Adelaide Film Festival offers expanded “Festival Bridges” program with JAFF Market, Yogyakarta, Indonesia
Adelaide Film Festival (AFF) has announced an expansion of its AFF Festival Bridges program with JAFF Market, the first ever Southeast Asian film market, held in Yogyakarta, Indonesia. For the third year, AFF is inviting applications from Australian filmmakers to participate in the JAFF Future Project, which champions bold voices and foster cross-border collaborations, connecting filmmakers with producers, financiers, and global industry partners seeking the next wave of original storytelling from Asia Pacific.
AFF is seeking Australian feature projects with – preferably with connectivity with Indonesia (story or production qualities), with a priority on films that are near completion or are works-in-progress, although projects in development and pre-production will also be considered. Eligible formats are fiction, animation and documentary. The selected projects will be presenting the projects at JFP, be eligible for the various JFP awards and mylab will be providing mentorship and industry guidance to help the filmmakers find the right partners and positioning for their projects.
For the first time, in 2026 AFF is also seeking applications from Australian producers who have a strong interest in collaborations with the South East Asia Region to participate in JAFF’s new Producers Exchange. Producers Exchange will select a dozen international producers through an open call and the selected participants will be given the spotlight on the JAFF Market channels, participate in selected official programmes and networking events and be provided personalised professional match-making services. This new initiative will enable more international producers to have a more strategic access to the robust Indonesian and Asian film industries and markets.
The initiative is funded by the Australian Government, Office for the Arts. AFF x JAFF Market aims to cultivate enhanced connectivity between Australian and Indonesian filmmakers, to promote greater cultural understanding between the two countries and generate new opportunities for Australian filmmakers. AFF Festival Bridges program also includes a partnership with the Cannes Marche. The Festival Bridges program supports AFF’s aim to develop, support and engage the filmmaking community by a suite of initiatives including facilitated participation at international festivals and markets.
One project representative (producer or writer/director) from each selected project will receive a travel grant to attend JAFF Market, market registration, and facilitate meetings and networking opportunities.
AFF CEO & Creative Director said: “AFF is proud to champion collaboration within our geographic region and help to facilitate cultural and creative connections with our neighbours. The now long-held, authentic partnership with JAFF Market and JAFF Festival is a source of immense pride and reciprocation that we hope will continue for many years to come.”
JAFF Market Director Linda Gozali said: “Entering the third year of our partnership with Adelaide Film Festival reflects the strong foundation we have built together. With the introduction of the Producers Exchange alongside the JAFF Future Project, we are expanding the conversation from individual projects to longer-term relationships between producers and the screen industries of Australia and Southeast Asia.”
mylab Founder and Curator said: “At mylab, we are thrilled to continue our partnership with JAFF Market and Adelaide Film Festival. The projects that were previously selected and mentored, found partners and collaborators through this partnership, learnt how to better navigate the Asian industry landscape, and enabled the projects to go to the next level. We hope to enable more Australian and Asian film industries to flourish together in the wider Asia Pacific region and expand stronger ties amongst the filmmakers and production companies.”
Submissions open Tuesday August 25 and close Monday September 21. The market is held from November 28 – 30.
