Indonesia and Kyrgyzstan have launched their first joint film, The Land of Jinn, a supernatural horror picture directed by Kevin Rahardjo (Smothered). The project was presented at the Tokyo Gap-Financing Market, marking the inaugural co-production between the two nations.

The plot follows a young Indonesian woman who travels to Kyrgyzstan seeking a mystical healer who may save her unborn child. Along the way she inadvertently binds her baby's fate to the region's roaming jinn, drawing on the legend of King Solomon who commanded such spirits.

Screenwriters Makbul Mubarak (Autobiography) and Tumpal Tampubolon (Crocodile Tears) crafted the script.

"I've always been fascinated by the lengths someone might go to in pursuit of what society tells us is a 'complete' life, and what drew me to this project was the chance to translate that desire into the language of horror," Rahardjo said.

The heroine's journey takes her into Kyrgyzstan's frozen, snow-bound mountains. "The landscape is more than a backdrop. It becomes part of her obsession, beautiful and unforgiving, and almost indifferent to human desire," the director added.

Filming occurred in the Issyk-Kul region of Kyrgyzstan and in Jakarta. The movie, shot in English, Indonesian and Kyrgyz, is now in post-production with a release slated for 2027.

Producers Yulia Evina Bhara and Amerta Kusuma represent Jakarta-based KawanKawan Media, while Sultan Pirzhan and Elvira Sarieva of FreeMinds and Maksat Bolotbek of Bairak Group handle the Kyrgyz side.

"I think fear is universal, but ghosts are local," Bhara said.

She noted that people in both countries coexist with unseen forces, and that children grow up hearing grandparents warn against venturing out after Maghrib, the sunset prayer. "In Indonesia we have 17,000 islands and 17,000 ghosts. In Kyrgyzstan, the mountains and steppes have their own Jinns," she added.

Bhara highlighted complementary industry strengths: Kyrgyzstan offers auteur talent, pristine scenery and a gateway to Central Asian and Eurasian markets, while Indonesia contributes a proven horror market, a 65% local market share and a profitable genre model.

"This project was an incredible start to what will hopefully be a long lasting creative collaboration between Indonesian and Kyrgyz filmmakers," Sarieva said.

Also joining as producer and delegate is Nazira C. Noer, CEO and co-founder of film marketing firm Poplicist, whose clients include Jumbo, Agak Laen and Ghost in the Cell. She is chief marketing officer of Navvaros Entertainment and serves as secretary general of the Indonesian Film Agency.

At the Tokyo event, producers seek partners to close the financing gap and secure distribution, aiming for pre-sales or a festival route for the 2027 launch. Bhara hopes the film will serve as a template for Asian co-productions.

Rahardjo's next venture is a creature feature set in a rural Indonesian village.

The Tokyo Gap-Financing Market operates as part of TIFFCOM, the content market attached to the Tokyo International Film Festival.