Posted on Sep 03, 2019

The ‘GUNDALA’ film has been officially selected by the Toronto International Film Festival along with some of the world’s most awaited films this year, including JOKER by Todd Phillips, Marjane Satrapi’s RADIOACTIVE, and Rian Johnson’s KNIVES OUT, starring Chris Evans and Daniel Craig. GUNDALA will compete with other films for the People’s Choice Awards and will be the only Southeast Asian film screened in the Midnight Madness program.

GUNDALA, written and directed by Joko Anwar, will air in Indonesian cinemas starting on 29 August 2019. It is the first installment to the Bumilangit Cinematic Universe, a series of films about heroes and champions adapted from the legendary Indonesian comic series. The film was produced by Bumilangit Studios and Screenplay Films in association with Legacy Pictures and Ideosource Entertainment.

The Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF), which will be held on 5 – 15 September 2019, is one of the five most prestigious film festivals in the world known for its highly selective curation process, besides the Cannes Film Festival, the Venice Film Festival, the Berlin Film Festival, and the Sundance Film Festival. TIFF is visited annually by around 500.000 viewers.

“It is very nice to be able to introduce the original Indonesian hero to the international stage. We are all grateful that as a homegrown creation of Indonesia’s own local artist, this film had the opportunity to be selected in the highly selective world event, TIFF. As the producers, we thanked the hard work of all the crews, teams, as well as the loyal support from the fans,” said GUNDALA producer Bismarka Kurniawan.

“This proves that the quality of Gundala film has been recognized by the international public,” said Joko Anwar.

Triawan Munaf, Head of the Indonesian Creative Economy Agency expressed his support, “The Gundala film is the beginning of the invasion of ‘local superheroes’ which will enliven the national film industry. The legacy of these materials has the potential to be developed and to have a sustainable economic impact. The breakout of Gundala at TIFF is very encouraging. It will be beneficial for the promotion of this film because it will undoubtedly increase the confidence and public expectations of the national film. “

TIFF is considered as a venue for films that will compete at the Oscars. Films such as AMERICAN BEAUTY, BLACK SWAN, SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE all had their premieres at this festival.

The full schedule for the screening of GUNDALA at the 2019 Toronto International Film Festival will come out on August 20th. Other films that will be screened in the Midnight Madness program include a film from Japanese legend Takashi Miike and the latest film of Nicholas Cage. Midnight Madness is the reigning program of the festival and a crowd favorite that is always filled with spectators.

GUNDALA is the first hero in Bumilangit Cinematic Universe, a series of films about heroes and champions from the legendary Indonesian comics. The return of Hasmi’s character to the big screen is expected to show the new generation that Indonesia has a hero to be proud of. After GUNDALA, there will be other films with other characters from the Bumilangit Universe that are ready to be produced and introduced to the public.

The film ‘GUNDALA’ tells the story of Sancaka who has been living on the streets since his parents left him. Living a hard life, Sancaka survived by thinking only about himself and his own safety. When the crime in the city is getting worse and injustice is raging throughout the country, Sancaka has to decide whether he wants to continue to live only for himself or rises to become the oppressed hero of the people.

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