Adinia Wirasti as Nadia in Halfworlds
We have been super excited ever since we heard that Joko Anwar, one of Indonesia’s hottest and most talented film directors, was creating a TV series for HBO Asia. We’ve gotten some cool glimpses of the dark fantasy world that Anwar and his crew have created , but this weekend we finally got a real look at the show thanks to the release of a brand new trailer.
Halfworlds takes place in a supernatural version of Jakarta where mythological demons hide among us and everybody wears really stylish clothing. Here’s the full synopsis:
In the bustling streets and back alleys of 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.
Other things we learned from the trailer – in the show’s version of Jakarta, it’s almost always nighttime and everybody speaks English – a conceit we’re cool with if it means the show can reach a larger global audience.
And it looks like HBO is indeed intending for Halfworlds to reach the whole world. It will be premiering on HBO Asia on November 29, but even if you don’t have the channel (or don’t live in Asia) you can watch the debut episode streaming on Facebook shortly after it airs on TV. We can’t wait!
