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View all search results‘Rangga & Cinta’ highlights Indonesian presence at Rotterdam film festival
Premiering in Europe at IFFR 2026, the musical remake of the defining coming-of-age classic highlights the increasingly confident presence of Indonesian movies on the international festival circuit.
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Post-premiere chat: ‘Rangga & Cinta’ producer Nicholas Saputra (left) speaks on Jan. 31, 2026, during a question and answer session along with (from second left) fellow producer Mira Lesmana and director Riri Riza, as well as a moderator, shortly after the movie’s European premiere at the 55th International Film Festival Rotterdam in Rotterdam, the Netherlands. (JP/Riza Roidila Mufti)
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oft giggles and quiet laughter filled the Pathé Schouwburgplein 7 movie theater on Jan. 31, when director Riri Riza’s Rangga & Cinta had its European premiere at the 55th International Film Festival Rotterdam (IFFR) 2026. As the familiar opening notes of Melly Goeslow’s “Ku Bahagia” (I’m happy) played, several audience members hummed along, resonating to the emotional pull of a story deeply rooted in Indonesian popular culture.
Rangga & Cinta is a musical remake of 2002’s Ada Apa dengan Cinta? (What’s Up with Cinta?), the coming-of-age romance directed by Rudy Soedjarwo that became a cultural phenomenon in Indonesia.
Premiering to a packed theater in downtown Rotterdam, the movie drew not only members of the Indonesian diaspora in the Netherlands but also international moviegoers curious about contemporary Indonesian cinema.
The screening was followed by a question and answer session with director Riri Riza and producers Mira Lesmana and Nicholas Saputra. An Indonesian attendee praised the movie as “fun and nicely made”, describing it as a vivid reminder of her high school years. An international viewer commended the musical arrangement, noting that the songs were engaging and emotionally accessible, even without full familiarity with the local context.
For Riri, the warm reception was especially meaningful. “Ada Apa dengan Cinta? holds a very special meaning for Miles Films,” he said, referring to the production house behind both movies.
“It became a phenomenon and one of Indonesia’s most iconic intellectual properties, so remaking it was both an opportunity and a challenge,” he said, while acknowledging that reimagining the story as a musical was a risk.
