Her debut feature follows four women across three generations through the eyes of a 13-year-old. It is selected for Tokyo’s Asian Future competition ahead of a planned December release in Indonesia.
Indonesian director Ariani Darmawan is returning to filmmaking after a 15-year absence with “Jani Be Good,” her first feature. According to Variety, the household drama is selected for the Asian Future competition at the 39th Tokyo International Film Festival, where its world premiere is planned.
The story unfolds over four days in December and follows four women across three generations. At its center is 13-year-old Jani, the youngest member of the household, played by Chempa Puteri. As Jani comes to understand the different roles of the women around her, she also learns how to speak for herself.
Darmawan’s earlier work was in short films. Her 2008 short “Sugiharti Halim” was selected for competition at the Clermont-Ferrand International Short Film Festival.
Darmawan wanted writer Cyntha Hariadi to write the screenplay after reading her short-story collection “Manifesto Flora.” “Jani Be Good” is Hariadi’s first feature script, and Darmawan said the two developed the story together over three years.
The director said she began with everyday moments inside a home: conversations, tension and feelings that often remain unspoken. Becoming a mother changed how she saw relationships between children and parents, she told Variety. Jani became her way of looking at women of different generations who are still learning to understand one another.
Producer Meiske Taurisia said the project began when she invited Darmawan to make a film again three years ago. Rather than asking about a genre, Taurisia asked about the director’s most extraordinary experience during her time away from filmmaking. Darmawan’s answer was becoming a mother.
Produced by Jakarta-based Palari Films, the drama is titled “Desember Jani” in Indonesian. The project was presented at the Hong Kong Asia Film Financing Forum in March 2026, before its Tokyo selection. Variety’s October 1 report says the film is scheduled to open in Indonesian cinemas on December 10, after the festival.
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