Jogja-Netpac Asian Film Festival Marks 20 Years as Southeast Asia’s Grassroots Champion: ‘Films That Speak Honestly to the Region’s Realities’

Jogja-Netpac Asian Film Festival Marks 20 Years as Southeast Asia’s Grassroots Champion: ‘Films That Speak Honestly to the Region’s Realities’

When the Jogja-Netpac Asian Film Festival (JAFF) launched in 2006 during Yogyakarta’s 250th anniversary celebration, it was a modest communal experiment driven by young filmmakers and volunteers. A major earthquake nearly cancelled the first edition, but the community’s insistence on continuing established a resilience that has become core to the festival’s identity. Two decades later, JAFF has transformed from a local cultural gathering into …