Indonesia-Kyrgyzstan Horror Film The Land of Jinn Plans 2027 Release

By Elena Vasquez

“The Land of Jinn”, Indonesia and Kyrgyzstan’s first film co-production, is in post-production for a planned 2027 release.

The supernatural horror feature was unveiled at the Tokyo Gap-Financing Market. Its producers went to Tokyo to close a financing gap and secure distribution partners. The market operates as part of TIFFCOM, the content market attached to the Tokyo International Film Festival.

What is “The Land of Jinn” about?

The unveiled project follows a young Indonesian woman who travels to Kyrgyzstan in search of a mystical healer who might save the baby she carries. Her search unwittingly binds her child’s destiny to the jinn roaming the region.

The film draws on the legend of King Solomon, who is said to have commanded the jinn.

“I’ve always been fascinated by the lengths someone might go to in pursuit of what society tells us is a ‘complete’ life, and what drew me to this project was the chance to translate that desire into the language of horror,” Rahardjo said.

His statement makes the journey more than a supernatural quest. It places the pressure to achieve a socially defined “complete” life at the center of the horror.

The journey carries the protagonist into Kyrgyzstan’s frozen, snowbound mountains. “The landscape is more than a backdrop. It becomes part of her obsession, beautiful and unforgiving, and almost indifferent to human desire,” Rahardjo said.

The search for a healer, the Solomon legend and the mountain setting give the production a clear supernatural framework.

How was the production organized across two countries?

Kevin Rahardjo, the director of “Smothered”, leads the project.

Cameras rolled in Kyrgyzstan’s Issyk-Kul region and in Jakarta. The film uses English, Indonesian and Kyrgyz and is now in post-production.

On the Indonesian side, Yulia Evina Bhara and Amerta Kusuma produce for Jakarta-based KawanKawan Media. On the Kyrgyz side, Sultan Pirzhan and Elvira Sarieva of FreeMinds, and Maksat Bolotbek of Bairak Group, serve as producers.

Makbul Mubarak, whose earlier film was “Autobiography”, and Tumpal Tampubolon, whose earlier film was “Crocodile Tears”, wrote the screenplay.

The credits and shooting locations anchor the collaboration in both countries.

Why pair Indonesia with Kyrgyzstan?

Bhara framed the partnership through a shared human response and local supernatural traditions.

“I think fear is universal, but ghosts are local,” Bhara said.

She said people in both countries live alongside the unseen world. Children in each grow up hearing their grandparents warn them not to venture out after Maghrib, the sunset prayer.

“In Indonesia we have 17,000 islands and 17,000 ghosts. In Kyrgyzstan, the mountains and steppes have their own Jinns,” Bhara said.

Bhara identified complementary industry strengths: Kyrgyzstan offers auteur talent, unspoiled scenery and a door into markets across Central Asia and Eurasia, while Indonesia brings a proven horror market, a 65% local market share and a profitable model for the genre.

“This project was an incredible start to what will hopefully be a long lasting creative collaboration between Indonesian and Kyrgyz filmmakers,” Sarieva said.

The partnership pairs Kyrgyz scenery and regional access with Indonesia’s established horror market.

What must happen before the 2027 release?

At the Tokyo market, the producers want partners to close the film’s financing gap and handle distribution. Their target is to lock in pre-sales or a festival route for 2027.

Bhara also hopes to present the film as a template for co-productions within Asia.

Nazira C. Noer is on board as a producer and delegate. She is CEO and co-founder of the film marketing and publicity firm Poplicist, whose clients have included “Jumbo,” “Agak Laen” and “Ghost in the Cell.”

She is also Navvaros Entertainment’s chief marketing officer and serves as secretary general of the Indonesian Film Agency.

Rahardjo’s next project is a creature feature unfolding in a countryside village in Indonesia.

The film’s 2027 path now depends on securing partners, closing the financing gap and confirming a pre-sales or festival route.