Southeast Asian cinema, particularly from Indonesia, has gained significant international recognition in recent decades, thanks to a wave of talented young directors that are making their mark globally. One of them is Wregas Bhanuteja, a 32 year old director, whose film, Prenjak, won the best short film category in Cannes Film Festival 2016, making him the first Indonesian to win the prestigious competition.
A Passion That Bloomed During His School Year
Wregas Bhanuteja was born in Jakarta on October 20, 1992. When he was young, he aspired to be a Gundam creator. However, his passion changed during middle school.
In an interview with Kaskus, he mentioned that he discovered his passion for filmmaking during 9th grade. During an internal filmmaking competition in his school, Wregas was chosen to act. However, during the filming process, he frequently gave input and even “intervened” in the director’s decisions.
During high school, Wregas joined his school’s film extracurricular, where he learned the basics of cinematography. His passion eventually led him to study film directing at the Jakarta Institute of Art (IKJ), where he graduated in 2014.
His Early Works
While being a student at IKJ, he has worked as the third assistant director on Sokola Rimba, directed by Riri Riza, who is one of the most celebrated filmmakers in Indonesia.
In 2014, he made a short film called Lemantun, meaning cupboard, for his senior year final project. It is a heartwarming film about a mother that gives cupboards as heirlooms to her 5 children.
This film competed and won the best short film category in several competitions, including Piala Maya, Apresiasi Film Indonesia, and the XXI Short Film Festival 2015.
Wregas and His International Breakthrough
His short film Lembusura, tells a story of a group of young local people discovering the myth of Lembusura, whose anger is believed to cause the Kelud Volcano’s eruption. It competed in the 55th Berlin International Film Festival.
In 2016, his film Prenjak (In The Year of Monkey) competed in Semaine de la Critique, Cannes Film Festival. He brought home the best short film award, making him the first Indonesian to win at Cannes.
Three years later, he released another short film adapted from Eka Kurniawan’s short story called Tak Ada yang Gila di Kota Ini (No One is Crazy in this Town). The film was selected to compete in several film festivals, including the Sundance Film Festival and Busan International Film Festival (BIFF) 2020. It also won the best short film category in Festival Film Indonesia (FFI) 2019.
Feature Films as An Introduction to the Mass Audience
In 2021, Wregas finally released his first feature film called Penyalin Cahaya (Photocopier), which had its premiere in BIFF 2021 and was widely released on Netflix in 2022. The film follows a story about Sur, a female student who lost her scholarship due to her selfies that violate the university’s rules.
It gained positive reviews and was awarded for several categories, including best film and best directors from competitions, including Festival Film Indonesia.
Two years later, his second feature length, Budi Pekerti (Andragogy), premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) in 2023. Following a story about Prani, a teacher who was viral for her anger and cancelled by the social media, the film was widely released in Indonesian cinemas in November 2023. Similar to Wregas’ other films, it was reviewed positively and got nominated for 17 out of 22 categories in FFI 2023.
In an interview, Wregas stated that he loves to tell a story. To him, a film that has both visual and sound aspects can enhance his storytelling. His love of filmmaking is undeniable, and it shows through every work that he has done. If you are a fan of international cinema, Wregas’ films can be on your next watchlist!
