Indonesian film to screen at Jordan children and youth film festival

The Indonesian feature film “Solata (Friends are the Family We Choose)” is scheduled to screen at the Jordan Children and Youth Film Festival, which takes place in the capital Amman from 14–20 August 2026.

“Solata has been screened in several Eastern European countries and has also won international awards. Now it returns to participate in a film festival in Jordan,” said the film’s director, Ichwan Persada, in a statement confirmed from Makassar on Tuesday.

Ichwan said the film’s participation in the festival has received full support from the Embassy of the Republic of Indonesia (KBRI) in Jordan. The film is scheduled to be screened on Tuesday (18/8) local time.

“Solata” tells the story of Angkasa, a volunteer teacher from Jakarta who teaches in the mountainous region of Ollon, Tana Toraja Regency, South Sulawesi, and finds that a distance learning programme is not running well. There, Angkasa meets six students whose names resemble Indonesian presidents: Karno, Harto, Wahid, Bambang, Mega and Habibie.

The opportunity to appear in Jordan marks the film’s third international experience. It has participated in two festivals in Bulgaria, one of which was the Golden FEMI Film Festival in June 2026, where it received a special award for cultural and humanitarian contribution.

Regarding the achievements of the film, which was released in November 2025, Ichwan admitted he had initially felt disheartened because “Solata”’s box office takings were not as high as expected.

“But it turns out God gave another gift. Our simple film has been able to travel to faraway lands we never imagined, crossing different cultural and linguistic boundaries,” he said.

The film’s production team is currently planning a tour for the second part of “Solata” to a number of countries in Europe.