Joko Anwar Directing 8-Part Fantasy Series HALFWORLDS For HBO Asia

James Marsh, Editor, Asia; Hong Kong, China (@Marshy00)

May 26 2015, 2:00 AM

HBO Asia has announced that Indonesian director Joko Anwar will helm the 8-part original series Halfworlds for the company. The thriller, set in present day Jakarta, is "a fantastical tale of love, redemption and betrayal...about a young street artist who uncovers her true origins when she finds herself unwittingly caught in a battle between humans and demons." Anwar is a long-time favourite of ScreenAnarchy's and has previously directed such films as Pintu Terlarang (aka The Forbidden Door) and Modus Anomali (aka Ritual). Anwar also wrote the series together with Collin Chang.

The show, which begins shooting its eight one-hour episodes this week, stars Salvita Decorte in the lead, and features a host of familiar faces for fans of recent Indonesian hits like The Raid, including Arifin Putra (The Raid 2; Macabre), Reza Rahadian (Habibie & Ainun; Guru Bangsa: Tjokroaminoto), Aimee Saras (Musical Onrop), Adinia Wirasti (Tentang Dia; Laura & Marsha), Hannah Al-Rashid (Ritual; V/H/S/2); Tara Basro (Catatan (Harian) Si Boy; Pendekar Tongkat Emas), Alex Abbad (The Raid 2), Ario Bayu (Soekarno; HBO Asia's Serangoon Road), and Verdi Solaiman (The Raid; Java Heat); as well as Singaporean Nathan Hartono (Musical Spring Awakening) and Malaysian Bront Palarae (Terbaik Dari Langit; Psiko: Si Pencuri Hati). The series will also feature 8-year old Malaysian Puteri Balqis (Balqis), who won best actress at the 2014 Asian Television Awards.