Film Fanatic: Viddsee Announces 3 Winning Proposals for Etalase Kota Program As Part of Viddsee Labs

Viddsee announced 3 short-listed proposals for its Etalase Kota program, an Intellectual Property (IP) accelerator program for filmmakers within Viddsee network. ‘Memantra’ by Ginanjar Teguh Iman, a horror story concept was chosen as the grand winner.

Part of Viddsee Labs, the Etalase Kota program was held in early December 2021, which attracted story concepts across Indonesia. Submitted proposals were selected through a rigorous process where finalists participate in a series of activities such as workshops, and webinars, with the highlight being pitching story concepts to a panel of creative producers from Viddsee Studios and MNC Pictures. All submitted proposals centre around the narrative of modern Asian society, capturing the uniqueness, identity and heartbeat of the city. 

‘Memantra’ highlights Indonesia’s horror film potential and the uniqueness of local folktales and myths not widely explored by filmmakers. Filmmaker Ginanjar Teguh Iman is a young and talented writer and director whose works have attracted the interests of many film lovers and the local film community.

“I was inspired by the feeling of grief and loss and the imagination of rituals to preserve a person’s life. Through research, I found that everything is connected to suburban stories in ancient times when humans lived amid death terrors,” said Ginanjar when explaining the idea for this project.

Story concepts titled ‘Piping’ by Putri Sarah Amelia and ‘Band Emak-Emak’ by Aji Aditya were also selected to be developed with Viddsee Studios alongside potential entertainment partners for feature films and series.

“We recognize that talent and IP are key aspects of our storyteller community. This prompted the launch of Etalase Kota, Viddsee Labs’ accelerator programs and collaboration with MNC Pictures. We hope this is the first step to help support the growth of Asian filmmakers through further engagement with entertainment partners,” said Derek Tan, Co-Founder and Chief Commercial Officer of Viddsee.

Memantra by Ginanjar Teguh Iman is the grand winner as part of the Etalase Kota program, where it was selected due to the narratives’ uniqueness in showcasing local folktales and myths. It is the story of a woman who doesn’t want her lover to die so she performs a ritual to revive her soulmate. What he doesn’t realise, this ritual turns his lover’s soul slowly into a demon and can harm those around him.

Piping by Putri Sarah Amelia is among the selected proposals from the Etalase Kota program which has won the hearts of many due to its successful portrayal of turning a heavy subject into a light and fresh approach. It tells the story of a woman entering the lonely stages menopause who tried to fill the void by raising her a cat, which just happens to be in heat!

Band Emak-Emak by Aji Aditya is among the selected proposals from the Etalase Kota program chosen for its mockumentary film style, breaking down storyline barriers between fiction and non-fiction. It tells the story of Diana and Nana, members of the band from Bandung D’Cinnamons who have to work hard to balance their duties as a mother and bring the band’s name back to popularity.

Viddsee Labs recently signed a first-look deal with Doyeon Noh, a South Korean filmmaker in September. Doyeon is part of Viddsee Labs 2022 Slate with 11 Asian filmmakers, whose short films have been identified and have the potential to be developed into feature-length or serial formats.

Other Indonesian short film directors were also part of the Labs in the development process. For example, ‘Stratagem’, a short horror by Dedetria Holyri from Kalimantan that won 98 million views on Facebook, ‘In Middle Of The Blackhole’, a drama by Daniel Victory that went viral on YouTube and TikTok. There is also ‘Opor-Operan’, Mustafa’s work which won Best Scenario and Best Editing at the 2015 BCA Short Movie Festival.

Visit https://vidds.ee/EtalaseKota to find out more about the Juree Indonesia and Etalase Kota.