UCIFEST 17 presents talks, seminars, masterclasses, screenings, and exhibitions that expand the conversation around film culture, creative practice, and the many forms of power in cinema.
with Gerry Junus and Penny Sylvania Putri
.jpg)
Through this Jury Talk session, UCIFEST 17 presents practitioners with direct experience in managing film festivals and developing alternative cinema spaces. This discussion aims to broaden participants’ understanding of Indonesia’s film culture ecosystem, while inspiring emerging creators to explore their potential roles and contributions within it.
Gerry Junus is a film programmer and curator based in Yogyakarta, Indonesia. He serves as Program Director of KDM CINEMA, an alternative cinema initiative presenting screenings, curated programs, and discussions that expand access to independent, archival, and international films. He is also a founding member of Klub Sinema Sisifus Salatiga. Gerry has contributed to film festivals across Indonesia as a programmer, curator, selector, and jury member, and currently works with Festival Film Dokumenter (FFD) and the preselection committee of Minikino Film Week. He is completing a Master’s degree in Cultural and Media Studies at Universitas Gadjah Mada, focusing on Southeast Asian cinema and film festival practices.
Penny Sylvania Putri is the Festival Director of NextScene Kids and Youth Film Festival, a film festival dedicated to children and youth that focuses on media literacy and film education for younger generations. In addition, she works at Badan Riset dan Inovasi Nasional (BRIN) as a producer and science communicator through various audiovisual works, such as Belajar Bersama Periset, Bertanya Sains, and Ekspedisi Nusantara. Putri holds a bachelor’s degree in Film Production from Institut Kesenian Jakarta and a master’s degree in Film Creation from Institut Seni Indonesia Surakarta. Her documentary film Semai has been selected for various international film festivals, including the Science Film Festival, SUNCINE Barcelona, and Kuala Lumpur Eco Film Festival.
with Arry Susanto
This masterclass is part of the Documentary Production course at Universitas Multimedia Nusantara. Through this session, participants will learn about the role of a film fixer in documentary production, particularly as a bridge between production needs and field realities. The masterclass also explores collaborative workflows involving local crews, communities, and external stakeholders. Additionally, it highlights key challenges in the field, including permits, logistics, cultural communication, and problem-solving during production.
Arry Susanto is an experienced film production professional with over 20 years in the industry, specializing in production management, location scouting, and research from concept to delivery. He has worked on international projects including The Amazing Race, The Bachelorette (Amazon Prime Japan), and Netflix’s Ice Cold: Murder, Coffee and Jessica Wongso. His roles range from fixer and location manager to production manager across Indonesia. Arry’s work has taken him across the archipelago, giving him deep local insight and logistical expertise. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in German Studies from Padjadjaran University, Bandung.
with Riri Riza
Fragment Conference is part of this annual academic forum organized by the Film Study Program at Universitas Multimedia Nusantara. Fragment serves as a collaborative space for students, alumni, lecturers, and young researchers to explore moving image culture and film studies.
Riri Riza is an Indonesian film director and screenwriter who graduated from the Film Department of the Institut Kesenian Jakarta in 1993 and later earned a Master’s degree in Screenwriting in the United Kingdom in 2001. He gained recognition as one of the directors of the omnibus film Kuldesak (1998) and later directed Petualangan Sherina (2000). His films including Eliana, Eliana, Gie, Laskar Pelangi, Sokola Rimba, and Athirah have received numerous international awards. In 2016, Athirah won six Citra Awards at the Indonesian Film Festival. His latest feature, Rangga & Cinta, premiered at the Busan International Film Festival in 2025. Riri also co-founded Rumata’ Artspace in Makassar and has taught at Institut Kesenian Jakarta since 2004.
with Peter Chanthanakone
This seminar explores the integration of artificial intelligence in animation, focusing on both its creative potential and its implications for the future of the industry. It aims to provide insights into how AI tools are utilized in animation practices while highlighting the opportunities and challenges that come with them.
Peter Chanthanakone is a Canadian award winning animator. His MFA, obtained at the Academy of Art University in San Francisco, is the terminal degree in his field of research. His 15 computer animated short films have been selected in over 75 international juried competitions in over 30 countries, in all 5 continents. He is also a jury member for Siggraph Asia, the International Symposium of Electronic Art and officer for Society of Animation Studies. He is currently VJ animating for international DJs and producers around the world.
with Lele Laila
This Jury Talk explores IP monetization in the film industry through the lens of adaptation and storytelling, focusing on how existing IP can be adapted into films with strong market potential. It highlights how narrative development and creative decisions contribute to expanding the value of IP within the broader film ecosystem.
Laila Nurazizah (born April 8, 1991), known professionally as Lele Laila, is a female Indonesian screenwriter and creative producer. She began her career at 21 by writing the screenplay for "Sanubari Jakarta" (2013), an omnibus themed around LGBT love stories. In 2016, Laila wrote her first horror movie, "Danur", which became a box office hit with 2.7 million viewers. Since then, she has been recognized as a screenwriter for box-office horror movies. In 2022, "KKN Di Desa Penari", one of her horror films, became a blockbuster with over 10 million viewers. She has also written other successful horror movies such as "Danur 2", "Danur 3", "Asih 1", "Ivanna", "Qorin", "Siksa Neraka", "Sijjin", "Pemandi Jenazah", and "Pabrik Gula".
with Daphne
This Jury Talk explores the opportunities and challenges in short film funding in Indonesia, focusing on how filmmakers can navigate funding programs effectively. It aims to provide insights into the funding landscape while encouraging emerging filmmakers to better understand the strategies needed to access and sustain their projects.
A young girl desperately wants to get her period soon so she can bring bad luck to her abusive father using her menstruation blood.
After graduating from film school in 2021, Daphne is currently working in the industry as a freelance director and assistant director. Over the past six years, she has created several short films that have received public acclaim and has been involved in notable feature film productions. Her short films A Tale of Two Nomads (2025), The Eleventh Body (2024), Happy New Year (2022), and And Returning (2019) have been distributed and warmly received by audiences. She has also participated in international film festivals and labs such as FLY 2023, Platform BUSAN 2024, Karre Mouy 2025, and the Indonesia-France Film Lab 2025. Her latest short film, Amelia, Amelia (2025), is currently in distribution.
with Lucky Kuswandi
This master class is part of the Moving Image Theory course, which examines various theoretical frameworks for understanding cinema, including auteur theory that positions the director as the primary creative force behind a film. Through this approach, films are analyzed based on recurring thematic patterns, narrative structures, and consistent visual styles across a filmmaker’s body of work.
Lucky Kuswandi is an internationally recognized Indonesian film director. His works have been screened at major festivals such as Cannes, Berlin, and Tokyo, and were praised by The Wall Street Journal as “original and uncharted.” He began his career in 2006 through the Berlin Talent Campus. His first feature film, Madame X (2010), received a nomination at the Asian Film Awards and won an award at Mix Copenhagen. His subsequent works, including In the Absence of the Sun, Galih & Ratna, and Netflix films such as Dear David, Ali & Ratu-Ratu Queens, and A Normal Woman, have further established his reputation. He is also the founder of Soda Machine Films.
with Tri Widyastuti
This seminar is part of the Film Distribution and Exhibition course, which examines distribution and exhibition as integral components of the film industry system. It highlights how these processes shape a film’s circulation, market positioning, and sustainability, while encouraging participants to understand distribution as a negotiation between creativity, regulation, and market dynamics.
Tri Widyastuti Setyaningsih, also known as Wiwid Setya, is an Indonesian film producer and educator with over 20 years of experience in the film industry. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Film and TV Production Management from the Faculty of Film and Television at Institut Kesenian Jakarta and a Master’s degree in Urban Art and Cultural Industry from IKJ. In 2008, she participated in an internship at the Sydney Film Festival and studied at the Australian Film Television and Radio School through a scholarship supported by the Ford Foundation. In 2020, she was appointed as a member of the Lembaga Sensor Film Republik Indonesia and currently serves as Chair of Commission I for the 2024–2028 term.
In a world that continues to evolve, power is no longer understood solely as authority, but also as something present within social relationships, culture, and the courage of individuals to express their experiences and perspectives. Through the theme “Power,” UCIFEST 17 presents the Poster Exhibition, showcasing visual works from both competition and non-competition films that will be screened throughout the festival. Each poster is not merely a promotional medium, but a first gateway into stories that represent the many faces of power, such as resistance, change, and the dynamics of everyday life through strong visual elements. In line with the festival tagline, “some voices are louder, some stories change power,” this exhibition becomes a space where each work can be seen, interpreted, and appreciated as a cinematic expression that offers new perspectives on power and change.