Titik Dua to launch Ubud: Cinecurious with Independence Day film festival

Ubud — — A new film programme titled Ubud: Cinecurious is set to launch at Titik Dua Ubud with an inaugural one-day festival, Pesta Rakyat: Berkain & Bersinema, planned for Sunday, 17 August 2025 to coincide with Indonesia’s 80th Independence Day celebrations at the hotel in Peliatan, Ubud.

According to lifestyle magazine NOW! Bali, the programme is dedicated to the legacy of the late Indonesian film producer and festival curator John Badalu, who had been collaborating with Titik Dua on curating impactful cinema prior to his death. Culture site Written reports that Ubud: Cinecurious is conceived as a new film curation platform at the hotel, created to honour and continue Badalu’s work in Indonesian and Southeast Asian cinema.

The launch festival, Pesta Rakyat: Berkain & Bersinema — translated as People’s Party: Textiles and Cinema — is described as a full-day celebration combining film, art, food, music and Indonesian traditions. The public portion of the event is scheduled to run from 15:00 to 22:00 WITA, with free entry for general visitors. An exclusive, invitation-only film screening forms the centrepiece of the programme.

Film and discussion programme

The inaugural Ubud: Cinecurious screening features Before, Now & Then (Nana), a 2022 Indonesian period drama directed by Kamila Andini. The film has been recognised at international festivals including the Berlin International Film Festival and events in the Asia-Pacific region, and explores questions of women’s freedom in Indonesia in the late 1960s.

Following the screening, a panel discussion is planned with two women artists. NOW! Bali notes that the speakers include Vida Sylvia, the film’s art director and a Citra Award winner for production design, and Ayu Anantha Putri, a multidisciplinary artist known for work on women’s empowerment through traditional Balinese arts. The session is framed as an opportunity to reflect on gender, independence and cultural expression through cinema.

Programme details

Event listings published by NOW! Bali and other cultural calendars provide the following practical information for the launch of Ubud: Cinecurious:

• Date: Sunday, 17 August 2025
• Public hours: 15:00–22:00 WITA
• Venue: Titik Dua Ubud, Jl. Cok Rai Pudak No. 48, Peliatan, Ubud
• Entry: Free for the public festival
• Textile workshop: IDR 150,000, limited capacity, focusing on the art of kain wrapping with Manikan

The festival’s "Pasar Rakyat" market by Sore Sore will offer classic Indonesian food and artisanal crafts, with a special "Mega Mendung" cocktail served by Palapa Drinks at a pop-up bar. Traditional "lomba 17-an" Independence Day games will be hosted by Bagasi, and live music is scheduled from Monty Hasan and Erin Saab of Bebop Collective. The programme encourages attendees to wear kain, or Indonesian textile, as part of the celebration.

Cinema within Ubud’s cultural scene

Ubud: Cinecurious is presented as Titik Dua’s new audio-visual and film curation programme, adding cinema to the hotel’s existing role as a venue for exhibitions and cultural activities. The hotel has previously hosted design and art showcases and positions the new initiative as a way to connect Indonesian traditions with contemporary, forward-looking cultural expression.

General manager Fonny Makatita is cited by NOW! Bali as saying that the launch event aims to bridge heritage and modern creativity, linking the spirit of Independence Day to the work of independent voices such as John Badalu and Kamila Andini in Indonesian culture. The programme invites the public to engage with film alongside community-focused activities, with organisers encouraging audiences to follow the dedicated social media account @ubudcinecurious for updates on future screenings and events.

Sources

• NOW! Bali – Titik Dua Honours Film Legend John Badalu with Brand-New Film Programme ‘Ubud: Cinecurious’
• Written.id – Titik Dua Ubud Rayakan HUT RI ke-80 dengan Peluncuran “Ubud: Cinecurious”
• Trigon-film – Before, Now & Then
• Berlinale – Nana
• Paras – Cultural events in Bali and/or about Bali