JAKARTA - The Indonesian film industry will soon welcome a fresh work that highlights the richness of regional culture. The Sapawave Films production house is preparing to release their first film titled Sunda Emperor, an adventure comedy drama scheduled to be shown in national cinemas in 2026.
Directed, written, and produced by Angling Sagaran, Sunda Emperor offers a different approach from the typical regional-themed films. This film is fully committed to authenticity by using 100 percent Sundanese in its dialogue.
Sunda Emperor follows the story of Miheng (played by Bilal Fadh), an opportunistic Sunda youth whose life is barely enough. His life changes drastically when he hears the news that he is the descendant of the King of Sunda.
Together with his two best friends, Ohim (Maghara Adipura) and Ece (Vansa Be), and the unexpected presence of Eti (Laura Moane), Miheng embarks on a journey to prove his origins.
However, the journey is not easy. They have to face conflicts and threats from the figures of Iwan Gesrek (Itings Meledax) and Boss Pepey (Yujeng Hensem). This adventure also develops into a test of fate, friendship, and courage in making life choices.
One of the attractions of this film is the totality of its actors in bringing the Sundanese language. Young actress Laura Moane, who plays the character Neng Eti, admitted that she had a big challenge because she had to have a full dialogue in Sundanese.
"Honestly, playing Neng Eti is a challenge for me, especially because this film is 100 percent in Sundanese. From the beginning of the reading process to filming, I was guided a lot by the director and the cast members for pronunciation so that it sounds natural," said Laura Moane quoted by VOI from a media broadcast, Friday, January 30.
Angling Sagaran explained that Sunda Emperor was born out of a desire to prove that regional stories have great power to appear on the big screen in a modern way without losing their roots.
"This film is not only about the past, but about how identity and cultural values can live in the present. We want to present a story that is fresh and relevant to today's audience," said Angling.
In line with Angling, the founder of Sapawave Films and Executive Producer, Much Risman, emphasized his commitment to bringing local content to compete in the national arena. He hopes that this film, which takes the beauty of Sukabumi's natural scenery as its backdrop, will be a space for local stories to appear with modern production standards.
"This is Sapawave Films' step to continue to encourage regional stories to get their rightful place in the Indonesian film industry," concluded Much Risman.
Apart from the main cast, the film also involves a number of content creators from West Java to strengthen closeness with young audiences and expand the scope of promotion in the digital realm.
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