KALEIDOSCOPE 2021: 7 Films that Caught Attention This Year, Starting from Winning Many Awards to the Highly Anticipated Arrival

Kapanlagi.com - 2021 has been a very interesting year for the world of cinema. Struggling after being hit by the pandemic, it turns out that some of these films have shown their skills and garnered curiosity from fans. Starting from winning many awards to the most anticipated film of 2021.

Who are the films that have become newsmakers throughout this year? KapanLagi.com® has summarized them in the list below, and you can also participate in the voting! Let's check out the list.

1. Light Copyist

Imdb

The film PENYALIN CAHAYA directed by Wregas Bhanuteja won twelve Citra Awards at the Indonesian Film Festival awards ceremony held on Wednesday night (10/11/2021). The victories include Best Feature Film, Director, Leading Actor, Supporting Actor, Music Director, Sound Director, Costume Designer, Cinematography Director, Art Director, Original Screenplay Writer, Film Editor, and Song Composer.

PENYALIN CAHAYA is a drama that addresses the issues of sexual violence and equality. It tells the story of Sur, a student who loses her scholarship after her drunk self-portrait circulates. Not knowing what happened, with the help of a photocopy guy named Amin, Sur tries to find out the cause.

PENYALIN CAHAYA stars a lineup of young and talented actors, including Shenina Cinnamon as Sur. Sur's heartbreaking yet courageous journey will captivate audiences as she fights to uncover the truth. Actor Chicco Kurniawan's performance as Sur's friend, Amin, is also attention-grabbing and earned him a nomination for Best Actor at the Indonesian Film Festival 2021. The film also features Lutesha, Jerome Kurnia, Dea Panendra, Giulio Parengkuan, Lukman Sardi, and Ruth Marini.

Wregas became the first Indonesian director to receive an award at the Cannes Film Festival after his short film, PRENJAK (IN THE YEAR OF MONKEY), won the Leica Cine Discovery Prize at the 55th Semaine de la Critique in 2016. The film was also awarded the Citra Award for Best Short Film at the 2016 Indonesian Film Festival. Previously, Wregas achieved the title of the youngest director to compete in the 2015 Berlin International Film Festival through the short film LEMBUSURA (2015). In addition, Wregas' short film TAK ADA YANG GILA DI KOTA INI was also named Best Short Film at the 2019 Indonesian Film Festival, and competed in the Sundance Film Festival, Busan International Film Festival, and Locarno Film Festival.

2. Spider-Man: No Way Home

Marvel

Scheduled to be released in December 2021 in Indonesia, SPIDER-MAN: NO WAY HOME, which is a Marvel Studios and Sony Pictures production, is highly anticipated by movie lovers. This is because there are several things that make fans curious.

SPIDER-MAN: NO WAY HOME captures the first-ever moment in cinematic history where the superhero's identity is revealed. Continuing from the previous series, SPIDER-MAN: NO WAY HOME tells the story when Spider-Man's identity is exposed by Mysterio (Jake Gyllenhaal) to the world and the press.

The sequel will capture the impact of Spider-Man's true identity being revealed, where Peter Parker (Tom Holland) feels panicked and confused. He seeks help from Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) to make people forget his identity as Spider-Man.

But, what happens next is something unexpected for Peter Parker a.k.a Spider-Man. The magic performed by Doctor Strange instead opens a rift in their universe and releases supervillains who have fought against Spider-Man in other universes!

A lineup of villains such as Doctor Ock, Electro, Sandman, Green Goblin, and Lizard will be present to shake up Spider-Man's life. It can be said that SPIDER-MAN: NO WAY HOME will make Peter Parker face his biggest challenge in order to protect his own future and the future of the Multiverse!

3. The Medium

Wikipedia

THE MEDIUM (2021), a film from Thailand that successfully entered the South Korean Box Office, occupies the top three positions. It is no wonder that this supernatural horror film is actually a collaboration between Thailand and South Korea.

Directed by Banjong Pisanthanakun and produced by Na Hong Jin, this film was released in July 2021. Since its release, this film has been widely discussed and has managed to attract the attention of horror film fans. Set directly in Thailand, this film is starred by the best actors from Thailand such as Sawanee Utoomma, Narilya Gulmongkolpech, and others.

Unlike other horror films, THE MEDIUM is a mockumentary film that tells the life of local residents in a rural area who still believe in spirits and ghosts. Featuring certain ceremonial activities to expel spirits or vice versa, this film presents its own horror with a found footage angle as if the audience can experience the point of view of the cameraman.

The collaboration between Thailand and South Korea, THE MEDIUM successfully entered the South Korean Box Office with a revenue of 5.6 million US dollars or equivalent to 80.3 billion Indonesian Rupiah since its release. Under the producer Na Hong Jin, who successfully worked on the film THE YELLOW SEA starring Ha Jung Woo and WAILING starring Chun Woo Hee, he is now partnering with Thai director Banjong Pisanthanakum.

Both of them worked on a horror documentary film featuring a village in Thailand with a story of local residents who still believe in witchcraft and the spirit world. This film then premiered at the 25th Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival on July 11 and premiered in South Korea for the first time on July 14, 2021.

Banjong Pisanthanakum himself is a renowned Thai director, who previously achieved success with his film SHUTTER in 2004 which was later remade into a Hollywood version. He is also a phenomenal horror film director like PEE MAK (2013) and 4BIA (2008). Not only horror films, Banjong is also the director behind the romance films ONE DAY (2016) and HELLO STRANGER (2010).

4. Eternals

Marvel

ETERNALS also gained tremendous hype from fans, as this film also marks a new era for Marvel. This film tells the story of a group of heroes from outer space who have protected Earth since the beginning of human civilization. ETERNALS reveals and presents 10 heroes who have never been revealed before.

When an ancient evil creature reappears to haunt and mysteriously threaten lives, the Eternals must unite once again to save humanity. Marvel Studios' ETERNALS is inspired by a Marvel comic book "Eternals" by Jack Kirby, which was first published in 1976. The ETERNALS story takes fans on a different atmosphere to explore a period of time that has never been explored in other Marvel films.

This film introduces the ETERNALS as protectors of humanity who come from the alien race of Olympia and fight against alien predators known as Deviants. After years of being free from Deviant threats, the Eternals finally have to hear news of the creatures' return from the Celestials, the creator figures who previously appeared in the film "Guardians of the Galaxy".

Eternals is a powerful group, a perfect combination of thinkers and fighters. They share the same cosmic energy, but manifest as different powers for each individual. When facing a threat, their strengths complement each other. However, outside of that, they appear like an ordinary family supporting each other, yet still having disputes.

5. Ali & Queen Queens

Wikipedia

This film tells the story of a child named Ali (Iqbaal) who goes to New York to find his mother. Ali's mother, Mia (Marissa Anita), left Ali and her husband, Hasan (Ibnu Jamil), to fulfill her dream of becoming a singer.

After his father's death, Ali musters up the courage to search for his mother in New York with only a photo and a letter she once sent. However, finding his mother in New York is not an easy task. Upon arriving in New York, Ali travels around to inquire about his mother's whereabouts.

During his search, Ali meets four Indonesian individuals who know Mia and are commonly referred to as the Queen Queens. They are Party (Nirina Zubir), Biyah (Asri Welas), Ance (Tika Panggabean), and Cinta (Happy Salma). These four individuals are willing to help Ali find Mia.

ALI & QUEEN QUEENS garnered a lot of attention on social media after winning 3 awards at the 2021 Indonesian Film Festival (FFI), namely for Best Supporting Actress (Marissa Anita), a special award for Film Criticism, and the Audience's Favorite Film. This film, starring Iqbaal Ramadhan, also earned director Lucky Kuswandi a nomination for Best Director.

6. Seperti Dendam, Rindu Harus Dibayar Tuntas

Imdb

SEPERTI DENDAM, RINDU HARUS DIBAYAR TUNTAS successfully brought home the Golden Leopard trophy at the Locarno International Film Festival 2021. This category is commonly referred to as the best film category. The news was announced by Palari Films on their Instagram page on Saturday (14/8). "SEPERTI DENDAM, RINDU HARUS DIBAYAR TUNTAS winner of the Golden Leopard trophy at the Locarno Film Festival 2021," wrote the account.

The post was immediately flooded with comments from netizens. Many public figures congratulated the achievement, from Sal Priadi to Tika Panggabean. The name of Indonesia shines in the international film scene.

SEPERTI DENDAM, RINDU HARUS DIBAYAR TUNTAS itself is a film released on August 8, 2021, at the Locarno Film Festival. This film tells the story of Ajo Kawir, a fearless warrior. His strong desire to fight is driven by a secret, he is impotent. When faced with a tough female fighter named Iteung, Ajo is beaten up and falls in love. That's where the story begins.

This film, directed by Edwin, features several actors and actresses from the homeland. Starting from Ladya Cheryl, Reza Rahadian, Ratu Felisha, to Christine Hakim. Palari Films itself has produced several films that captivate the audience. ARUNA & LIDAHNYA, starring Dian Sastrowardoyo, is one of them. The film even triumphed at the 2018 Indonesian Film Festival.

7. Yuni

Imdb

The film YUNI, directed by Kamila Andini, has attracted attention because it was chosen by the Oscars Indonesia 2021 Selection Committee to represent Indonesia at the 94th Academy Awards. This drama, starring Arawinda Kirana, will compete in the international featured film category.

Hanung Bramantyo, who was appointed as the Chairman of the Selection Committee, revealed that the candidate titles were very good. However, after considering various aspects, YUNI was chosen, which won the Platform Prize at the Toronto International Film Festival.

"We have conducted a quite long and challenging selection process from several nominated films. If we could send many, we would certainly send many because several films have represented Indonesia at international events," said Hanung as quoted by KapanLagi.com in a virtual press conference on Friday (15/10/2021).

"Finally, we chose one. And proudly, as the selection committee, we have determined the film titled YUNI as the chosen film to represent Indonesia at the Academy Awards," added Hanung.

YUNI tells the story of a high school girl named Yuni who has a big dream of continuing her education to the college level. However, that dream is hindered by the thoughts of marriage after graduating from people around her.

Now, from several nominations that have been summarized by KapanLagi.com® KLovers must have their own idols and favorites. Don't forget to vote for your favorite directly HERE or you can also use the button below..

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