MUMBAI: Hooq, one of the largest Video on Demand service in South-East Asia, has announced that its first Indonesian original production will be screening at the Director’s Fortnight in Cannes which opens this week. This is on the back of a series of announcements from Hooqthat underscores its commitment to Asian film production through ventures with top independent studios and filmmakers in the region.

“Hooq is very proud that Marlina will be screening at Cannes Directors’ Fortnight this year! We look forward to many more successful Hooq original productions that will gain recognition in the international film industry, but more importantly will keep our customers Hooq'd month after month! Our continued commitment to the Asian film industry will see us investing in more original productions with the goal to give new and established talents an avenue to tell their stories in multiple formats – be it a feature film or a 10-part series,” said Peter Bithos, Chief Executive Officer of Hooq.

In addition to Marlina the Murderer in Four Acts, In addition to Marlina the Murderer in Four Acts, In addition to Marlina the Murderer in Four Acts, Hooq recently announced a host of original productions – Critical Eleven and Sweet 20 to hit cinemas in May and June 2017 respectively, the highly anticipated On the Job which will debut in cinemas in August followed by a 5-part series that will launch exclusive on Hooq six weeks later and The T Party (working codename) will hit the service later this year. At the same time, Hooq also announced a new initiative Hooq Filmmakers Guild – which is a search for Asian film talents to turn their ideas into reality.

MARLINA THE MURDERER IN FOUR ACTS
The most recent work of director Mouly Surya (36), Marlina the Murderer in Four Acts will premiere on 24 May 2017 at Quinzaine des Réalisateur (Directors’ Fortnight) which takes place in parallel to 2017 Cannes Film Festival.

Marlina depicts the story of a widow on her journey to look for justice after a band of robbers assaults her. This film written by Mouly Surya and Rama Adi is based on Garin Nugroho’s story idea. It is produced by Rama Adi and Fauzan Zidni and starring Marsha Timothy, Dea Panendra, Yoga Pratama and Egi Fedly.

“It is a big honor to be included in the Directors’ Fortnight line up, an event to seek the world’s famous auters with more edgy works. This is a good event for Marlina and I hope the film will get the opportunity for a wider distribution after this screening,” said Mouly Surya during the press conference at Plaza Indonesia on 12 May 2017.

Marlina is a co-production between Cinesurya, Kaninga Pictures (Indonesia), Sasha & Co Production (France), Astro Shaw (Malaysia), In addition to Marlina the Murderer in Four Acts, HOOQ recently announced a host of original productions – Critical Eleven and Sweet 20 to hit cinemas in May and June 2017 respectively, the highly anticipated On the Job which will debut in cinemas in August followed by a 5-part series that will launch exclusive on Hooq six weeks later and The T Party (working codename) will hit the service later this year. At the same time, Hooq also announced a new initiative Hooq Filmmakers Guild – which is a search for Asian film talents to turn their ideas into reality.

Chairman of Indonesian Creative Economy Agency Triawan Munaf said, “Mouly Surya’s success in the Cannes Directors’ Fortnight is a major achievement for Indonesian cinema. Aside from being selected in this section for the first time, an Indonesian film is finally being featured again in the world’s most prestigious film festival.”

The Counselor for Cooperation and Cultural Action of the Embassy of France and Director of IFI Marc Piton said, “Supported by CNC, IFI and Cinema du Monde, Mouly’s work has marked close relationships between Indonesia and France in cinematography. Being selected for the Director’s Fortnight at Cannes also shows that Indonesian films are gaining more recognition internationally.”

Organized by Societe des Realisateurs de Films (French Directors Guild) and initially held in 1969, the Directors’ Fortnight that runs parallel to the Cannes Film Festival aims to aid filmmakers and contributes to their discovery by the critics and audiences alike. The Director’s Fortnight has discovered and debut famous directors such as Werner Herzog, George Lucas, Martin Scorsese, Jim Jarmush, Michael Haneke, Spike Lee, Sofia Coppola and many more. The selected titles will be premiered at the festival from 18 – 28 May 2017 in Cannes, followed by the premiere in Marseille, Paris, Geneva, Rome, Milan, Florence and Brussels.

Marlina was previously selected for the Asian Project Market at 2015 Busan International Film Festival and Cinefondation L’Atelier at 2016 Cannes Film Festival. This film received funds from Talents Tokyo through the Next Masters Support Programme and subsidy from Cinémas du Monde from French Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Marlina is the fourth full-length feature film from Indonesia to be selected for the Cannes Film Festival. The previous three films are Tjoet Nja Dhien (1988, Semaine de la Critique), Daun di Atas Bantal (1998, Un Certain Regard) and Serambi (2006, Un Certain Regard).

Mouly directed What They Don’t Talk About When They Talk About Love (2013), the first Indonesian film selected to compete in the World Cinema Dramatic Competition at the Sundance Film Festival. Her first film, Fiksi (2008), led Mouly to be the only female who received Citra Awards for the best director.