Indonesian film 'Vaterland' wins CANAL+ Award at Cannes Critics' Week

Jakarta (ANTARA) - The Indonesian short film titled ‘VATERLAND or A Bule Named Yanto’ by director Berthold Wahjudi has won the CANAL+ Award at La Semaine de la Critique, Cannes Critics’ Week in Cannes, France. In a formal statement received in Jakarta on Thursday, the film set against Yogyakarta is one of two short films to receive an award at the Cannes Critics’ Week 2026 programme, which ran from 13–21 May. The Sony Discovery Prize for short film went to ‘Skinny Boots’ by Romain F. Dubois, while the CANAL+ Award went to ‘Vaterland or A Bule Named Yanto’. The film ‘Vaterland’ tells the story of Yanto, a German-Indonesian young man in his mid-20s who visits his sister in Yogyakarta. The meeting develops into a reflection on mixed-race identity, belonging, and alienation between two cultures. Producer and founder of Aftersun Creative, Annisa Adjam, said the audience reception at Cannes was a meaningful experience for the production team. She hoped the achievement would open up wider screening opportunities for the film, both in Indonesia and in other countries. The film is an Indonesia–Germany co-production between Aftersun Creative and Madfilm, with most of the crew from Indonesia and all filming took place in Yogyakarta. Annisa Adjam’s presence alongside producer Bagus Suitrawan at Cannes was described as part of an effort to broaden Indonesia’s independent film’s international network. Cannes Critics’ Week is known as a parallel programme at the Cannes Film Festival that focuses on the work of emerging directors and often serves as a stepping stone for young filmmakers in the global film industry.