EXCLUSIVE: Indonesian production house Paragon Pictures is bringing a slate of three new titles to Filmart, including two groundbreaking genre films and a children’s fantasy adventure film. The trio of titles feature top Indonesian talent including Reza Rahadian (24 Hours With Gaspar), Vino G. Bastian (Qodrat) & Tissa Biani (Agak Laen, Cigarette Girl).
The Jakarta-based company, headed by director-producer Robert Ronny and affiliated with major investor Ideosource Entertainment, has previous credits including 2024 hit horror film Dominion Of Darkness and 2025 Netflix original movie The Most Beautiful Girl In The World, starring Rahadian and Sheila Dara Aisha.
The company’s new genre titles include dark supernatural thriller Crimson Rain, written and directed by Ronny and starring Rahadian, Bryan Domani (Levitating) and Fachrei Albar (Joko Anwar’s Nightmares And Daydreams).
Pushing Indonesian genre films into new territory, the project follows a detective reassigned to a neglected division that investigates supposedly supernatural cases just as Jakarta is rocked by a string of grisly ritualistic murders. Paragon describes the project as “combining the investigative intensity of a film like Seven with the atmospheric dread of The Wailing, blending procedural crime drama with occult horror in a uniquely Southeast Asian setting.”
Also on the Paragon’s slate is action thriller No Limit, again written and directed by Ronny with Bastian, Domani and Pevita Pearce (Sri Asih: The Warrior) heading the cast. The story follows a former black ops operative who gets dragged into the dark world of illegal gambling while trying to uncover the truth behind the deaths of his younger brother and his family, which local authorities have written off as a murder-suicide.
Paragon describes the project as a “high octane action thriller about grief, vengeance and the fight against a system built on addiction and despair”.
“Paragon Pictures has always been keen on genre films, particularly action and thrillers. We’ve been following the Korean film industry’s playbook – these are the two genres that propelled their industry to an international level,” Ronny told Deadline. “Now I think it’s time for the Indonesian film industry to step up its game and expand the market to Asia and the world.”
Ronny added that he’s come to Filmart to “find the right Hong Kong partner to help me create a solid action film – just like in Hong Kong’s golden heyday.”
Rounding out the slate is children’s fantasy adventure Oki & Nirmala starring Tissa Biana, known for her roles in Kamila Andini’s Cigarette Girl and record-breaking horror KKN Di Desa Penari. Directed by Hanung Bramantyo, the film tells the story of a teenage fairy, destined to become Queen of the Fairytale Kingdom, who must stop the Golden Tree from splitting open and unleashing a dark spirit.
Bramantyo has credits including The Secret Recipe, recent Rotterdam film festival title The Hole, 309 Days To The Bloodiest Tragedy and MD Entertainment’s upcoming remake of Majid Majidi’s Children Of Heaven.
No Limit is being lined up to start production in December 2026 for delivery next year, while Crimson Rain will start shooting mid-2027 for delivery in 2028. Oki & Nirmala is first off the blocks, starting production in August for delivery in March 2027.
Paragon made a splash in 2024 with its horror film Dominion Of Darkness, about two Christian priests performing exorcisms, which drew over 1.47 million admissions in Indonesia and was sold to 53 territories by Singapore-based Mokster Films. It’s now working on a sequel, again starring Lukman Sardi and Jerome Kurnia as the exorcism-performing priests, which Mokster Films is handling for international sales.