The 11th Jakarta International Film Festival was a film festival held in Jakarta, Indonesia, from 4 to 12 December 2009.
The 11th edition of the Jakarta International Film Festival was held from 4 to 12 December 2009.
Riri Riza's Sang Pemimpi marks the first Indonesian film to open the festival. The festival was closed by anthology film New York, I Love You. A total of 114 films from 24 countries were screened during the festival.
The festival collaborated with Madani Film Festival to showcase Islamic-themed films.
The film Balibo, directed by Australian director Robert Connolly, about a group of Australian and British journalists known as the Balibo Five who were killed by Indonesian forces ahead of the invasion of East Timor, was to have premiered at the festival. However, in advance of a private screening, the film was banned by the Indonesian Film Censorship Agency. Indonesian Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa said the ban was to avoid a negative "global perception of Indonesia". The Indonesian military supported the ban, with a spokesman saying the film could harm Indonesia's relations with Timor Leste and Australia. He also repeated the official version of events, namely that the journalists were killed in a crossfire, and not by Indonesian troops.
Lembaga Sensor Film (Film Censorship Board) banned the screenings of Balibo, a film about the Balibo Five, a group of journalists who were captured and killed while reporting on activities just prior to the Indonesian invasion of East Timor of 1975. The head of LSF, Muchlis Paeni, stated that the film discredited Indonesia.