Ghost in the Cell and Para Perasuk lead Indonesia's Citra nominations

Ghost in the Cell, a prison horror-comedy from Joko Anwar, leads the Citra Awards in 12 categories. The Citras are the top prizes at Festival Film Indonesia, and the list came out Monday in Jakarta.

The ceremony is November 20, also in Jakarta. Last year the show was at Teater Jakarta, in the Taman Ismail Marzuki arts complex.

This year's venue was not named with the nominations.

This is Anwar's twelfth feature. He is the Medan-born director of Satan's Slaves (Pengabdi Setan) and Impetigore.

Ghost in the Cell premiered in the Forum section of the Berlin film festival on February 13, then opened in Indonesian theaters on April 16. It drew 3,376,865 admissions in 55 days.

Abimana Aryasatya, who played the hero in Anwar's Gundala, is nominated for best actor. The comedian Aming and Yoga Pratama are both up for supporting actor.

Anwar has won the top prize here before. In 2020, Impetigore (Indonesian title Perempuan Tanah Jahanam) took best film and best director.

Actress Christine Hakim won supporting actress for that film.

Two films are next, with nine categories each. One is Para Perasuk, from Wregas Bhanuteja, who won best film and best director in 2021 for Penyalin Cahaya, released on Netflix as Photocopier.

Sundance premiered the new film in January as Levitating.

It is set in Latas, a fictional village about two hours from Jakarta, where trance parties are the local entertainment. A young man named Bayu wants to be the one channeling the spirits.

A company wants the spring those spirits are supposed to live in.

Wregas has said he is too easily frightened to make a horror film, and that this one is about obsession.

Angga Yunanda is nominated for best actor as Bayu. Singer Maudy Ayunda is up for supporting actress.

The other nine-category film is Na Willa. Ryan Adriandhy, who made the animated hit Jumbo, directs his first live-action feature, from Reda Gaudiamo's novel about a six-year-old in 1960s Surabaya.

Luisa Adreena, who plays her, is up for best actress.

Dopamin, from director Teddy Soeriaatmadja, is also up for best film. A couple wakes up to a dead houseguest and a suitcase of cash.

Shenina Cinnamon, who played the lead in Photocopier, is nominated for best actress. Angga Yunanda plays her husband, so he leads two of the five films.

His acting nomination is for Para Perasuk.

Operasi Pesta Copet is a comedy about pickpockets working the Pestapora music festival. Ernest Prakasa, of Cek Toko Sebelah, produced it.

Edy Khemod directs, in his first feature.

Three directing nominees are not in that best-film five. Bernardus Raka is up for Nobody Loves Kay, and Kimo Stamboel, who directed The Queen of Black Magic from Anwar's script, is up for Abadi Nan Jaya.

Edwin is up for Monster Pabrik Rambut. He beat Anwar for best director in 2017, with Posesif.

Christine Hakim is nominated for best actress in Semua Akan Baik-Baik Saja, a family drama from actor-director Baim Wong. She plays Ibu Wida.

She is also in Busan this month with Ibuku.

The committee took submissions from 531 works, including 93 features.

Our take: Ghost in the Cell already has Berlin and 3.38 million admissions, and it is a horror-comedy on purpose. Para Perasuk has Sundance, and Wregas has said he did not set out to make one.

Na Willa is level with Para Perasuk on the count. The winners are read on November 20.

When: November 20, 2026
Where: Jakarta. The venue was not named with the nominations.