At the Jogja-NETPAC Asian Film Festival Market (JAFF), a powerhouse panel moderated by producer Lorna Tee brought together four influential industry executives to dissect the future of Asian cinema in the global marketplace — with a particular spotlight on Indonesian films. Joining Tee were Nelson Mok (Mokster Films), Phong Duong (Mockingbird Pictures), Eric Lin (Damai Entertainment / formerly Alibaba Pictures), and Shiori Takata (Toei International).
The session opened with shared optimism for domestic film performance across Asia. Presenters pointed to Indonesia and Vietnam as major success stories, with local titles consistently topping box office rankings and overtaking Hollywood imports — a shift that continues to reshape production priorities throughout the region.
Mok, who recently scored a hit with “How to Make Millions Before Grandma Dies,” encouraged Indonesian producers to think more boldly when presenting genre films internationally. Market booths and posters, he noted, too often look identical: “Red font, red font, red font… after a while, very sanitized.” Standing out visually, he argued, is the first step to sparking buyer interest.
Mockingbird Pictures’ Duong presented a detailed breakdown of Vietnam’s rapidly expanding film market, where top-earning titles are now surpassing 27 million US dollars. While horror remains a reliable export category, dramas grounded in family relationships and national history increasingly lead domestic charts — shifting some creative focus away from scares and back toward emotional engagement.
China’s evolving theatrical landscape was a recurring theme. Lin expressed confidence in the country’s ability to recover from the downturn but acknowledged a worrying trend: younger audiences are no longer flocking to cinemas as they once did. To win them back, he emphasized that the theatrical experience must once again feel like an event — citing everything from cinema design to emotional storytelling as key selling points.
Lin also delivered the panel’s most discussed provocation:
“Censorship is just an excuse for filmmakers being lazy.”
He stressed that despite regulatory challenges, Chinese audiences remain eager for genres like horror — provided creators innovate and craft work that resonates beyond jump scares.
Representing Japan’s Toei, Takata explained how live-action films struggle to compete domestically with animation, even as Japan remains a global powerhouse exporter. Her team is actively pursuing co-productions in Southeast Asia — especially horror — while also shopping Japanese IP for regional remakes. The studio’s strategy, she said, is to build films that succeed first with the local audience before traveling outwards.
Ultimately, the panelists agreed on a shared mandate: Indonesian films can become powerful global contenders — but not by playing it safe. Creative risks, stronger international collaboration, marketing differentiation, and an unwavering emotional core were cited as the tools required to break through a crowded marketplace.
“Collaboration is very important… you need to stand out from hundreds of titles,” Mok urged, calling on producers to work closely with their sales agents to shape films for wider audiences.
As Indonesia celebrates its booming domestic successes, JAFF’s industry platform made clear that the next challenge — and opportunity — lies in reaching the world.
