In the bustling streets and back alleys of present day Jakarta, a parallel world of bloodthirsty creatures from Indonesian mythology has lived alongside humans for generations. Taking on the appearance of humans themselves, the true identity of these “Demit” has been carefully concealed for centuries by a powerful family of mortals. The arrival of a mysterious supernatural event known only as the “Gift” will bring this hidden world to the surface.
As the day of the Gift approaches, a young street artist called Sarah unexpectedly finds herself in the eye of the storm. Once the Demit realise who Sarah really is, and what she must do, humans and Demit are set on a collision course that could change the balance of their two worlds forever.
This is the premise of the “HALFWORLDS” HBO Asia (@HBOAsia) has created, revealed today by the director, executive producer and cast of the eight-part half-hour dark fantasy series.
Says Jonathan Spink, CEO of HBO Asia, “HALFWORLDS has been created with the scale to travel. This echoes HBO Asia’s collaborative commitment with creative talents across our region to develop premium Asian entertainment for regional audiences with an appetite for cinematic TV with a unique local identity.”
Created and conceptualised by HBO Asia and directed by Joko Anwar (Kala; Ritual), HALFWORLDS was written by Collin Chang and Joko Anwar, and shot in Batam and Jakarta, Indonesia.
Visually stunning, HALFWORLDS combines live action with graphic animation. Every episode opens with a unique animated segment which highlights the series mythology and backstory. Music plays an integral role in the identity of the series, which features an original soundtrack, including the music of Indonesian indie rock band, Negative Lovers, and original tracks recorded by Nathan Hartono, who plays Coki in the series.
HALFWORLDS stars newcomer Salvita Decorte as Sarah; Arifin Putra (The Raid 2); Reza Rahadian (Habibie & Ainun); Tara Basro (Catatan (Harian) Si Boy); Ario Bayu (HBO Asia’s Serangoon Road); Bront Palarae (Terbaik Dari Langit); Alex Abbad (The Raid 2); Adinia Wirasti (Tentang Dia); Hannah Al-Rashid (Ritual); Verdi Solaiman (The Raid); Cornelio Sunny (Another Trip to the Moon); and singer-songwriters, Nathan Hartono (Musical Spring Awakening) and Aimee Saras (Musical Onrop). Eight year-old Puteri Balqis (Best Actress, 2014 Asian Television Awards) guest stars.
HALFWORLDS (#HALFWORLDS), premieres this November 29, at 10pm (9pm Thai.Jkt) on HBO. New episodes premiere every Sundayat the same time on the channel. Also available on HBO GO and HBO On Demand (available in selected territories).
Non-subscribers can watch the first episode of HALFWORLDS for free on November 29, immediately after its HBO premiere on Facebook(www.facebook.com/HalfworldsHBO).
Episode 1: Premieres Sunday, November 29 at 10pm (9pm Thai.Jkt) on HBO
Primetime encores on HBO: December 1 at 10.30pm (9.30pm Thai.Jkt); December 2 at 10pm (9pm Thai.Jkt); December 5 at 11.10pm (10.10pm Thai.Jkt)
A street artist finds herself caught between two worlds. Little does she know her life is about to take an unexpected twist.
Episode 2: Premieres Sunday, December 6 at 10pm (9pm Thai.Jkt) on HBO.
Primetime encores on HBO: December 8 at 11.15pm (10.15pm Thai.Jkt); December 9 at 10pm (9pm Thai.Jkt); December 12 at 10.55pm (9.55pm)