Mungiu's 'Fjord' Takes Jakarta Audience Award as Shorts Winners Get Feature Funding

Cristian Mungiu's Palme d'Or winner "Fjord" took the audience award at Jakarta World Cinema, the festival's only feature prize, as the eight-day event closed with Banjong Pisanthanakun's Thai horror film "Inherit".

The festival, which screened at CGV Grand Indonesia, drew more than 25,000 attendees across its run. Executive director Frederica announced the figure from the stage before the closing screening, thanking audiences on behalf of the festival team. "Fjord," which also opened the festival, added the Jakarta honor to its Palme d'Or.

Pisanthanakun and star Davika Hoorne attended the Indonesian premiere of "Inherit" for a question-and-answer session that the festival described as lively. Pisanthanakun told the crowd that Hoorne's wardrobe cost a fortune, including a Gucci dress worth THB3 million ($89,500).

What does the competition change for Indonesian filmmakers?

The closing ceremony also unveiled the winners of the KlikFilm Short Movie Competition, run by the Indonesian streaming platform that powers the festival. The competition, open for submissions from April to July, drew more than 300 shorts from across Indonesia.

The jury carried serious credentials. It comprised horror director Joko Anwar ("Impetigore"), writer-director Gina S. Noer ("Two Blue Stripes") and Khozy Rizal, whose short "Basri & Salma in a Never-Ending Comedy" played in competition at Cannes.

The top prize went to Jusuf Witjaksono's "Karim." The win comes with full production and distribution funding for his debut feature from Falcon Pictures.

Adam Hasyim Al Raschid's "Air Pangea" and Ali Yafie Muzaki's "The Grave of Dreams" were named first and second runners-up. Each director also received full funding for a debut feature from KlikFilm, meaning three first-time feature filmmakers leave the festival with financed projects.

Zaky Alfawwaz's "Callsh#t" won the short film audience award. Michael Juan Saptayada's "OTW" took the Special Jury Prize.

Jakarta World Cinema 2026 winners in full

• Jakarta World Cinema Audience Award: "Fjord," Cristian Mungiu
• KlikFilm Short Movie Competition, First Winner: "Karim," Jusuf Witjaksono
• First Runner-up: "Air Pangea," Adam Hasyim Al Raschid
• Second Runner-up: "The Grave of Dreams," Ali Yafie Muzaki
• Audience Award: "Callsh#t," Zaky Alfawwaz
• Special Jury Prize: "OTW," Michael Juan Saptayada

For a festival still building its international profile, the structure is the point. A single audience-voted feature prize keeps the spotlight on crowd response rather than juried taste, while the short competition converts that audience into a production pipeline. The three funded debuts from Falcon Pictures and KlikFilm signal that Jakarta World Cinema now functions as a launchpad for Indonesian first features, not only a showcase for them.