Jakarta International Film Festival

The Jakarta International Film Festival (JIFFEST) is the major film festival of Indonesia held every December in the capital, Jakarta, since 1999.

The number of Indonesian films shown at the festival had grown from four in 1999 to around 100 by 2009. Since 2006, JIFFEST has hosted an Indonesian Feature Film Competition with foreign film professionals acting as juries. JIFFEST's script development competition and workshop winners include Wahyu Aditya (2004), World Champion International Young Creative Entrepreneur of the Year (2007); Tumpal Tampubolon (2005), Asian Young Filmmakers Fellow Korea (2008); Salman Aristo (2006), writer of Ayat-Ayat Cinta (2007), Laskar Pelangi (2008), and Garuda di Dadaku (2009); Yuli Andari Merdekaningtyas (2006), and director of Suster Apung, winner of Eagle Awards Metro TV (2006).

The festival is on a shaky financial footing and is hoping to continue by switching its funding source from foreign donors to government grants and private donations.

Shanty Harmayn and Natacha Devillers, working together at Salto Films at the time, founded the Jakarta International Film Festival (JIFFEST) in November 1999.

In its second year (3–12 November 2000), 104 titles from 31 countries were screened.

In 2001, JIFFEST (26 October – 10 November) featured 103 titles from 32 countries.

In its fourth year (24 October – 3 November), JIFFEST offered 120 titles from 29 countries.

The fifth year (14–19 October) was JIFFESTs shortest festival to that date, due to funding problems caused by national tragedies such as the Bali bombing. Various obstacles faced by the committee almost kept JIFFEST 2003 from being held. Bomb threats in several cities caused people to fear attending the event. JIFFEST 2003 was therefore held on a very modest scale.

In 2004 (3–12 December), JIFFEST screened 133 titles from 35 countries.

The Seventh edition of JIFFEST took place from 9–18 December 2005.

The eighth JIFFEST was held from 8–17 December 2006.

In its ninth year, JIFFEST was held from 7–16 December 2007. Around 180 films from 33 countries were screened in Djakarta XXI, the newly built Blitzmegaplex in Grand Indonesia, Kineforum in Ismail Marzuki Arts Centre, and cultural centers Goethe Haus and Erasmus Huis.

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