The long read · Indonesian cinema
From Bandung to the Golden Leopard: Indonesian Cinema and Its Global Stars
Indonesia’s cinema is one of the liveliest in Asia, from martial-arts thrillers and horror to prize-winning art films, and Bali has been on screen since the 1930s. Here is the story, and the island on film.
Updated October 2026
From Loetoeng Kasaroeng to The Raid
Loetoeng Kasaroeng, a Sundanese legend first shown in Bandung on 31 December 1926, was the first feature made in what was then the Dutch East Indies. After independence, Usmar Ismail began shooting Darah dan Doa (The Long March) on 30 March 1950 with his own company, Perfini, and that date is now celebrated as National Film Day.
A new generation arrived after 2000, led by Riri Riza and Mira Lesmana, whose Laskar Pelangi (2008) became a national favourite. Gareth Evans’s The Raid (2011) took silat to the world, Joko Anwar made Indonesian horror a hit abroad, and in 2021 Edwin’s Vengeance Is Mine, All Others Pay Cash won the Golden Leopard at Locarno, a first for Indonesia.
Must-watch films
To understand Indonesian cinema, start with these.
- Darah dan Doa (1950): Usmar Ismail’s The Long March, the film that gave Indonesia its National Film Day.
- Laskar Pelangi (2008): Riri Riza’s much-loved story of a village school on Belitung.
- The Raid (2011): Gareth Evans’s ferocious silat thriller with Iko Uwais.
- Marlina the Murderer in Four Acts (2017): Mouly Surya’s “satay western” on Sumba, shown at Cannes.
- Vengeance Is Mine, All Others Pay Cash (2021): Edwin’s winner of the Golden Leopard.
The stars
Indonesia’s stars at home and in Hollywood.
- Christine Hakim: the great actress of Indonesian cinema, and Wayan, the Balinese healer of Eat Pray Love.
- Iko Uwais: the silat star of The Raid, seen in Star Wars: The Force Awakens.
- Joe Taslim: from The Raid to Fast & Furious 6 and Sub-Zero in Mortal Kombat.
- Dian Sastrowardoyo: the star of the romantic hit Ada Apa dengan Cinta?.
- Reza Rahadian: the leading actor of his generation.
Where to watch in Bali
The Bali International Film Festival, the Balinale, founded in 2007, held its 18th edition at ICON Bali Mall in Sanur in June 2025, with more than 70 films from around the world. The island’s malls have modern cinemas for new releases, and in Ubud the dance stages show the Legong that enchanted the first film crews of the 1930s.
Our advice: watch Legong: Dance of the Virgins before you come, then see the Legong danced in Ubud.
Legong and Barong in Ubud Bali’s arts: the back story
Hidden on the silver screen: international productions filmed in Bali
Bali has been on camera since the 1930s.
- Legong: Dance of the Virgins (1935), Ubud: shot in 1933 in two-colour Technicolor with an all-Balinese cast.
- Eat Pray Love (2010), Ubud: Julia Roberts finds love in the rice terraces, with Christine Hakim as the healer Wayan.
Indonesia in Hollywood
Indonesian action stars are now Hollywood regulars: Iko Uwais and Yayan Ruhian joined Star Wars and John Wick, and Joe Taslim played Sub-Zero. Christine Hakim brought Balinese warmth to Eat Pray Love opposite Julia Roberts, and Indonesian horror, led by Joko Anwar, is remade and streamed around the world.
Questions and answers
When is Indonesia’s National Film Day?
30 March, the day in 1950 when Usmar Ismail began shooting Darah dan Doa.
Was Ticket to Paradise filmed in Bali?
No. The 2022 comedy is set in Bali, but it was filmed in Queensland, Australia, in the Whitsundays and around Brisbane and the Gold Coast.
Join the conversation
Which Indonesian film or star do you love most? Share your favourite scenes and the films we should add.
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Sources: Indonesia’s Film Censorship Board (LSF), the Festival de Cannes, the Locarno Film Festival, the Balinale and the Jakarta Post, checked on 6 November 2026. The trailers are from Sony Pictures Classics’, The Match Factory’s and Sony Pictures’ official channels.