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The sixth episode of “Joko Anwar's Nightmares and Daydreams” seems like a trip down the memory lane of his cinematic past. The story is written by Tia Hasibuan, who has been producer at “A Copy of My Mind”, “Impetigore” two “Satan's Slaves” while even acting in the second. The protagonist, Fachry Albar, was also in the two aforementioned entries but has also collaborated in Anwar's past futures, as in the case of “Dead Time” and “The Forbidden Door” for example, with the two being among his most frequent collaborators. Apart from these, “Hypnotized” takes another favorite concept of the horror genre, in order to present something rather different.

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The story takes place in 2022 and revolves around Ali, his wife Ningsih, and their children Ayu and Hendra. Ali is color blind and finds it difficult to get jobs as the introductory scene,...

Joko Anwar directs a film that cruises through the genres, as it begins like a realistic drama, then becomes a romance and eventually a thriller with political elements. Furthermore, his distinct sense of humor is always present, and exemplified in scenes like the one with the gay porn. Apart from that, the movie features much less violence than his previous works (“The Forbidden Door” for example), although it is not completely absent. The political message is quite poignant and derives from the concept of the crime lord and her dealings with the authorities, in a segment that is largely based on true events.

“A Copy of my Mind” is also a hymn to Jakarta, as it highlights everyday life in the capital of Indonesia and features many different aspects of it. In that fashion, Ical Tanjung’s cinematography does wonders in portraying the various locations in the city as realistically as possible,...

Exclusive: Indonesian director Joko Anwar (Impetigore) is preparing to make his English-language debut with Fritzchen, an adaptation of the classic short story by Charles Beaumont that is in development at Village Roadshow.

While the story published in Orbit magazine in 1953 (and later in Beaumont’s anthology Yonder) examines a boy’s encounter with a strange creature on the beach, blending elements of sci-fi and horror, details with regard to the film’s plot are being kept under wraps. Michael Voyer (The Broodmare) is adapting the script, with David Kopple on board to produce for Entertainment 360. Village Roadshow recently optioned the short story and will serve as the project’s financier.

Beaumont was an acclaimed science fiction writer best known for penning such Twilight Zone episodes as “The Howling Man,” “Static,” “Miniature,” “Printer’s Devil” and “Number Twelve Looks Just Like You.” He also wrote the screenplays for films including Brain Dead,...

As we get ready to say goodbye to March, we have one last round of horror and sci-fi Blu-ray and DVD releases headed our way before the new month arrives, and this week’s assortment of titles is pretty damn great. Tragedy Girls is receiving a new Blu-ray release courtesy of those fine fiends over at Vinegar Syndrome, and they are also keeping busy with several other titles this week, too: Flesh for Frankenstein, Beware! Children at Play, and Sister, Sister.

Severin Films is also doing the dark lord’s work with all their amazing releases on tap for this Tuesday, including their 3-Disc Limited Edition set for House on the Edge of the Park, Ballad in Blood, and The Forbidden Door. And for those of you who dig shark-themed horror, you should definitely check out The Requin.

Other releases for March 29th include Phantom of the Mall: Eric’s Revenge...

Tony Khan is a student of the game. He observed the biggest moments in pro wrestling, looking at what worked. And one thing fans have always liked is a good surprise. The All Elite Wrestling president has developed a representation to provide those. His track record so far is pretty good, securing top names from Sting to Cm Punk to Bryan Danielson to Adam Cole. This week on Dynamite the leader of the buzzy company teased a new acquisition will be revealed. The free-agent signee takes on Private Party’s Isiah Kassidy in a qualifier for the “Face of the Revolution” ladder match. Considering the names on the open market these days, there are some exciting prospects. We tried our best to gather intel from Khan on who is walking through the “Forbidden Door” next. Aew What else can you tell us about this new signing? Tony Khan I’m...

Variety Intelligence Platform recently held a VIP+ Exchange webinar between Aew CEO, Gm and head of Creative Tony Khan and VIP Senior Media Analyst Gavin Bridge. Khan is also the Chief Football Strategy Officer of the Jacksonville Jaguars and Gm/Sporting Director of English soccer team Fulham F.C., bringing credible amounts of sports knowledge to the event. In case you missed it, Khan had plenty of insights on the key issues within televised sport in the U.S.

1. Sports Leaning into Alternative Distribution Platforms: When asked about sports’ current commitment to linear TV networks, Khan noted that leagues are well aware of the opportunities that are opening up, arguing that there isn’t a ceiling to the big increases seen recently for rights.

Mentioning both the NFL’s ongoing commitment to being available on broadcast TV, and Aew’s role on linear cable (which has subsequently grown with the...

Born in Medan, North Sumatra, Joko Anwar grew up watching kung fu movies and horror films and reading Bumilangit comic books. He went to the prestigious Bandung Institute of Technology to study Aerospace Engineering and after graduating in 1999, he became a journalist at The Jakarta Post and later a film critic. He then continued as a script writer, while his directorial debut came in 2005, with “Janji Joni”. His next two films “Kala” and “Forbidden Door”, received rave reviews from critics, and screened in festivals all over the world. In 2012, he shot “Ritual” and in 2015 “Copy of my Mind” His 2017 film, “Satan’s Slaves” is became the highest grossing Indonesian horror film of all time, the highest grossing R-rated Indonesian film of all time.

Joko Anwar is this year in Udine with his two latest movies, the horror “Impetigore” and the superhero “Gundala”. On this occasion we “virtually” sat down with him for a chat about Impetigore,...

The interview was conducted in 2017

Joko Anwar is already an established filmmaker, both in his country and internationally. He started his career in cinema as a film critic, continued as a scriptwriter, while his directorial debut came in 2005, with “Joni’s Promise”. His next two films “Kala” and “Forbidden Door“, received rave reviews from critics, and screened in festivals all over the world. In 2012 he shot “Ritual” and in 2015 “A Copy of my Mind“

We talk to him about his career, his success, making movies, violence and humor, and many more issues.

Before becoming a filmmaker, you were a film critic. Did that affect the way you look at films and the way you deal with critics?

When I was a critic, I was actually looking at films the way I had been before I was a critic: as a fan of films. And I am still now. I never looked for something to criticize.

What is love? If you cannot find the answer in these 40 Asian movies, handpicked by the Amp group one by one, then there is definitely something wrong with you. Without further ado, here are 40 great Asian romantic films, released from 2000 onward, with a focus on diversity on country of origin, director, and style, in alphabetical order.

1. 2046

“2046” loses the simplicity and the chasteness of “In the Mood for Love” for a more chaotic and a bit lustful endeavor with greater ambition. This is a film that affects each person differently, what one takes away from this film will depends on themselves. (Jithin Mohan)

2. 3-Iron

Kim Ki-duk’s direction and the editing are magnificent, as he accomplishes very much with all of his choices. Even when the main characters never say a word to each other, the story catches us by concrete scenes flowing clearly. The calm but...

Four of the most renowned genre filmmakers in the Southeast Asian region – Eric Khoo from Singapore, Joko Anwar from Indonesia, Pen-Ek Ratanaruang from Thailand, and Ho Yuhang from Malaysia – come together in this session to discuss the creation and their involvement in the HBO Asia series “Folklore“. How does folklore inspire and inform horror in each of the directors’ works? What are the research processes and responsibilities of representing their cultures in an internationalised genre film market?

Description

A Fear of Monsters: Folklore and Horror in Cinema

9 June 2019

3 – 4.30pm

Oldham Theatre. Free admission with registration

Speakers:

Eric Khoo (Singapore), director of “Folklore: Nobody“

Joko Anwar (Indonesia), director of “Folklore: A Mother’s Love“

Pen-Ek Ratanaruang (Thailand), director of “Folklore: Pob“

Ho Yuhang (Malaysia), director of “Folklore: Toyol“

Moderator:

Wardah Mohammad, Management Assistant Officer (Outreach) at Nus Museum

Wardah Mohamad (b. 1991) graduated from Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts in 2011. Since then...

Satan’s Slaves filmmaker Joko Anwar has signed with Paradigm Talent and Good Fear Film + Management.

Satan’s Slaves was released as Pengabdi Setan in Anwar’s native Indonesia in 2017 and finished that year as the highest-grossing Indonesian film of that year. The supernatural thriller also finished its theatrical run as Indonesia’s biggest domestic horror film ever. The film has been sold in 42 countries and is now streaming on Shudder.

Satan’s Slaves was produced by Rapi Films with assistance from South Korean giant Cj Entertainment. A crisp occult thriller follows a family’s spiral as they begin to suspect that their dead matriarch has returned with dark intentions.

Anwar’s other credits include The Forbidden Door, Joni’s Promise and Kala. He is currently wrapping Gundala, his Indonesian superhero film.

Indonesian cinema is poised for a major shot in the arm on Friday when local fantasy action film “Wiro Sableng” takes over close to a third of the country’s movie screens. If the heaving crowds at Monday night’s premiere are any indicator, the film has strong prospects.

That is important as “Wiro Sableng” (aka “Crazy Wiro”) is not only one of the costliest films in the massive but cinematically under-developed country – local media have reported a production budget of $2 million. It is also the first Indonesian movie backed by Fox International Productions, the international production division of 20th Century Fox, which has invested local-language movies in Europe, Latin America and the more mature parts of Asia.

Combining local mythology, Indonesia’s Silat form of martial arts, and a couple of fart jokes, the film tells the story of a young man who doesn’t take himself too seriously...

HBO Asia has announced that Indonesian director Joko Anwar will helm the 8-part original series Halfworlds for the company. The thriller, set in present day Jakarta, is "a fantastical tale of love, redemption and betrayal...about a young street artist who uncovers her true origins when she finds herself unwittingly caught in a battle between humans and demons." Anwar is a long-time favourite of Twitch's and has previously directed such films as Pintu Terlarang (aka The Forbidden Door) and Modus Anomali (aka Ritual). Anwar also wrote the series together with Collin Chang.The show, which begins shooting its eight one-hour episodes this week, stars Salvita Decorte in the lead, and features a host of familiar faces for fans of recent Indonesian hits like The Raid, including Arifin Putra...

[Read the whole post on twitchfilm.com...]...

It has been two years since Indonesia's Joko Anwar last graced the big screen. Since the release of stellar thriller The Forbidden Door (Pintu Terlarang) Anwar has done some work in live theater but he is coming back to film in a big way with a pair of upcoming features gearing up to shoot back to back. Up first is Modus Anomali:During a vacation in the woods, a man tries to find his family who mysteriously disappear, while being hunted by a sadistic killer. His only clues are several alarm clocks which seem to tell him about a deadline to something he doesn't know.Twitch is proud to premiere the (typically) gorgeous artwork that you see above. Expect more from this an Anwar's other new...

Looking over the team's top-five of 2009 lists today it struck me what a diverse year for genre cinema it was. Oh sure, there are certain titles that managed to make it onto almost everyone's lists (Moon and Antichrist being two clear winners), but, put together, the titles run the gamut of film styles - like the best film festival program you could image.

I certainly didn't think I'd see films like The Hangover bumping up against The Road, or a double bill of Ursula Meiers' French oddity, Home, and Stingray Sam, but it's all just too cool of a mash-up to ignore and I may have to program a little private festival of some of these titles for viewing over the holidays.

But anyway, sit back, grab a drink, peruse the lists and refresh your memory of all the films you should be netflixing, buying or borrowing in the new year.

The premier Asian film fest this side of the planet has announced the final schedule, and what a doozy. Running June 19 through July 5th, our very own NY correspondent Bob Doto and various other team members will be providing coverage and reviews of the fest.

Now before we go any further, the ticket situation isn't the easiest. Their is two veneus, the IFC Center and the Japan Society.

Here is where to purchase tickets for screenings at the IFC Center.

Here is where to purchase tickets for Japan Society screenings which start July 1st

There is also further details coming on ticket packs.

So now where should we start...

How about Joko Anwar's incredible Pintu Terlarang (The Forbidden Door). Anwar is a genius, I loved this flick and you should check out Kala.

Then there's the kaiju flick Monster X Strikes Back which I'm greatly looking forward too.

How...

Year: 2009

Directors: Joko Anwar

Writers: Joko Anwar & Sekar Ayu Asmara (novel)

IMDb: link

Trailer: link

Review by: projectcyclops

Rating: 9 out of 10

About 5 minutes into Joko Anwar’s latest film and I was convinced that he was actually God. Another 40 minutes and I had realised that he wasn’t really, but that he is rather an incredibly talented director with an imagination the size of a starship. The fact that Quiet Earth had highly recommended this based on Anwar’s previous film Kala had peaked my interest, but I had no idea what I was getting myself into here.

The film opens with Gambir’s latest exhibition, life casts of pregnant women which are causing a stir in the art world and fetching a very good price for the young sculptor. Although his girlfriend, Talyda, is proud of him and his friends appear to be happy for his success, there remains...

Yes! Finally a trailer for Joko's latest, and boy, does it look like a doozy. His last film Kala was spectacular, done in a film noir style with a supernatural tip and an extra weird ending (I'd highly recommend it), so I'm really looking forward to seeing more of this.

"A successful sculptor whose life run by domineering wife and mother discovers a secret organization in which members can watch the lives of most dysfunctional, depraved families in the town which are fed from hidden cameras. When he stumbles upon a channel showing a little boy who’s being viciously abused by his parents, he tries to find the kid to save him. But his quest leads him back to a secret door in his own house that could be the answer to many puzzles."

Trailer after the break.

We have been outspoken supporters of Indonesia’s Joko Anwar in these pages for some time now and greatly looking forward to his latest effort Pintu Terlarang (The Forbidden Door) since we first caught wind of it and today our enthusiasm for the project was rewarded in a big way. The film has now completed principal photography and Anwar finished cutting the very first trailer for the picture just yesterday and we are happy to say that he has chosen to launch that trailer here in the pages of Twitch. You can’t even see this thing on the film’s official site yet - or on any other - but we are proud to present it here.

The life of a successful sculptor is turned upside down when he begins receiving mysterious messages from somebody who’s asking for his help. When he stumbles upon an illegal TV broadcast which offers snuff,...

Indonesian director Joko Anwar - a great favorite in these parts for his films Kala and Janji Joni - has just wrapped principal photography on his latest film, a dark thriller titled The Forbidden Door and what’s a guy to do to celebrate a thing like that? Release a new poster and a fresh batch of stills, of course. That’s the poster to the left and we’ve got the stills - fantastic, every one of them - in the gallery linked below.

A successful sculptor whose life run by domineering wife and mother discovers a secret organization in which members can watch the lives of most dysfunctional, depraved families in the town which are fed from hidden cameras. When he stumbles upon a channel showing a little boy who’s being viciously abused by a crazy couple, he tries to find the kid to save him. But...

One of the highlights of attending the 2008 Udine Far East Film Festival was the chance to meet Indonesian director Joko Anwar in person. Anwar is, in my mind, the very best of the current crop of directors in Indonesia and though we’d emailed a fair bit before this we’d never had the chance to meet up. While chatting he hinted that he was working on a couple of new projects, one of which promised to be quite dark but wouldn’t go into any real detail.

Well, that film is Pintu Terlarang (The Forbidden Door), a dark thriller for which Anwar reunited with the entire crew he worked with on his previous effort, Kala - which you’ll find reviewed here in our archives. Here’s the synopsis:

A successful sculptor whose life run by domineering wife and mother discovers a secret organization in which members can watch the lives of most dysfunctional,...

I am still finishing watching Joko's Kala which is sort of a neo-noir mixed with a helping of the supernatural and I have to say it's excellent, and I ran across this yesterday. This is the first film since Kala that will be written and directed by Anwar himself, and it sounds excellent. "A successful sculptor whose life run by domineering wife and mother discovers a secret organization in which members can watch the lives of most dysfunctional, depraved families in the town which are fed from hidden cameras. When he stumbles upon a channel showing a little boy who’s being viciously abused by his parents, he tries to find the kid to save him. But his quest leads him back to a secret door in his own house that could be the answer to many puzzles." I'm in, but that's all for now folks..