Among her delegation to Cannes are some big players in Indonesian film, including director of 1998’s “Leaf on a Pillow”, Garin Nugroho, actors Chelsea Islan and Reza Rahadian, and directors Robby Ertanto and Yosep Anggi Noen.

Producer Yulia Evina Bhara will be a Cannes Critics’ Week jury member, scouting for emerging filmmaking talent.

She co-produced Japanese director Chie Hayakawa’s “Renoir” which is in the running for this year’s most prestigious Palme d’Or prize.

Indonesia, a country with 280 million people, has a dynamic film market with about 126 million cinema-goers last year.

The country also produced 285 movies in 2024 — the same number as France. Half of them were horror flicks.

But 33-year-old actor Asmara Abigail, another talent in whom Hakim has high hopes, says Indonesia is producing “a lot of different genres” these days.

“Following the example of South Korean cinema, I think that this is a fruitful moment for the development of Indonesian cinema,” said Abigail, who made her name in horror movies including “Satan’s Slaves” and “Impetigore”, the latter of which also featured Hakim.

‘Happy to return’

Now 68, the actor and producer says her return to Cannes carried bitter-sweet memories.