Reza Rahadian Surprised That His Local Film Story Can Captivate International Audiences in Busan

Kapanlagi.com - The victory of the film PANGKU at the Busan International Film Festival (BIFF) 2025 left a big surprise for the director, Reza Rahardian. He admitted that he never expected that a film with such a local story could be accepted and understood by an international audience.

At the prestigious film festival, PANGKU not only received awards from the jury, but also won the Audience Award, an award chosen directly by the attending audience. This moment was the most surprising point for Reza.

Access related articles about Reza Rahadian at Liputan6.com

1. Reza Admits He Didn't Expect

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"Maybe that's the most, the most surprising because I never, I mean I didn't expect that the majority of the audience would be those who are there, in Busan, in Korea," he said when met in Cipete, South Jakarta, Wednesday (01/10/2025).

2. Admits There Are Concerns

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The actor who is now venturing into directing admitted he was worried that the very Indonesian context of the story would become a barrier for foreign audiences to connect emotionally with his film.

3. Cinema Language Delivered

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"So I honestly was a bit surprised to see their response that, 'Oh, it turns out the cinema language got through'. I mean, they get the feeling. They understand and comprehend," he explained.

4. The Biggest Challenge

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That concern, according to him, is the biggest challenge in bringing a work to an international festival.

"That's the biggest challenge, the fear that because it's too local, maybe they won't really be like, 'Yeah, it looks nice but we don't actually understand what it's about', for example. But it turns out they get it," Reza continued.

5. Audience Award Selection Mechanism

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Reza then explained the mechanism for selecting the Audience Award, which further proves the enthusiasm of the audience there. According to him, the award is purely based on direct voting after the film screening.

"So it's really a ballot. After they watch, there's a piece of paper that they put into the voting box," he revealed.

6. The Victory Feels Special

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It is this process that makes the victory feel even more special. The fact that audiences from various countries can feel the essence of the film PANGKU is proof that the language of cinema can transcend cultural and geographical boundaries.

7. Reza's Hope

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Reza hopes that this victory will make the Indonesian public more aware of the presence of the film PANGKU, which ultimately aims to be enjoyed by audiences in their own country.

(kpl/aal/dyn)