Monday, 1 December 2025

Bye Yogyakarta, Hello Singapore…

“If anyone is depressed about the production industry in Asia, they should just come here…” – a random comment while we were standing in the check-in line at the Yogyakarta airport this morning on our way to Singapore’s ATF after a weekend at the JAFF Market.

Despite all of Indonesia’s challenges (and the list is long), the creative industry’s enthusiasm and energy took market first-timers by surprise.

“It’s called resilience,” says Shanty Harmayn, Base Entertainment co-founder and one of Indonesia’s top producers. Base’s movie, “Mothernet” (aka “Esok Tanpa Ibu”), screens at the Jogja-NETPAC Asian Film Festival in the Indonesian Screen Awards section on 3 December.

Our full market impressions – beyond horror’s continued reign – are coming soon. Quick takes: A healthy presence from Korea and Japan, along with key players from Taiwan. The Philippines was pretty much MIA, as was Thailand, although Thai horror blockbuster “Death Whisperer” was mentioned more than once. India’s Applause is stepping into the Southeast Asia ring with funding for Lina Tan’s horror drama "Khadam". A few delegates from China and Hong Kong, along with Australia, Italy, the U.S. and France.

Meanwhile, as the JAFF Market draws to a close this evening, we’re gearing up for the ATF in Singapore, with hard-core commercial conversations and hot-and-cold-running announcements ranging from production collaborations and acquisitions to a few woolly MoUs that may (or may not) happen but signal activity and, at the very least, tick boxes that need to be ticked.

Wishing everyone in Singapore for ATF a great market. ContentAsia’s ATF Stand is at FA-02; we’re running Market Dailies all through the week, so all tips/info/ideas welcome. Please visit!

JAFF Market closes this evening; 2nd annual edition opened on Saturday 40% up on last year; 1,400 accreditations as industry flocks to Yogyakarta

The second annual edition of the JAFF Market opened in Yogyakarta on Saturday morning with a 40% increase in accreditations to 1,400 and 16% more companies with stands on the exhibition floor than for the inaugural event last year. Closing figures for the three-day event will be presented this evening.

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Triple Green CineCapital roadshow: Southeast Asia film fund’s Singapore Int'l Film Festival showcase follows JAFF Market launch

The new Triple Green CineCapital fund launched at the JAFF Market in Yogyakarta at the weekend makes its way to Singapore this week for a presentation during the Singapore International Film Festival industry days. The fund – backed by Singapore-based producer Leonard Lai and Vietnam’s Hang Trinh – aims to disburse some US$3 million into the feature film industries of Thailand, Vietnam and Indonesia.

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Indonesia-Malaysia production collaboration soars, India’s Applause and China’s Sil-Metropole participating in latest projects

Four new Indonesia-Malaysia production collaborations are on the way, highlighting soaring ties between production leaders in the two countries and pointing to signs that India is putting its hand up to participate more heavily in regional initiatives. Delegates at the second JAFF Market in Yogyakarta at the weekend saw first-release clips and teasers for the Indonesian adaptation of "Munafik", "Khurafat Indonesia", "Khadam" and "Badut Gendong", co-ordinated by Izham Omar's Komet Productions out of Malaysia with Shamin Yusof's Skop Productions, Lina Tan's Red Communications and Charles Gazali's Magma Entertainment out of Indonesia.

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Kamila Andini’s 'Four Seasons' assembles international production consortium

A rarely-seen assembly of Indonesian and foreign companies have banded together to produce, finance and market Indonesian auteur Kamila Andini’s sumptuous-looking drama film “Four Seasons in Pertiwi” (aka “Empat Musim Pertiwi”). International co-production partners include Storm Films (Norway), Lemming Films (Netherlands), One Two Films (Germany), Ici Et La Production (France), Anthony Chen’s Giraffe Pictures (Singapore), PFX (Poland), Brand Film (Indonesia) and Chada Entertainment (Thailand).

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Indonesia's Visinema showcases "Queen of Malacca"; Angga Sasongko returns to directing after two years

"Jumbo" producer Visinema showcased its upcoming contemporary action film "Queen of Malacca" at the JAFF Market in Yogyakarta at the weekend. The feature – one of the studio's most ambitious – marks the return of filmmaker Angga Sasongko to directing after two years. The film is currently in production and is slated for theatrical release in 2026.

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New era for Malaysian animation, Komet Productions' head Izham Omar tells JAFF Market

"Kisah Bawah Tanah" – Malaysia's first animated series for older audiences – is on its way to "several" Southeast Asian markets in new distribution deals flagged at the weekend during the JAFF Market in Yogyakarta. Details are expected to be unveiled this week during Singapore’s ATF. Speaking about the evolution of children’s films and animation in Malaysia over the years, Komet Productions' head Izham Omar pointed to the blockbuster animated superhero feature "Ejen Ali" as a transformational moment for Malaysian animation and highlighted "Kisah Bawah Tanah" as breaking new ground in the space.

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FEATURES

2026 radar: What we’ll be watching in the new year...

The signals we can’t ignore... such as the evolution of microdrama from full-blown mania to rude (or maybe sensible) reality; the next wave of cross-border production alliances and what the quest for “international” really looks like; the hole in Thailand where THACCA used to be; what Asia’s telcos say and what they actually do with video content; plus more...

Exclusive: Asian series dominate Netflix’s 2025 global non-English TV top 10

Asian series topped viewing hours on Netflix’s global non-English TV rankings for the year to 16 November, taking about 60% of the more than 10 billion hours spent viewing top 10 non-English programmes around the world.

Swipe up: Inside microdrama app Vigloo’s 2026 expansion plans

Korean vertical video platform Vigloo is opening an office in L.A. and will double microdrama/vertical series production in 2026. Neil Choi, founder and CEO of Spoonlabs, which operates Vigloo, told ContentAsia about his plans.

New wave, new Japan: Innovation and international partnerships take centre stage at Singapore’s ATF

Japan’s scripted entertainment industry is entering a pivotal phase, strengthening its position as one of Asia’s most active co-production partners alongside Korea. As domestic live-action dramas seek greater international traction, Japanese producers and broadcasters are expanding beyond traditional formats toward globally adaptable, story-driven projects.

Brought to you by Broadcast Program Export Association of Japan (BEAJ)

You can also access ContentAsia's latest magazine here and browse back issues of all our publications at www.contentasia.tv.

                                                            

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