Bandit wins top prize at Dances With Films

The Indonesian action thriller Bandit took the grand jury prize at Dances With Films at the TCL Chinese Theatre in Los Angeles, a win its backers call a historic breakthrough for Indonesian cinema. The film’s victory caps a high-profile festival run and sets up another action feature from the same Bali-based team.

Why it matters: - Bandit won the top prize at Dances With Films in an open field of 279 films, giving an Indonesian production a major U.S. festival victory outside a language- or genre-specific category. - The win strengthens Bali’s push as a base for international filmmaking and gives Adaptif Films and Viking Sunset Studios a global calling card. - The result could open more doors for Indonesian action films and regional production partnerships on the international circuit.

What happened: - Bandit captured the festival’s grand jury prize at the TCL Chinese Theatre in Los Angeles on July 1, 2026. - Director Brian L. Tan accepted the honor on his birthday. - The premiere drew a packed Hollywood audience and a standing ovation. - The screening also drew Indonesian diplomatic guests, including Consul General Purnomo A. Chandra and Consul for Creative Economy Affairs Charles Ferdinand Hutapea.

The details: - Adaptif Films and Bali-based Viking Sunset Studios produced Bandit. - The film was selected from 279 total entries in the Dances With Films lineup. - Bandit is being positioned by its backers as a “Balifornian” production that blends Hollywood-style action with Indonesian talent. - Viking Sunset Studios says Bandit was one of five feature films the company shot last year. - The studio also shot a wartime feature in parallel with Bandit, and that film is headed to global streaming platforms. - The cast includes Wafda Saifan, Roy Sungkono, Teuku Rifnu Wikana, Kiki Narendra, Mike Lucock and Bukie Mansyur. - Viking Sunset Studios says the film’s visual work was led by director of photography Austin Ahlbrog and refined through color grading in Los Angeles. - The studio says it is based in Bali and offers a 10,000-square-foot Green Screen Limbo, beachfront backdrops, global distribution support, major regional investment services and zero-crew-movement production models. - Adaptif Films focuses on developing Indonesian stories with global appeal and international co-productions.

Between the lines: - The festival win is being used as proof that Indonesian genre filmmaking can compete in mainstream U.S. festival spaces, not just in niche international categories. - The presence of Indonesian consular officials underscores the cultural-diplomacy value attached to the film’s reception. - Bo H. Holmgreen, Viking Sunset Studios’ CEO and founder, said the audience response at the TCL Chinese Theatre convinced him the film could travel globally. - Holmgreen also said Bali can become a premier hub for international moviemaking if the region pairs strong facilities with strong storytelling. - Brian L. Tan said the award belongs to the “unseen, unsung, and underdog heroes” who helped make the film.

What's next: - Viking Sunset Studios says it is expanding its feature slate beyond the five films shot last year. - The company plans to reunite with Tan for another high-octane action feature in a few months. - The team is betting the Bandit win will help accelerate future international collaborations and distribution interest.

The bottom line: - Bandit did more than win a festival trophy. It gave Indonesian action cinema a high-profile U.S. breakthrough and a clearer path to the global market.