Indonesian-Italian soccer drama Forza has locked international sales representation just as it gave buyers an early demand signal. EST N8 has acquired global sales rights to the film and will launch it at TIFFCOM, the Tokyo International Film Festival market, from Oct. 28 to 30. Before that, the film’s first public screening at Jakarta Film Week sold out both online ticket rounds inside five minutes.
The five-minute sellout
The screenings were set for CGV Grand Indonesia. For a first feature without an established franchise, the speed is the data point: local audiences did not wait for reviews or a wide campaign before committing.
That is exactly the kind of early proof an international sales agent can take into a market. Buyers are being asked to pre-buy rights long before a 2027 Indonesian theatrical release, so evidence of immediate demand matters.
What the film is selling
Forza is Marco Balsamo’s first feature as director. It follows Bima, an 11-year-old in Bali who sees professional football as his family’s way out. A bond with a former AC Milan player in the final stretch of his own career changes the calculation for both.
The cast includes newcomer Ghazi Alhabsyi, AC Milan icon Alessandro Costacurta, and Indonesian Film Festival winners Atiqah Hasiholan, Oka Antara and Tio Pakusadewo. Balsamo wrote the script and produced with Tara Sibel Demren through Riva Studios, which originated the project. Riva bought French animation house TeamTO in 2024; Forza is its first live-action feature.
Sophie Shi, head of studios at EST N8, framed the pitch around sport’s cross-border pull: “a family film told through the world’s most popular sport is built to travel.”
Where it sits in the market
EST N8 is bringing Forza to TIFFCOM alongside Thai horror title Tame, Manila-set crime thriller Jaguar, IFFR Big Screen Award winner Master, Annecy-selected Korean sci-fi animation Pilgrims and Japanese horror The Invisible Half. For buyers, the soccer drama is the family counter-programming in a genre-heavy slate.
- Both Jakarta online ticket rounds sold out inside five minutes.
- EST N8 has sold or distributed more than 60 titles across over 100 territories.
- Adhya Pictures holds the Indonesian theatrical release, set for 2027.
- EST N8’s catalog includes a Netflix global chart-topper and an Oscar-shortlisted title.
The company, formed from EST Studios and N8, has offices in Los Angeles and Bangkok. Its track record gives the film a sales infrastructure beyond a single market, but the Jakarta reaction gives the sales team something concrete to lead with: demand measured in minutes, not projections.
Source: Variety
