Indonesian producer, programmer and publicist John Badalu has died at his house in Bali, Indonesia, on the age of 53.
A number one determine in Southeast Asian cinema, Badalu was famend for his work supporting illustration of LGBTQ+ and different minority teams in Southeast Asia. His movies have premiered at festivals together with Cannes, Berlin, Sundance, Locarno, Rotterdam, IDFA and Busan, amongst others.
Born in Makassar on the Indonesian island of Sulawesi, Badalu’s experiences as a member of a number of minority teams, together with ethnic Chinese language, Buddhist and homosexual, formed his work as an advocate for inclusivity and illustration.
His work as a producer consists of Thai filmmaker Anucha Boonyawatana’s Malila: The Farewell Flower (2017), a narrative about former homosexual lovers reconciling the previous that gained the Kim Jiseok Award at Busan Worldwide Movie Pageant; and Indonesian director Razka Robby Ertanto’s Ave Maryam (2018), centered on the Christian neighborhood in Indonesia.
Badalu additionally collaborated with different internationally recognized Indonesian filmmakers comparable to Mouly Surya on What They Don’t Discuss About When They Discuss About Love (2013) and Putrama Tuta on movies together with On a regular basis Is A Lullaby (2020).
In recent times, Badalu had been specializing in producing quick movies from new skills together with Khozy Rizal’s Basri & Salma in a By no means-Ending Comedy, which was the primary Indonesian movie to compete for the Quick Movie Palme d’Or at Cannes movie competition in 2023. Different current shorts embrace Rizal’s Makassar Is A Metropolis For Soccer Followers and Nirartha Bas Diwangkara’s The place The Wild Frangipanis Grow.
He additionally labored as a programmer and delegate for festivals together with Berlinale, Sheffield Doc Fest, Shanghai, Tallinn Black Nights and Busan. In 2022, he spearheaded programming on the Bali Makarya Movie Pageant, an occasion that launched Southeast Asian cinema to native audiences and worldwide visitors.
In 2002, Badalu based the Q! Movie Pageant, Indonesia’s first ever LGBTQ+ movie competition, which happened yearly till 2017. Launched in Jakarta, the competition expanded to a number of cities and have become an important platform for queer cinema in Indonesia the place such themes are sometimes marginalized.
Ashoka, a world group supporting social entrepreneurs, identifies Q! Movie Pageant as a number one drive for social change and provides: “Additional, John has made good use of the publicity he has garnered with the Pageant to realize affect in coverage circles. He and a bunch of Q-munity volunteers efficiently lobbied the Indonesian Nationwide Fee on Human Rights to incorporate sexual minorities among the many teams they help.”
His pals in Bali shared this message:
With heavy hearts, we share the passing of our beloved son, brother, and buddy, John Badalu, on Wednesday, Could 21, 2025.
He’s at the moment resting at: RSUP Sanglah Funeral Dwelling, Denpasar, Visitation is welcome till Thursday, Could 22. Cremation will happen on: Friday, Could 23, 10:00 AM (WITA) at Mumbul Crematorium, Jimbaran.
Your love, prayers, and presence imply the world to us.
Thanks for being a part of John’s life.
