November 28, 2025
JAKARTA – Puput Setia Susanti, the senior program officer in the Cultural Division at The Japan Foundation Jakarta, recalled an interesting moment from the third-day screening of Cells at Work! at the Japanese Film Festival (JFF) Indonesia 2025 during a virtual interview on Nov. 18.
The Japanese action-comedy film, directed by Hideki Takeuchi and starring Mei Nagano and Takeru Satoh, managed to draw plenty of Indonesian cinephiles at the CGV Grand Indonesia, Jakarta.
This sight was particularly peculiar, as Cells at Work! has already been available for viewing on an over-the-top (OTT) streaming service. Such was the demonstration of the platform-crossing power of Japanese films. More importantly, it also demonstrates the enduring appeal of theater-focused film festivals like JFF Indonesia.
“When you watch together [in a theater], you get to laugh together,” Puput observed. “You can experience a more direct emotion, as boosted by your surroundings as well. That alone makes for a different kind of experience. Moreover, we discovered that many people didn’t watch the film [Cells at Work!] on OTT streaming services.”
Nine cities, 15 films
Unlike last year’s edition, JFF Indonesia 2025, organized by The Japan Foundation Jakarta, has added two new cities for its films’ theatrical screenings: Padang in West Sumatra, and Balikpapan in East Kalimantan, bringing the total to nine cities. The remaining seven cities are Jakarta, Bandung in West Java, Medan in North Sumatra, Makassar in South Sulawesi, Yogyakarta, Palembang in South Sumatra and Surabaya in East Java.
“Our intention is to reach as wide as possible, and not just Java,” Puput explained. “Java has been quite exposed [to Japanese films], with easier access to watch films. That’s why, this year, we try to reach [for example] Kalimantan for the first time, so that we can see what the interest in Japanese films is like over there.”
Meanwhile, the cinephiles’ enthusiasm in Padang has been glowing.
“We sold the tickets for Padang on Nov. 14, and they are already sold out as of today,” Puput added. “It is palpable that the enthusiasm in Padang is pretty huge.”
JFF Indonesia 2025 kicked off at CGV Grand Indonesia in Central Jakarta on Nov. 6. The film festival is scheduled to conclude at the CGV Social Market in Palembang and the CGV BG Junction in Surabaya on Dec. 21, simultaneously.
In total, 15 Japanese films are being screened throughout JFF Indonesia 2025, a mixture of the more contemporary pics and notable classics: Cells at Work! (2024), Showtime 7 (2025), Angry Squad: The Civil Servant and the Seven Swindlers (2024), The Boy and The Dog (2025), 6 Lying University Students (2024), Teasing Master Takagi-san (2024), 366 DAYS (2025), Petals and Memories (2025), Ghost in the Shell (1995), Seven Samurai (1954), Sunset Sunrise (2025), A Big Home (2024), Linda Linda Linda (2005), Goodbye, Donglees (2022) and A Girl Named Ann (2024).
“Our mission [for this year] is to promote Japanese films, linking up Japanese film lovers outside Japan with the Japanese filmmakers, and develop a sort of community of Japanese film lovers in one single event,” Puput explained.
Furthermore, JFF Indonesia aims to continue introducing and educating Indonesian cinephiles that there is more to Japanese cinema than anime.
“Since the first year of JFF [in 2016], we have been consistent in bringing dozens of [Japanese] films from various genres, the purpose of which has been to spark the [Indonesian] public’s curiosity as well as encouraging local, Indonesian distributors to bring Japanese films to Indonesia,” Puput continued.
She further added, “Nowadays, there are many anime films that we can watch [in Indonesian theaters], but the [Japanese] films from other genres are very scarce. This year, there might have been several theaters in Indonesia that have shown Japanese drama or mystery films. That said, [Japanese] documentaries, thriller films or classic films are still quite rare in Indonesia.”
In addition to the added cities and the genre diversity of the films, Puput teased that another element that makes JFF Indonesia 2025 special is the screening of the classic film Seven Samurai, directed by legendary Japanese filmmaker Akira Kurosawa.
“We also screened a classic [Japanese] film last year, which was Godzilla [1954],” Puput reminisced. “However, there were so many requests from the public who wanted to watch an Akira Kurosawa film in a theater, which would look very grand and different.”
Cultural diplomacy
At this point, and after nearly a decade since its conception, JFF Indonesia has made a name for itself, especially among Japanese film lovers in Indonesia. The subsequent expectation, as well as the entailing pressure, to screen the most appealing Japanese films possible for the 2025 edition might be higher than before.
Nevertheless, the organizers behind the film festival never lose sight of their top priority.
“We have listened to all requests. However, the requests were so many, and, at the end of the day, we wanted to show what could represent each genre, which, henceforth, should be included as part of this festival,” Puput explained. “It’s not about simply bringing box-office hits or the ones in high demand by the public.”
Last but not least, regardless of the changing times, Puput believes that Japanese films continue to be an effective, as well as relevant, medium for cultural diplomacy between Japan and Indonesia.
“By watching [Japanese films], people become more interested in Japan and want to get to know the country even more,” she noted.
One memorable example is on the opening night of JFF Indonesia 2025 in Jakarta, during which Sunset Sunrise was selected as the festival’s opening film. The Japanese dramedy film, which tells the story of a young Tokyo salaryman who moves to a town on Miyagi’s Sanriku Coast during the COVID-19 pandemic, is especially notable for featuring coastal seafood as one of the film’s central elements.
“So many people responded to that film with, like, ‘I suddenly want to eat Japanese food!'” said Puput.