In a four-hour ceremony, 435 film industry figures made up of directors, actors, producers and crew were flown to Manado to attend a star-studded ceremony that honored the year’s best cinematic works.

From a voting panel consisting of industry figures from 17 film associations and 18 independent voters, the year’s best film was awarded to thriller Night Bus, directed by Emil Heradi.

“It was an incredible night for us. None of us at Night Bus expected to win Best Film,” he said. 

Meanwhile, Joko Anwar’s remake of horror classic Pengabdi Setan (Satan’s Slaves) won the most awards with seven. 

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It swept all sound-related awards, including Best Original Song, Best Musical Arrangement and Best Sound Design. However, 5-year-old Muhammad Adhiyat won the film’s only award for acting with Best Child Actor.

Teen drama flick Posesif impressed, winning three awards that night, including Best Lead Actress, won by Putri Marino, who made her acting debut in the film. 

Meanwhile, Posesif also won Best Supporting Actor (Yayu Unru) and Best Director (Edwin).

Before the event, Posesif was wrapped in a minor controversy during the nomination process, as the film technically did not have an official censorship certificate when its nominations were announced, thereby threatening to make its nomination void.

According to Law No. 33/2009 on film, cinematic works and advertisements require a censorship certificate before it is allowed to be shown in theaters or on television. The Posesif nominations were announced one day before it officially obtained the certificate.

Read also: The many shades of gray in 'Posesif'

Head juror Riri Riza explained that, this year, the awards committee would allow films without censorship certificates to be included in the festival in order to push for inclusivity.

This year’s show was also notable for the inclusion of a new award category, Best Makeup Artist.

Cherry Wirawan, who worked on Night Bus, won the award.

In terms of special awards, this year’s Lifetime Achievement Award was won by long-time producer Budiyati Abiyoga, who helped produce classic filmsNaga Bonar ( 1986 ), Cinta Dalam Sepotong Roti [Love Inside a Piece of Bread] ( 1990 ) as well as recent film Malam Minggu Miko Movie [Miko’s Saturday Night Movie] ( 2014 ).

“Time is a magical process in determining where one should go in their life and to reflect. Looking back at what I have done in the past, I realized that I’m not much,” said Budiyati as she accepted her award.