Bandit Wins Best Cinematography – Feature at the 2026 Catalina Film Festival, Following Its Grand Jury Prize in Hollywood

Viking Sunset Studios, Bali’s premier international film production hub, is proud to announce that Bandit, the Indonesian crime film directed by Brian L. Tan and backed by Viking Sunset Studios, has been named a winner in the Best Cinematography – Feature category at the 2026 Catalina Film Festival. The film is listed as an Official Winner 2026 on the festival’s official winners page.

The Latest Win for Bandit

The Catalina win adds to the awards Bandit has collected on California’s festival circuit in 2026, from the Grand Jury Prize in Hollywood to Best Foreign Film in Burbank. At Catalina, the recognition goes to the film’s visual side. The Best Cinematography – Feature category spotlights a film’s imagery, and for a feature shot entirely on location in Bali, the win sits naturally alongside the moody, atmospheric tone that the studio uses to describe the film.

About the Catalina Film Festival

The 16th annual Catalina Film Festival took place September 25–27, 2026, in Avalon, on Santa Catalina Island, California, bringing filmmakers, actors, industry guests, and audiences together for screenings, red-carpet events, conversations, and an awards ceremony and closing night at the Avalon Theatre. The festival is presented by the Catalina Film Festival & Institute, and its 2026 winners are published on the festival’s official website.

About the Film

Bandit follows two friends with a checkered past who steal an abandoned Mercedes G-Wagon for a quick score, only to discover a dead body in the trunk, and the people who put it there are not finished with the car. Shot entirely on location in Bali, the film takes its two leads through a side of the island rarely seen by international audiences: an overnight odyssey through Bali’s criminal underworld built on themes of brotherhood, desperation, and survival.

On the studio’s official film page, Bandit is described as a 2026 crime drama feature that embraces a moody, atmospheric tone to heighten suspense and emotional pressure. The story is grounded in realism and focuses on ordinary people pushed into extraordinary, life-threatening circumstances, exploring loyalty, desperation, and survival.

The Main Cast Includes

• Wafda Saifan as Gatra
• Roy Sungkono as Tiar
• Claresta Taufan as Maya
• Rifnu Wikana as Beni
• Bukie B Mansyur as Hamdan
• Kiki Narendra as Suroto

The film’s cinematographer is credited as Austin Ahlborg in the festival catalog of the Jogja-NETPAC Asian Film Festival, where Bandit had its Indonesian premiere on December 2, 2025.

Awards and Achievements: What Bandit Has Won So Far

Within a year of its Indonesian premiere, Bandit has collected three festival awards in California. The most recent, and the one at the heart of this announcement, is Best Cinematography – Feature at the 2026 Catalina Film Festival, where the film is named Official Winner 2026 on the festival’s official winners page. The award is recorded under the film’s title.

Before Catalina, Bandit took the Grand Jury Prize at the 29th Annual Dances With Films LA Film Festival, the festival’s top narrative honor, awarded by a jury of industry professionals to the strongest film in the lineup. The win came just two days after the film’s World Premiere on June 26 at the TCL Chinese Theatres in Hollywood, in a field of 41 narrative features. The festival’s winners list, as reported by Deadline, records it as the Grand Jury Prize for Best Narrative Feature.

In August, the film played the Burbank International Film Festival, which ran August 2–8, 2026, with a screening on August 5 at AMC Burbank 16. According to the Viking Sunset Studios press release, Bandit won Best Foreign Film there.

Beyond the trophies, the film’s run has been marked by milestones of its own. Bandit had its Indonesian premiere at the Jogja-NETPAC Asian Film Festival, drew a sold-out special screening at the Bali International Film Festival (Balinale), where audience members sat on the floor, and has since been presented at the Dili International Film Festival. This included an open-air screening at the beachside cinema in Metiaut, with director Brian L. Tan present. The film has also drawn coverage from film outlets such as Film Threat and The Hollywood Times.

Bali on Screen: The Journey So Far

The journey of Bandit began in Bali and quickly carried it to festival stages far from the island where it was made. After its Indonesian premiere at the Jogja-NETPAC Asian Film Festival on December 2, 2025, the film returned to Bali in early June 2026 for a special screening at the Bali International Film Festival (Balinale), where the crowd overflowed so much that some audience members sat on the floor.

A few weeks later, on June 26, Bandit had its World Premiere at Dances With Films LA, at the TCL Chinese Theatres in Hollywood. Two days later, it took home the Grand Jury Prize, the festival’s top narrative honor, in a field of 41 narrative features.

From Hollywood, the route continued to Burbank in August, and then to Catalina Island, where the 16th Catalina Film Festival, held September 25–27, 2026, named Bandit an Official Winner for Best Cinematography – Feature. The film is now also being presented at the Dili International Film Festival alongside Semusim, extending its route from Bali to Hollywood, Burbank, Catalina, and Timor-Leste, all in under a year since its festival debut.

Viking Sunset Studios lists Bandit among its recent investments, alongside The Pirate Queen: No Safe Waters, selected for the Cannes Film Festival Immersive Competition 2026. The studio’s Our Work page also features its 2026 slate, including Semusim, Black Dragon, and The Ghost and The Gun.

Frequently Asked Questions

What award did Bandit win at the 2026 Catalina Film Festival?

Bandit is listed as an Official Winner 2026 in the Best Cinematography – Feature category on the festival’s official winners page. The award is recorded under the film’s title, and it adds to the Grand Jury Prize the film won earlier at Dances With Films LA.

Who directed Bandit?

Bandit was directed by Brian L. Tan, also known as “BLT”, and is backed by Viking Sunset Studios.

Where was Bandit filmed?

Bandit was filmed entirely on location in Bali, Indonesia. The film takes its two leads on an overnight journey through Bali’s criminal underworld, a side of the island rarely seen by international audiences.

What other major awards has Bandit won?

Bandit won the Grand Jury Prize at the 29th Annual Dances With Films LA Film Festival at the TCL Chinese Theatres in Hollywood, after having its World Premiere at the same festival. According to Viking Sunset Studios, it also won Best Foreign Film at the 2026 Burbank International Film Festival.

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