The 100% Manusia Film Festival will celebrate its tenth anniversary from 6 to 15 August 2026 with 86 films from 21 countries, free screenings and a programme of public activities across 11 venues in Jakarta, Bali and Yogyakarta. Held under the theme ‘A Decade of Love Language’, the festival’s latest edition uses cinema, literature, art and community events to examine how people understand one another in an increasingly divided public climate.
Since its first edition, the festival has brought filmmakers, activists, academics, community groups and audiences into the same room to address social issues and human rights. Films provide the starting point, while discussions and creative programmes allow those stories to continue after the credits.
That approach has become particularly significant as public conversations grow more polarised and people are often reduced to labels. This year’s programme returns attention to individual experiences, including self-expression, injustice, memory, perseverance and the many forms that love can take.
Actress and activist Hannah Al Rashid has been appointed Festival Ambassador for the 2026 edition. Known for her roles in Lyora: Penantian Buah Hati, Mirage: Eigenstate and Never Back Down: Revolt, she has also spoken extensively about equality, human rights and women’s empowerment.
“At a time when it has become increasingly easy to label one another, this festival reminds us to see people simply as human beings,” she said. “I hope more people will come, watch the films, join the discussions, and experience first-hand how cinema can open hearts, broaden perspectives, and show that empathy is a language that transcends differences.”
The festival will open with 100% Love Language, a compilation of six Indonesian short films exploring affection through family, identity, hardship and persistence. The selection comprises Waktu Luang from Tangerang, Folding Sadness from Medan, Malam Sepanjang Nafas from Kupang, BAGUS: Dancing Like a Lady from Magetan, Parade si Rambo from Jakarta and Selamat Tidur, Adil! from Sidoarjo.
The closing film will be Chan Sze-Wei’s documentary 10s Across Borders. Following its premiere at the 2025 Busan International Film Festival, the film was nominated for Best Documentary Film at the Asia Pacific Screen Awards and received the Audience Choice Award for Documentary Film at the Tampa Film Festival.
Across the wider programme, audiences will find stories from Austria, Cameroon, Madagascar, Mexico, Myanmar, Nepal, the Netherlands, the Philippines, Spain, Sweden, Vietnam and other countries. The line-up includes 24 feature films and 62 short films, presented through genres ranging from comedy and animation to horror and thriller.
According to Film Programme Director Meninaputri Wismurti, many of this year’s selections use familiar objects and places to examine personal and collective experience. “Many also play with elements of memory, such as printed photographs, old archives, sounds, architecture, and more,” she said. “These films show us that humanity can be felt when we are willing to open our hearts and our eyes.”
Two new film strands will make their debut this year. 100% KISS, or Keep It Sassy & Short, is devoted to films running for less than ten minutes, giving tightly constructed stories their own platform. 100% SEAblings turns its attention to short films from Southeast Asia, creating a dedicated space for voices from across the region.
The anniversary programme also moves outside conventional cinema spaces. 100% Exhibition will display festival posters from the past decade, tracing changes in its visual identity alongside the humanitarian concerns addressed throughout its history.
Other activities include 100% A Walk to Understand, a guided tour exploring human rights, tolerance and diversity in Jakarta, and 100% Outloud, a slam poetry event centred on personal experiences and social concerns. The literary programme 100% All You Can Read will host book discussions and author conversations, while 100% In Harmony invites the public to join a judgement-free karaoke session.
Accessibility is addressed through 100% DIY Sign Language, an introductory Indonesian Sign Language workshop that also discusses Deaf culture. 100% Cinergi will provide an inclusive screening for blind and visually impaired audiences, supported by audio describers known as Bisik Buddies. Free health checks will also be available through 100% Health Screening during the festival.
“For the past ten years, we have continued to build a safe space where anyone can listen, understand, and learn from one another’s experiences,” said Rain Cuaca, Director of Events at the 2026 festival.
The regional scope continues through Cinema Without Borders, a collaboration with the Movies That Matter Festival in The Hague. The workshop will bring together 14 participants from Southeast Asia to exchange knowledge on festival management, develop professional connections and strengthen cooperation between regional film organisations.
Its concluding event, 100% Meet the Festivals, will take place at Erasmus Huis Jakarta on 10 August. Participating programmers will introduce their respective festivals before a screening of five Southeast Asian short films: Sotong and Nothing Gentle in the Shadow from Malaysia, Dark Zomia and What Will Happen Tomorrow? from Myanmar, and Untitled Document from Vietnam.
All film screenings and most of the festival’s non-film activities are free. With ten days of cinema, discussion and public participation spread across three cities, the anniversary edition offers several ways to enter the conversation, whether through a feature film, a ten-minute short, a walk through Jakarta or a song shared among strangers.
The full programme and screening schedule are available through the 100% Manusia Film Festival website and its Instagram account.
