Garin Nugroho's Red Before Dawn Gets Its Review After Tokyo Premiere

Garin Nugroho's historical drama Red Before Dawn, known in Indonesia as Merah Sebelum Fajar, has received a review from The Hollywood Reporter, published on 3 November 2026. The film had already premiered in competition at the Tokyo Film Festival, where it was part of the 39th edition.

The story is set in 1946, while Indonesia is fighting its war of independence. Its characters travel from Jakarta to Yogyakarta, and the film runs 1 hour 53 minutes. Nugroho directed and produced it, and wrote the screenplay with Dirmawan Hatta.

The cast is led by Nicholas Saputra and Laura Basuki. Bront Palarae, Tissa Biani, Nagra Pakesadewo and Mariska Setiawan also appear.

Tokyo gave the film one of its biggest stages. Variety named Nugroho among the directors competing at the festival, alongside Lisandro Alonso and Milcho Manchevski. Variety reported that the lineup was set on 1 October.

Nugroho also came to Tokyo with the cast and crew. Variety reported his appearance with the Red Before Dawn team in late October.

ScreenDaily also reviewed the film, calling it a period piece about the years after independence. ScreenDaily published its notice on 30 October.

A festival slot matters for a film's future. Sales agents and buyers attend festivals such as Tokyo, Cannes and Toronto to decide which films reach cinemas and streaming services later on. For a historical drama from Indonesia, a competition premiere in Tokyo puts the film in front of exactly those people.

For now, the film's path beyond the festival has not been announced.