Southeast Asia seeks soft power to outlast US$300 billion buzz

AdvertisementAseanThis Week in AsiaLifestyle & CultureSoutheast Asia seeks soft power to outlast US$300 billion buzzThe region’s creators are going global, but the structures to sustain them are still catching up 6-MIN READ6-MIN ListenSam BeltranPublished: 8:00am, 4 Apr 2026Later this month, Indonesian cinema-goers will finally get to see what audiences in Berlin saw in February: Jokor Anwar’s Ghost in the Cell. The horror-comedy, which had its world premiere at the prestigious Berlin International Film Festival, has been celebrated by influential trade magazine Variety for rising above mere “escapist entertainment” to channel societal anxieties about corruption and environmental destruction. Yet it is only the latest example of Southeast Asia’s creative moment arriving. The question now is whether the systems exist to convert that interest into lasting economic value and genuine global influence. AdvertisementAnwar himself hardly needed the validation. As one of the region’s leading auteurs, with a proven knack for elevating folkloric horror into globally acclaimed cinema, he has spent the better part of two decades telling stories that resonate far beyond Indonesia’s borders.His seven-part sci-fi anthology series Nightmares and Daydreams made it onto Netflix’s “most watched” lists across multiple countries in 2024, adding to a growing global profile that has helped crack open doors for other Southeast Asian filmmakers chasing international platforms and cross-border audiences.Advertisement“Indonesian cinema is in a much stronger position than a decade ago in terms of visibility and there are more quality films today to showcase,” Anwar told This Week in Asia. “The biggest homework is how to reach a sustainable global reach and to expand it.” Ghost in the Cell, in which inmates are hunted down by a vengeful supernatural entity inside a prison, is – like much of Anwar’s work – ambitious, bizarre and unmistakably Indonesian. On April 16, it is coming home. AdvertisementSelect VoiceSelect Speed0.8x0.9x1.0x1.1x1.2x1.5x1.75x00:0000:001.00x