Six Surabaya Students Win Awards from the Busan International Film Festival
- independen film surabaya
- Nov 9, 2025
- 3 min read
SURABAYA, KOMPAS.com - Six students from Surabaya, East Java, succeeded in bringing home prestigious film awards from the 2025 Busan International Film Festival (BIFF).
They are Muhammad Sadid Al Muhasibi (15) in the Best Bold Idea category, Almira Nindyawati Risandriya (15) in the Best Fresh Voice category, Dafa Hayfa Asyabyl Suwardi (16) in the Best Future Story category, Bryan Wibowo Sudariman (16) in the Best Visual Impact category, Reyna Nalini Zarri (15) in the Best Changemaker Pitch category, and Baihaqi Zulfikar Hidayat (16) in the Best Visionary Direction category.
This achievement cannot be separated from the contribution of Figuratif Pictures founder, Fauzan Abdillah (36), through the CineLink Youth East Java x Busan 2025 program.
“That program is a kind of creative education pilot project that combines film, culture, and youth diplomacy,” said Fauzan to Kompas.com, Monday (October 13, 2025).
Starting from his concerns, Fauzan did not want the great film works by students from Surabaya to be known only within the East Java province. Moreover, international festivals tend to highlight works from artists in Jakarta, Bandung, and Yogyakarta. “The participants are not only filmmakers but also young ambassadors of Surabaya who bring local cultural values to international forums,” said the man who also serves as Director of INFIS Surabaya.
He then searched for young talents in the film industry through submissions and selection.
The selected works were proposed by him through the CineLink Youth initiative program in collaboration with Yooran Film, Busan Asian Film Commission, and the Asian Contents & Film Market – Busan International Film Festival 2025. “The delegates brought idea portfolios to be presented in the ecosystem of festivals, film industries, and Asian content markets.”
“There are feature film projects, as well as short films and documentaries, there are series and web series, interactive web content, and even fashion collaborations designed to enrich narratives on screen,” he explained.
Exploring works in the international scene, Fauzan hopes they will not only be recognized as raw results.
These Surabaya students who received the awards will reach into the film industry business through the investors they meet. “Whether the investors are pure investors or share houses. Not only from Korea but from international co-productions. So, they have several projects that are bound together,” Fauzan explained.
Meanwhile, Baihaqi Zulfikar Hidayat, a student from SMAN 5 Surabaya, succeeded in winning the Best Visionary award at the 2025 Busan International Film Festival. Baihaqi brought his film Before Growing Up, which highlights the journey of teenagers in finding their identity amid changing times.
“This film is not just a school assignment but a way for me to understand the process of growing up. I want to show that young people can think critically and honestly through their work,” he said.
Separately, Muhammad Sadid Al Muhasibi (15), a student from Surabaya who received the Best Bold Idea award from the Busan International Film Festival, expressed his pride. The student, who is familiarly called Sibi, is currently in 9th grade at Ar Rohmah Boarding School, Malang. Sibi won the Best Bold Idea category through his project Cross-Taste Delivery, a cultural gastronomy comedy that critiques the digital world in a fresh, funny, and sharp way.
“I tell a film series through extras that discuss how valuable food is for both families and individuals,” Sibi told Kompas.com. Sibi also touched on the social reality of online motorcycle taxi (ojol) food delivery workers, whose jobs are often underestimated but deeply meaningful. “And in this film, there’s a scene that reflects ojol as a place for people who face life struggles,” he explained.
Sibi admitted that he became interested in the film industry because of her parents, who often watch movies.
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