Indonesian producer, programmer and publicist John Badalu has died at his home in Bali, Indonesia, at the age of 53.
A leading figure in Southeast Asian cinema, Badalu was renowned for his work supporting representation of LGBTQ+ and other minority groups in Southeast Asia. His films have premiered at festivals including Cannes, Berlin, Sundance, Locarno, Rotterdam, IDFA and Busan, among others.
Born in Makassar on the Indonesian island of Sulawesi, Badalu’s experiences as a member of multiple minority groups, including ethnic Chinese, Buddhist and gay, shaped his work as an advocate for inclusivity and representation.
His work as a producer includes Thai filmmaker Anucha Boonyawatana’s Malila: The Farewell Flower (2017), a story about former gay lovers reconciling the past that won the Kim Jiseok Award at Busan International Film Festival; and Indonesian director Razka Robby Ertanto’s Ave Maryam (2018), centered on the Christian community in Indonesia.
Badalu also collaborated with other internationally known Indonesian filmmakers such as Mouly Surya on What They Don’t Talk About When They Talk About Love (2013) and Putrama Tuta on films including Everyday Is A Lullaby (2020).
In recent years, Badalu had been focusing on producing short films from new talents including Khozy Rizal’s Basri & Salma in a Never-Ending Comedy, which was the first Indonesian film to compete for the Short Film Palme d’Or at Cannes film festival in 2023. Other recent shorts include Rizal’s Makassar Is A City For Football Fans and Nirartha Bas Diwangkara’s Where The Wild Frangipanis Grow.
He also worked as a programmer and delegate for festivals including Berlinale, Sheffield Doc Fest, Shanghai, Tallinn Black Nights and Busan. In 2022, he spearheaded programming at the Bali Makarya Film Festival, an event that introduced Southeast Asian cinema to local audiences and international guests.
In 2002, Badalu founded the Q! Film Festival, Indonesia’s first ever LGBTQ+ film festival, which took place annually until 2017. Launched in Jakarta, the festival expanded to several cities and became an essential platform for queer cinema in Indonesia where such themes are often marginalized.
Ashoka, an international organization supporting social entrepreneurs, identifies Q! Film Festival as a leading force for social change and adds: “Further, John has made good use of the publicity he has garnered with the Festival to gain influence in policy circles. He and a group of Q-munity volunteers successfully lobbied the Indonesian National Commission on Human Rights to include sexual minorities among the groups they support.”
His friends in Bali shared this message:
With heavy hearts, we share the passing of our beloved son, brother, and friend, John Badalu, on Wednesday, May 21, 2025.
He is currently resting at: RSUP Sanglah Funeral Home, Denpasar, Visitation is welcome until Thursday, May 22. Cremation will take place on: Friday, May 23, 10:00 AM (WITA) at Mumbul Crematorium, Jimbaran.
Your love, prayers, and presence mean the world to us.
Thank you for being part of John’s life.
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