Antara News·Indonesia·Friday, September 18, 2026 at 12:24 PM

Yogyakarta uses film festival to engage youth with cultural heritage

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Bayu Prasetyo

Yogyakarta (ANTARA) - Yogyakarta is using the Kotabaru Heritage Film Festival (KHFF) to introduce cultural heritage to the public, particularly young people, through film and youth creativity.

“We want to show that cultural heritage still has a place amid the creativity of young people through the festival,” Yogyakarta Culture Office Head Yetti Martanti said here Friday.

KHFF 2026, held from September 17 to 19, carries the curatorial theme “Reinterpreting Heritage: Film as a Space for Cultural Criticism and Negotiation.”

“The KHFF 2026 aims to encourage the public to view cultural heritage critically, contextually, and inclusively,” Martanti said.

The festival is being held at two venues in Kotabaru, Terban Market and the National Industrial Design Center (PDIN), and received 184 film submissions.

Martanti said the figure was the highest in KHFF’s four-year history and that the submissions were later curated for the festival’s competition program.

“When given the right space and approach, history, identity, and people’s lives can become a rich source of stories for filmmakers,” she said.

Yogyakarta Deputy Mayor Wawan Harmawan said KHFF 2026 offers an engaging way to introduce cultural heritage through film and youth creativity.

One festival highlight is the Becak Drive-In Cinema, where audiences watch films from traditional or electric three-wheeled pedicabs while touring the Kotabaru area.

“People usually go to a cinema just to sit and watch the screen. At KHFF 2026, the becak serves as the seat and takes audiences on a tour before the screening,” he said.

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