Audience awaits winner selection

VSS judges announcing winners

Bali-based Viking Film Fund Awards funding to Indonesian Filmmaking Talent

WILMINGTON, NORTH CATROLINA, USA, April 1, 2024 /EINPresswire.com/ — The Viking Film Fund Awards, organized by VIKING SUNSET STUDIOS in Bali, recently started honoring and supporting Indonesian filmmakers with remarkable projects. The event, which had been rescheduled due to high demand and many submissions, showcased the incredible creativity and innovation present in the Indonesian film industry.

The Viking Film Fund, a project initiated by VIKING SUNSET STUDIOS, aims to uplift Indonesian cinema by providing a platform for emerging talents to excel. The fund’s founder and owner, Mr. Bo H Holmgreen, expressed his excitement, stating, “We have been part of the world’s most prestigious film festivals, from Cannes to Venice to Berlinale, and are dedicated to investing in exceptional talent, cutting-edge equipment, and breathtaking locations like our beach-front studio property in Bali, to nurture innovation and creativity.”

The pitching event saw four esteemed judges from the industry, including Bella Panggabean, Eugene Panji, Maya Lubis, and James D Bowen, provide valuable insights to the candidates. Mr. Holmgreen, who flew from the Berlin Film Festival to Jakarta for the event, expressed his enthusiasm for the diverse range of projects presented. “The top 20 candidates showcased a wide spectrum of cinematic excellence, and we are thrilled to finance some very compelling projects,” he said.

The Viking Film Fund awarded over IDR 1 billion in cash funding to the following outstanding projects:

1. “Wangi” by Kenan Pangaribuan (Jakarta) – A smart story about female harassment, where a laundry employee named Fahri develops a peculiar habit of smelling customers’ underwear.

2. “Karjan & Kambingnya” by Levi Stanley (Jakarta) – Approaching the holiday Eid al-Adha, Karjan (a homeless man) and his goat run away to celebrate a small victory after always losing in the battle of fate and injustice in Jakarta

3. “Holy Days of Land and All That Remains” by Rachmat Hidayat (Makassar) – In a village in South Sulawesi, a couple wants to keep the pigs inherited from their parents, but they must face the village chief’s order to eradicate all the pigs in the village to acquire support from officials.

4. “Martyr: The Confession” by Nier Castielroy (Jakarta) – An international thriller centered around a deadly virus outbreak in Bali, involving CIA and INTERPOL agents investigating a bioterrorist.

5. “The Box” by Sonny Laksamana (Bali) – This international film about human trafficking depicts the struggle for survival of a woman trapped in a shipping container with other illegal immigrants, as oxygen runs low.

The event also featured a masterclass in Virtual Video shooting by Upie Guava from a Viking Sunset Studios partner, DossGuava XR Studio, followed by a great keynote speech from the Danish Ambassador to Indonesia, Sten Frimodt Nielsen.

The awards ceremony concluded with the announcement of the winners and the distribution of over 1 billion IDR in cash prizes, along with studio project assistance totaling over 2 billion IDR. Thus, VIKING SUNSET STUDIOS remains committed to nurturing aspiring filmmakers with international ambitions, offering the winners access to state-of-the-art equipment and resources, including Bali’s exclusive ARRI Mini LF camera and Leica M lenses. Winners will also have the opportunity to utilize VIKING SUNSET STUDIOS’s soundproof green screen Studio in Sanur and the beachfront backlot in Tabanan, further enhancing the production value of their projects.

“Let’s collaborate to create exceptional films with global appeal,” Mr. Holmgreen concluded, emphasizing VIKING SUNSET STUDIOS’s dedication to fostering a thriving film industry in Indonesia.

Event teaser video: https://youtu.be/aGOaHeJS5TU?si=9oAUM6POWO5HYeSo
Post-event video: https://youtu.be/dDM-XngZ1Qs?si=zjURcVsznTW0Z5GC

For media inquiries, please contact [email protected]

Turid Kaehny
VSS
+1 919-454-7599
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