Netflix Deepens Southeast Asia Commitment With JAFF Partnership

Netflix is ramping up its investment in Southeast Asian storytelling with a comprehensive slate of industry initiatives unveiled at Indonesia’s Jogja-Netpac Asian Film Festival, including a two-year partnership with the Indonesian Producers Association (APROFI) and the debut of its Creative Asia program in the region.

The streaming giant’s expanded collaboration with JAFF, timed to the festival’s 20th anniversary, signals a long-term commitment to nurturing local talent and production infrastructure across Southeast Asia, where Netflix content is experiencing explosive growth. Global view hours of Southeast Asian titles surged nearly 50% from 2023 to 2024, with more than 40 regional titles charting in Netflix’s Global Top 10 in 2025 alone.

“Even as the streaming world has changed, our support for this region has stayed consistent — and proudly local,” said Malobika Banerji, senior director of content for Southeast Asia at Netflix. “Our commitment isn’t just to the creators already in the spotlight. We care just as deeply about those who are still finding their voice — the next generation of filmmakers, storytellers, and crew who will shape the future of this region.”

Netflix and APROFI formalized a two-year memorandum of understanding aimed at strengthening Indonesia’s production ecosystem. The partnership will fund workshops for above- and below-the-line talent, provide on-the-job training opportunities on Netflix projects, and foster industry dialogue. As part of the collaboration, the partners introduced Indonesia’s first national guidebook on production safety, designed to help productions operate more safely and sustainably.

Irene Umar, Indonesia’s vice minister of creative economy, welcomed the initiative at the signing ceremony. “The Indonesian film industry is a significant engine of our economy. Netflix has played a major role in the global film and television ecosystem, and I truly appreciate its contribution to Indonesia,” Umar said. “Our gotong-royong (community driven) approach means in-depth collaboration across stakeholders — and here we see the clearest evidence of it with the film industry, associations, and key players like Netflix and APROFI coming together. I believe this MoU marks the beginning of a long-term partnership.”

Netflix partnered with JAFF to bring Creative Asia to Southeast Asia for the first time, following the program’s 2024 debut at Busan International Film Festival. The initiative connects emerging filmmakers with established creators including Joko Anwar, Erik Matti, Kimo Stamboel, Kulp Kaljareuk, Carlo Ledesma and Indonesian author Dee Lestari.

“I’m honored that JAFF is the next film festival to host Creative Asia, after its inaugural launch at BIFF in 2024,” said Ifa Isfansyah, JAFF founder and executive director. “What’s truly meaningful is that Netflix, BIFF, and JAFF all share a common vision: to nurture Asian cinema as a reflection of the dynamic and vibrant societies in our region.”

Programming included a creator conversation between Anwar (“Nightmares and Daydreams”) and Matti (“BuyBust”) on navigating creative risk and cultural specificity, plus a panel on Southeast Asia’s emerging zombie genre featuring Kaljareuk (“Ziam”), Ledesma (“Outside”) and Stamboel (“The Elixir”). The latter title recently ranked No. 1 among non-English films globally for two consecutive weeks and entered the Top 10 in 75 countries.

Netflix hosted the second season of Reel Life Film Camp at JAFF, following a successful inaugural edition last year. The practical training initiative, supported by the Netflix Fund for Creative Equity, received more than 800 applications across both seasons and hosted nearly 100 participants in intensive online, in-person and on-the-job training covering production, post-production, visual effects, editing and screenwriting. The streamer also launched a unit still photography workshop designed to help local photographers transition into new creative roles, and ran a second season of its Screenwriters Fellowship in collaboration with Soda Machine Films.

Netflix offered a first look at its Southeast Asian pipeline, including behind-the-scenes footage from the highly anticipated remake of Thailand’s period drama “Ploeng Phra Nang.” Matti confirmed his upcoming Filipino series “BuyBust: The Undesirables” will stream next year.

In a major literary adaptation announcement, Netflix will partner with celebrated Indonesian author Dee Lestari to adapt three of her best-selling novels — “Rapi Jali,” “Aroma Karsa” and “Perahu Kertas” — into original series. The projects will be helmed by female filmmakers, with Sabrina Rochelle directing “Rapi Jali” and Kamila Andini tackling “Aroma Karsa.”

The festival also hosted the world premiere of “Lupa Daratan” (Lost in the Spotlight), an Indonesian comedy from writer-comedian Ernest Prakasa about an award-winning actor who loses his ability to act just as he’s cast to play the president of Indonesia.

To date, more than 100 Southeast Asian titles have appeared in Netflix’s Global Top 10, with regional content ranking in the Top 10 lists of over 80 countries this year.