Joko Anwar is one of the most respected auteurs of his generation. The Medan-born is known for his eccentric style in movies like Kala (2007), Pintu Terlarang (2009), Modus Anomali (2012), and Pengabdi Setan (2017). When he was still a journalist at Jakarta Post, Joko met movie director Nia Dinata who became interested in his writing. She asked Joko to co-write her urban-themed movie Arisan!, which earned a nomination for Best Screenplay at the 2004 Citra Award and won many awards. Joko then began his directorial debut in 2005 with Nia as the producer for Janji Joni. The movie successfully became a box office hit, garnered nine nominations at the 2005 Citra Award and propelled Joko into mainstream success. Today, Joko has won substantial acknowledgements from his home country and international audience, like the Citra Award for Best Director in 2015 for A Copy of My Mind and in 2020 for Perempuan Tanah Jahanam. The former title was the only Southeast Asian screened at the 2015 Venice International Film Festival, while the latter was Indonesia's official submission for the 2021 Academy Awards.