Australia-Indonesia Cinema Festival 2026 Promotes Cross-Border Collaboration

RRI.CO.ID, Jakarta – Cultural exchange between neighboring countries Indonesia and Australia is expected to take place at the Australia-Indonesia Cinema Festival (Festival Sinema Australia-Indonesia), which will be held for the 11th time this coming May. The film festival, organized by the Australian Embassy in Jakarta, will be held in 11 cities across Indonesia, more than in previous years.

Australian Ambassador to Indonesia, Rod Brazier, stated that the festival has grown into a strong platform where Australian and Indonesian filmmakers can collaborate. She said that at this year’s edition, Australian film experts will again conduct workshops for Indonesian film practitioners, including cinematographer Andrew Commis.

"This year, Australian film experts such as Andrew Commis, cinematographer of the film Force of Nature: The Dry 2, and Associate Professor Michelle Johnson from Curtin University will provide workshops on cinematography and documentary filmmaking techniques for filmmakers," Rod said in his remarks at the event's press conference in Jakarta on Wednesday, April 22, 2026.

Indonesia's Vice Minister of Creative Economy, Irene Umar, hopes the festival can foster mutual appreciation between Indonesia and Australia and enable collaboration. As she attended the conference, she also hoped that such collaboration could produce works on a global scale.

"Let’s think about markets beyond Indonesia as well. Indonesia is indeed a very large market – half of Southeast Asia is in Indonesia, with a population of 280 million. But the global population is 8 billion. That is an enormous market," Irene said.

"Therefore, from the Ministry of Creative Economy, we are very happy to support collaborations like this, so that the two countries can join forces to tap into this larger market," she continued.

An Indonesian cinematographer, Chris Lie, said the festival demonstrates the Australian government’s consistent commitment to strengthening ties between the Australian and Indonesian film industries. Chris, a graduate of a short course at Griffith University, believes the festival can produce high-quality works.

"With the festival's presence, Australia Awards Indonesia, and other various Australian government programs, I am confident there will be more works produced by filmmakers who studied in Australia, resulting in high-quality productions in Indonesia," he said.

"I believe collaboration between Australia and Indonesia will continue to grow stronger," he said.

Chris Lie served as the visual development art supervisor for Jumbo, an award-winning 2025 Indonesian animated film that became the second-highest-grossing film ever in the country. The film has been screened in various countries, including Australia, Mexico, Russia, and South Korea.

Jumbo is one of the films to be featured at the 2026 Australia–Indonesia Cinema Festival, alongside another Indonesian feature film Rangga & Cinta. Nine other features and short films from Indonesia and Australia are also shown, including family comedy Kangaroo, animated fantasy 200% Wolf, and mystery thriller Force of Nature: The Dry 2.

A new event, FSAI Screen on the Green, will be held during this edition, where people can watch curated films in an open-air space. The event will be held on 23 May 2025 in Bogor Botanical Garden, West Java.