This year, the committee of the country’s most prestigious film awards has sought to highlight what FFI is fundamentally about: a festival. FFI 2025 will be more than a night of red carpets and Citra Awards. It is designed as a nationwide celebration for Indonesian cinephiles and filmmakers.

“We don’t want to simply be an awarding ceremony and that’s it,” Prilly said, accompanied by Ringgo, in an interview on Aug. 22. “We want a program that sustains and generates impact.”

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Ringgo added: “Since the name is Festival Film Indonesia, the whole of Indonesia, as much as possible, should celebrate [Indonesian cinema] together.”

Going local

Looking back at FFI 2024 offers context for this year’s ambitions. Prilly, who also served on last year’s committee, recalled how festival ambassadors toured universities in regions such as Hasanuddin University in Makassar and Nusa Cendana University in Kupang.

Prilly said the initiative succeeded in introducing FFI to younger audiences. “They didn’t understand what FFI was really about, so we toured universities. We presented its history and explained how we have existed for 70 years,” she said.

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