Exclusive: Mandela Pictures and Desert Bloom Join Forces for Four-Film Collaboration

Indonesian production company Mandela Pictures and Korea-Los Angeles-based Desert Bloom Pictures have announced a four-film development collaboration at the JAFF Market in Yogyakarta. This agreement creates a strategic framework to connect the Indonesian, Korean, and Hollywood film markets, leveraging Desert Blooms success in Korean blockbusters alongside Mandelas intellectual property portfolio and influence in Southeast Asias largest cinema market.

Desert Bloom Pictures, led by Jennice Lee, Hugh Cha, and Park Hyoungjin, brings extensive experience from Korean box office hits such as Exhuma and Along With the Gods, as well as work at Studio Dragon, Dexter Studios, and Lotte Cultureworks. The Seoul-Los Angeles-based company specializes in creating content designed to resonate with both Asian and American audiences.

Mandela Pictures, operated by the Samtani brothers Manoj, Deepak, and Lavesh is based in Jakarta and continues to expand its genre and commercial slate, building on its existing film library and strong theatrical and streaming presence in Indonesia.

Four-Film Slate Details

• Ugly Duckling (working title): An Indonesia-Korea co-production, this dramedy explores identity, image, and reinvention in the era of social media, aimed at Indonesian audiences.
• Two Indonesia-set features will adapt existing U.S. or Korean intellectual property, reimagining these stories with local settings and cultural elements.
• An untitled Korean horror film under Mandelas new genre label BN13, intended primarily for Korean theatrical release and international genre buyers.

We wanted more than a single co-production we aimed to build a complete slate, said Lavesh Samtani, COO of Mandela Pictures. Starting with Ugly Duckling and a key horror project from our genre label, our vision is to develop Indonesian-rooted stories that feel authentic in Jakarta, Seoul, and Los Angeles.

Jennice Lee, CEO of Desert Bloom Pictures, added, Indonesia is an exciting growth market. By combining Mandelas local expertise and IP with our Korean and Hollywood networks, we see a chance to create a sustainable, cross-border studio ecosystem.

Talent Exchange and Development Plans

The collaboration also includes a talent exchange initiative, inviting Korean writers, directors, and creative executives to work with Indonesian teams in writers rooms and on set, while providing opportunities for Indonesian talent to participate in Korean and hybrid productions.

Details on casting, creative development, and production timelines will be shared as each project progresses through development stages.

Author: Sophia Brooks