These are our ten recommended feature films from the Jakarta Film Week, which will take place from October 23 – 27, 2024 in Jakarta, Indonesia.

A Song Sung Blue by Geng Zihan – China | 2023 – 92 minutes

During the loneliest of summers, shy, 15 year old Xian meets extroverted Mingmei, an 18 year old Chinese-Korean girl and an enchantment begins… (JFW 2024)

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All the Songs We Never Sang by Chris Rudz – Japan | 2023 – 115 minutes

A rebellious teen, NATSUMI, ventures from Tokyo to a small provincial island where her aunt REIKO lives. Reiko is an Ama-San, a traditional Japanese pearl diver. She has been at odds with Natsumi’s mother, her twin sister, for years and had never met Natsumi before. The young girl has to find a way to heal those old wounds, reunite her family, and save herself from some big trouble she gets herself into. Japanese pop songs from Reiko’s youth in the 1980s unexpectedly become Natsumi’s ally to bring the family closer again. (JFW 2024)

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Breaking The Cycle by Aekaphong Saransate, Thanakrit Duangmaneeporn – Thailand | 2024 – 117 minutes

Breaking The Cycle captures the political awakening among Thais after the rise and fall of Thanatorn, a young politician who calls to end the cycle of coups d’etat. The film explores the 2019 election in Thailand, which marked the end of five years of full military rule and a new group of young politicians who campaign against an authoritarian constitution, sparking hope and a once-in-a-generation youth movement. (JFW 2024)

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Dancing on the Edge of Volcano by Cyril Aris – Germany, Lebanon | 2023 – 87 minutes

In the aftermath of the catastrophic explosion from August 4th 2020 in Beirut, a film crew is facing a serious dilemma: should they defy the chaos and move forward with the shooting of their film or surrender to the multiple crises that are spreading all over the country? Dancing on the Edge of the Volcano captures their relentless battle to keep making cinema in a shattered city. (JFW 2024)

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Exhuma by Jang Jae-hyun – South Korea | 2024 – 134 minutes

A wealthy family living in Los Angeles calls on a pair of young shaman, played by Kim Go-eun and Lee Do-hyun, to save their newborn child after they are visited by a series of paranormal events. The shaman duo senses that the dark shadow of an ancestor has latched on the family, a so-called ‘Grave’s Calling’. (JFW 2024)

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Idiot Girls and School Ghost: School Anniversary by Kim Min Ha – South Korea | 2024 – 90 minutes

The high school senior girls discovered a ‘Ghost Hide and Seek’ tape recorded by their seniors in the broadcasting club. Through the tape, the girls learned about a rumor that if they win in the ghosts’ hide and seek game on the upcoming school anniversary, they can receive a perfect score on the college enterance exam. The girls decided to recruit Min-Ju, a second year student from the religious club, as a mercenary and made a decision to participate together in the ghosts’ hide and seek. (JFW 2024)

The Paradise of Thorns by Boss Kuno – Thailand | 2024 – 131 minutes

‘Thongkam’ and ‘Sek’, a devoted gay couple, have worked tirelessly to build a life together, including owning a house and a durian orchard in Mae Hong Son. Tragedy strikes when Sek dies suddenly in an accident, revealing that they were never legally married in Thailand, leaving Thongkam with no rights to their assets. The house and orchard now belong to Sek’s mother, who moves in with her adopted daughter ‘Mo’ and gardener ‘Jingna’. Thongkam must now fight to reclaim the fruits of his love and labor. (JFW 2024)

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Time Still Turns the Pages by Nick Cheuk – Hong Kong | 2023 – 95 minutes

High school teacher Cheng looks back to his repressed childhood memories, as he finds an anonymous suicide note in the classroom. He strives hard to prevent another tragedy from happening, meanwhile facing a series of family problems, his wife is divorcing him, and his father is dying. (JFW 2024)

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Yohanna by Razka Robby Ertanto – Indonesia, UK, Italy | 2024 – 85 minutes

The young nun Yohanna’s encounter with the underworld of child labor in Sumba restores her sense of purpose in life. (JFW 2024)

You Will Die In 6 Hours by Lee Yun Seok – South Korea | 2024 – 91 minutes

A stranger named Jun woo approaches Jung-yoon and suddenly says that he saw her future of being stabbed to death in 6 hours on her 30th birthday. She doubts his words but soon follows him to find out the murderer to avoid death. (JFW 2024)

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For more information, please visit: https://jakartafilmweek.com/en/