Viking Sunset Studios-backed crime thriller, directed by Brian L. Tan, takes the top prize at the 29th Annual Dances With Films LA Film Festival at TCL Chinese Theatre, Hollywood
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, June 2026
Viking Sunset Studios, Bali’s premier international film production hub, is proud to announce that Bandit, the Indonesian crime thriller directed by Brian L. Tan and backed by Viking Sunset Studios, has won the Grand Jury Prize at the 29th Annual Dances With Films LA Film Festival. The award was presented at the festival’s closing night ceremony at the historic TCL Chinese Theatres in Hollywood, marking what is believed to be the highest honor ever given to an Indonesian film at an international festival of this stature.
Bandit had its World Premiere at the festival on June 26, following a sold-out special screening at the Bali International Film Festival (Balinale) earlier in the month that drew overflow crowds, with audience members sitting on the floor to watch. The film went on to win the festival’s top narrative prize just two days later.
A Historic Night for Indonesian Cinema
Dances With Films LA is Los Angeles’ largest indie film-focused festival and one of the most respected discovery platforms for independent filmmaking in the United States, with a 29-year history of launching the careers of filmmakers and actors who go on to define the industry. The Grand Jury Prize is the festival’s top narrative honor, awarded by a jury of industry professionals to the film judged the strongest in the entire feature lineup.
For an Indonesia/USA co-production to win that prize, against a competitive field of 41 narrative features from filmmakers across the United States and around the world, is an extraordinary result. It places Bandit and director Brian L. Tan firmly in the international conversation about where the next generation of genre filmmaking is coming from.
Statement from Viking Sunset Studios
“Tonight we got maybe the highest award ever given to an Indonesian film. Many films have won various categories at film festivals, but tonight Bandit received the highest honor. We won the Dances With Films Grand Jury Prize. It has been an amazing evening and of course puts the film Bandit, the director Brian, and all of us at Viking Sunset Studios up in bright lights. This is a really big achievement, and I want everyone to join me in being proud of everybody in that room tonight.”
Bo H. Holmgreen, Founder and CEO, Viking Sunset Studios, speaking from Los Angeles following the win
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.
From Bali to Hollywood, In Three Weeks
Bandit‘s journey from a sold-out, overflow screening in Bali to winning the top prize at one of Hollywood’s most respected independent festivals took place over the course of a single month. It is a trajectory that speaks directly to the growing international confidence of Indonesian cinema, and to the creative instincts of director Brian L. Tan, whose debut feature has now been formally recognised as one of the strongest films at Dances With Films LA in 2026.
About Viking Sunset Studios
Viking Sunset Studios is Bali’s premier full-service film production partner, headquartered at Beraban Beach, Tabanan, Bali, with offices in Sanur, Denpasar, and North Carolina, USA. The studio operates Southeast Asia’s largest indoor green screen soundstage alongside a one-hectare beachfront backlot. Recent investments include The Pirate Queen: No Safe Waters, selected for the Cannes Film Festival Immersive Competition 2026, and Bandit, now a Grand Jury Prize winner at Dances With Films LA. For more information, visit www.vikingsunsetstudios.com.
Media Contact
Viking Sunset Studios
Tabanan Campus: Beraban Beach, Selemadeg Timur, Tabanan, Bali 82162
Sanur Office: Jl. Danau Tamblingan No. 53, Sanur, Denpasar, Bali 80228
Phone / WhatsApp: +62 819 9111 4445
Email: info@vikingsunsetstudios.com
