Cannes Critics’ Week: Next Step Studio prepares four short films co-produced by young Indonesian directors

Cannes Critics’ Week, the sidebar that runs alongside the main Cannes Film Festival, has revealed the four short films produced for the Next Step Studio initiative from four young directors from Indonesia.

The first iteration of Next Step Studio gave them a voice by enabling them to co-write and co-direct short films. Which will be shown during the 65th Critics Week.

The Next Step workshops aim to support young talents in world cinema and allow them to move from short films to feature films. “Continuing the concept initiated by La Factory at Directors’ Fortnight since 2013, the program supports the emergence of new voices in cinema around the world,” Critics Week organizers said. “Each year, it is set in a different country and highlights local cinema, bringing together eight emerging directors – four local and four international – to co-write and direct four 15-minute short films.”

The first ten editions explored film talent from Taiwan, Chile, Finland, Denmark, South Africa, Lebanon, Tunisia, five Balkan countries, northern Portugal, the Philippines and the state of Ceara in northeastern Brazil. More than 80 directors participated in the program and nearly 50 feature films were produced.

This year’s edition, produced by Yuliya Evina Bhara, Amrta Kusuma, and Dominik Wilensky, the show’s creator and curator, is co-produced by Indra Sashi Kalanasitra, VMS Studio, Visinema Pictures, Navvaros, Entertainment, Publicist Publicist, Salaya Yachts, Arungi Films, Prodigihouse, Titrafilm, A La Plage Studio, Jakarta Film Week, The Jakarta. The regional government and the Indonesian Ministry of Culture in partnership with the French Embassy in Indonesia, East Timor, ASEAN, and the French Institute in Indonesia.

Here’s a look at the four short films that will be screened during Critics’ Week in Cannes, which runs from May 13 to 21.

Holy crowd
Directors: Reza Fahriansyah (Indonesia) and Ananth Subramaniam (Malaysia)
Indonesia, France – 2025 – 16′ – Language: Indonesian

Synopsis: After Ratna rises from the dead during her funeral, her silent body begins to perform unexplained healings, turning her husband Arif into the reluctant center of a growing madness. As villagers, opportunists and religious authorities descend, faith and exploitation collide, and the miracle spirals out of control.
Starring: Brielle Latokosina, Yusuf Mahardika, Yudi Ahmed Tajudeen, Arswende Bening Swara.
DOP: Vera Listava, Indonesian Cinematographers Association
Editor: Carlo Francisco Manatad

The original wound
Directors: Shelby Kho (Indonesia) and Sin Lian Tun (Myanmar)
Indonesia, France – 2026 – 14′ – Language: Indonesian

Synopsis: “After their mother’s death, brother and sister remain in the home shaped by her control, negotiating conflicting memories of abuse and care. As ritual, body, and memory intertwine, their grief reveals a deeper trap, one that continues beyond her absence.”
Starring: Agnes Naomi, Amara Istiklal, Vivian Idris
DOP: Vera Listava, Indonesian Cinematographers Association
Editor: Carlo Francisco Manatad

Anisa
Directors: Reza Rahadian (Indonesia) and Sam Manaxa (Philippines)
Indonesia, France – 2025 – 14′ – Language: Indonesian

Synopsis: “In a crowded apartment complex, Anissa, a blind teenage girl, navigates a world shaped primarily by sound. As National Day is celebrated in the neighborhood around her, she finds an unexpected way to make her voice heard, and reclaim her place in the noise around her.”
Starring: Choronissa Fernanda, Nazira Si Noir, Shakeel Fawzi
DOP: Fuzan Rizal, Indonesian Cinematographers Association
Editor: Carlo Francisco Manatad

Mothers are motherhood
Directors: José Rizal (Indonesia) and Lam Lee Chuen (Singapore)
Indonesia, France – 2025 – 17′ – Language: Indonesian