Riva Studios' Soccer Drama 'Forza' to Open in Indonesia Late 2026, Global Rollout to Follow
Riva Studios will release its family sports drama Forza in Indonesian cinemas in late 2026, with an international rollout to follow in early 2027, according to Variety. A teaser has been released. The film is the first live-action feature from Riva Studios, a company co-founded in 2022 by Marco Balsamo and Tara Sibel Demren with bases in the United States, France and Italy.
Forza follows Bima, an 11-year-old boy from a struggling community in Bali who sees soccer as a way to help his family. A chance meeting with veteran player Marco Cagliostro — played by Balsamo, who also wrote and directed the film — sets Bima on a path toward a tryout with AC Milan's youth academy in Italy. Newcomer Ghazi Alhabsyi plays Bima, one of three first-time screen actors in the cast; Tara Sibel Demren and Lodovico Costacurta also make their acting debuts.
The Indonesian ensemble includes Atiqah Hasiholan, Oka Antara, Tio Pakusadewo, Rifnu Wikana, Yoriko Angeline, Arie Kriting and Ruth Marini. Former AC Milan and Italian national team defender Alessandro Costacurta appears in the film, bringing a direct link to the club at the story's centre. Music supervisor Nigil Mack assembled the soundtrack, drawing tracks from Coast Contra, Kamauu, Dev Lemons, Mayday and Indonesian artist Saykoji.
Balsamo's directorial debut was shot on location in Bali and Milan. Adhya Pictures will handle distribution in Indonesia.
The release strategy puts Forza into one of Southeast Asia's largest film markets. Indonesia's population tops 280 million, and the country logged about 126.2 million cinema admissions in 2024. Domestic Indonesian films accounted for 80.2 million of those admissions — 65% of the total, a record high. Yet the country has roughly 2,350 screens nationwide, a comparatively low figure that Riva Studios views as room for growth.
Riva Studios has been building across animation and live action. In December 2024 the company acquired TeamTO, a French studio counted among Europe's top animation houses. The executive team is led by Balsamo, Demren and Jay Oliva, with Demren serving as CEO, Riva Studios' website states.
For a first live-action feature, Forza is leaning into a structure that few independent productions attempt: a local-language story shot across two continents, anchored by a real football club's academy, and set for a home-market release before going wider. Whether the strategy pays off will depend on how Indonesian audiences respond when the film arrives late next year.
