EST N8 Closes Six-Title Americas Deal With DuBow Media, Led By Indonesian Hits ‘Janur Ireng’ & ‘Danur’ – AFM

EXCLUSIVE: Los Angeles-based financing, sales and distribution outfit EST N8 has closed a six-title deal with DuBow Media Distribution (DMD) for North and South America.

The deal, announced during AFM, is led by two of Indonesia’s biggest recent box office hits, both produced by MD Pictures: Janur Ireng: Sewu Dino The Prequel and Danur: The Last Chapter.

DMD takes all rights across the region including theatrical, home entertainment and digital, with releases rolling out across 2027.

Directed by Kimo Stamboel (The Queen Of Black Magic), Janur Ireng is the origin story behind his 2023 hit Sewu Dino, which topped Indonesia’s box office that year with 4.9 million admissions.

The prequel crossed 1 million admissions in its first 12 days and made its North American premiere at Fantastic Fest in Austin, giving U.S. genre audiences a first look ahead of its release with DMD.

Awi Suryadi’s Danur: The Last Chapter closes a franchise drawn from Risa Saraswati’s bestselling books, which has pulled in a combined 11 million admissions. The Last Chapter opened over this year’s Eid holiday and ranked as the country’s top-grossing release of the first half of 2026 with 3.62 million admissions.

Both films were produced by Manoj Punjabi, founder of MD Pictures, Indonesia’s largest film studio and the first listed on the Indonesia Stock Exchange. The studio’s hits also include KKN di Desa Penari, one of the highest-grossing Indonesian films of all time with more than 10 million admissions. EST N8 has also worked with the studio on recent titles Sugar Factory (Pabrik Gula), Sorop and Perewangan.

Rounding out the package with DuBow Media are Hanung Bramantyo’s occult thriller The Hole, which premiered at International Film Festival Rotterdam; Busan selection Dear Stranger, a New York-set drama starring Hidetoshi Nishijima (Drive My Car) and Gwei Lun-Mei; Korean time-loop thriller 30 Minutes, directed by William Inhyuk Hyoung (Chabak), and Philippine folk horror The Caretakers, starring Iza Calzado and Dimples Romana.

Jan Paul Villanueva, EVP of acquisitions and global distribution at EST N8, brokered the deal alongside head of sales and U.S. distribution Cathy Ni and global sales and marketing executive Shams Pasha, with DMD’s VP of global sales, acquisitions and co-productions, Jonathan DuBow.

“Audiences are hungry for bold, original storytelling, and right now, Asia is producing some of the most exciting genre films in the world,” said Villanueva.

“This package pairs two of Indonesia’s biggest box office hits with standout titles from Japan, Korea, and the Philippines. We saw firsthand at Fantastic Fest how positively U.S. fans responded to Janur Ireng. We’re thrilled to partner with DMD to bring these films to North America and LATAM.”

DMD is run by Ken DuBow, whose has worked in distribution for four decades, including executive roles at MGM/UA, Disney and First Look Studios, and was also involved in the sale of Modern Entertainment’s 324-title library, including the Dirty Dancing and Halloween films, to Lionsgate.

Jonathan DuBow who joined DMD from Cinema Management Group, where he worked on titles including Loving Vincent, said: “We’re thrilled to take on this multi-title package from EST N8, led by two of Indonesia’s biggest box office hits and rounded out by films with real range from across Asia. We’re excited to bring them to audiences across the Americas, and we look forward to being first in line for whatever EST N8 brings next.”

Manoj Punjabi said: “We are proud to see Indonesian films reaching wider audiences across the Americas. The success of Janur Ireng and Danur: The Last Chapter reflects the strength of our local stories and the growing appetite for Indonesian cinema beyond our borders.

“At MD Pictures, we believe great stories transcend language and culture. This partnership with EST N8 and DuBow Media is another important step in bringing Indonesian storytelling to the world, and we look forward to building more opportunities for our films in the international market.”

EST N8 previously sold Sugar Factory and Perewangan to Shudder. The company’s current slate also includes Marco Balsamo’s Bali-set football drama Forza, J-horror The Invisible Half, Manila crime thriller Jaguar, Thai horror TAME and Annecy-selected animation Pilgrims.