week — is specifically designed to develop the first and second features of emerging Indonesian directors. It is a structured bridge between local talent and international distribution, one that didn't exist a decade ago.

Here is the counterintuitive detail worth sharing: Critics' Week does not select based on production budget or star power. Films like Original Wound and Annisa compete on the same stage as productions from France, South Korea, and Brazil purely on directorial vision. That is the playing field Indonesian cinema just stepped onto.

How can I watch these Indonesian films from Cannes?
As of May 2025, all four films are part of the active Cannes program running until 24 May. Following the festival, films selected for Critics' Week typically enter the international festival circuit — Rotterdam, Toronto, and Busan — before pursuing regional streaming distribution. Indonesian audiences should watch for announcements from KawanKawan Media and Next Step Studio Indonesia on local release dates.