An Indonesia/USA co-production directed by Brian L. Tan. A World Premiere at TCL Chinese Theatre in Hollywood. And another step in Viking Sunset Studios’ commitment to bold, independent filmmaking.
Viking Sunset Studios is proud to announce its investment in Bandit, an Indonesia/USA co-production written and directed by Brian L. Tan. The film has been selected for its World Premiere at the 29th Annual Dances With Films LA Film Festival, running June 18 to 28, 2026 at the iconic TCL Chinese Theatre in the heart of Hollywood.
For a film that bridges Indonesia and the United States both in its production and in its story, there is something fitting about its world premiere taking place on one of Hollywood’s most storied screens. Dances With Films is the right stage for it.
About Dances With Films LA
Now in its 29th year, Dances With Films LA has built one of the most distinctive reputations in the independent film festival circuit. It is Los Angeles’ largest indie film-focused festival and consistently features more world premieres than any other festival in the city. Its founding mission has not changed: to champion filmmakers working outside the traditional studio system, without the backing of major budgets, making work that would not exist if it depended on conventional industry gatekeepers.
This year’s lineup includes 279 films across narrative features, documentaries, midnight programming, television and streaming pilots, and short films, with 36 feature-length world premieres. Bandit sits among the narrative feature world premieres, a film running 109 minutes that represents exactly the kind of independent, internationally minded work the festival was built to celebrate.
An Indonesia/USA Co-Production
Bandit is an Indonesia/USA co-production, a creative partnership between two film industries that are both, in their own ways, at genuinely interesting moments. Indonesian cinema has spent the past several years building real confidence in its own storytelling voice, claiming a 67 percent share of its domestic box office and earning the attention of global platforms and international festivals alike. American independent cinema, as represented by festivals like Dances With Films, continues to be the proving ground where the next generation of filmmakers finds its audience.
A film that sits at the intersection of both traditions, made by a filmmaker working across those two creative cultures, carries something that neither could produce alone. That is part of what drew Viking Sunset Studios to this project.
Why Viking Sunset Studios Invested
The investment in Bandit is consistent with how Viking Sunset Studios approaches the projects it backs: with a clear eye on creative ambition, storytelling integrity, and the potential for a film to travel beyond its immediate market and find a genuinely international audience.
Independent film at its best does something that studio productions rarely attempt. It takes real creative risks, tells stories that the mainstream would consider too specific or too uncomfortable, and trusts its audience to meet it where it is. Brian L. Tan’s track record as a filmmaker and the ambition visible in this project are exactly what Viking Sunset Studios looks for when it decides to put its name behind something.
A World Premiere at Dances With Films, at TCL Chinese Theatre, in front of the festival audience that has been discovering independent cinema for nearly three decades, is the right beginning for this film.
What This Means for Indonesian Cinema Internationally
Every Indonesian film that premieres at a respected international festival moves the needle, however slightly, on the global conversation about what Indonesian cinema is capable of. Bandit is not simply an Indonesian film screening in America. It is an Indonesia/USA co-production having its world premiere in Hollywood, the result of a creative and commercial partnership that treats both countries as equals in the collaboration.
That kind of international co-production is part of the broader story Viking Sunset Studios is actively trying to help write. Bali and Indonesia have the locations, the talent, the infrastructure, and increasingly the creative confidence to be genuine partners in international filmmaking rather than simply service providers or exotic backdrops. Bandit is one more piece of evidence for that argument.
See Bandit at Dances With Films LA 2026
Bandit has its World Premiere at the 29th Annual Dances With Films LA Film Festival, June 18 to 28, 2026, at TCL Chinese Theatre, 6925 Hollywood Blvd, Hollywood, California. Tickets and screening schedule are available at the Dances With Films website.
Bring Your Next Production to Bali
Located in Tabanan, Bali, Viking Sunset Studios is an international creative production hub offering world-class facilities for film, commercial, and content production. From our soundproof green screen studio and professional equipment to stunning natural backdrops including beach, rice terraces, jungle, cave and temple, everything you need is in one place.
Whether you are scouting for a film studio in Bali, looking for a production partner in Southeast Asia, or searching for locations for movies filmed in Bali, we would love to hear about your project.
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