‘Canopy’ Director Aaron Wilson Brings Australia-Indonesia Romance to JAFF Future Project

Aaron Wilson, whose debut feature “Canopy” premiered at Toronto, has a new project selected for the JAFF Future Project with “Under the Banyan Moon,” a cross-cultural romance set between Australia and Indonesia.

The Australia-Indonesia co-production, directed and produced by Wilson alongside Michael McMahon through production company Left-Handed Productions, is among 10 Asia-Pacific titles selected for the JAFF Future Project at this year’s JAFF Market in Yogyakarta, Indonesia.

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“Under the Banyan Moon” follows Stella, a 33-year-old schoolteacher from Adelaide, who is blindsided when her fiancé confesses something that completely unravels the future she thought they were building together. Shaken, she ends their four-year relationship and her best friend does what best friends do and takes her on an impulsive escape to Bali.

A chance reconnection with her old university love, Elang, soon draws her onward to Yogyakarta — but instead of rekindling the past, Stella finds herself unexpectedly drawn to Aditya, Elang’s grounded and enigmatic best friend. As the two drift through the layered, vibrant world of Jogja, their quiet but undeniable connection forces them both to confront the difference between the comfort they’ve clung to and the courage to imagine a new kind of future.

“This story comes from a deeply personal place, and has been quietly brewing since my first feature, ‘Canopy,'” Wilson says. “The idea of a romance that bridges Australia and Indonesia, one as close neighbours, has grown out of my decades moving between Australia and Southeast Asia, shaped by the people I’ve met and the cultural textures and relationships that have stayed with me.”

As a director and writer, Wilson is drawn to the small human moments that reveal who people really are. “This film is about celebrating that connection, leaning into the differences that make us intriguing and the quiet threads that bind us in ways we don’t always realise,” he says.

Wilson wants to convey the universality of connection through a vibrant cross-cultural romance. “It’s essential that we see the story from two distinct points of view, two people from completely different worlds who change each other in ways they never expected,” he says. “We don’t fall in love because life is perfect, we fall in love because something breaks, and someone sees us clearly in the vulnerable space that opens up.”

Wilson also wants audiences to feel the color, rhythm, energy and majesty of Adelaide and Yogyakarta, not just as exquisite settings but as two layered emotional characters that have never truly been brought together on screen. “The film is grounded in quiet human moments, but it’s designed as a grand, global love story,” he says. “It should be one that speaks to the heart, celebrates cultural exchange, and reminds us that love, in all its forms, remains one of cinema’s most universal languages.”

Producer McMahon adds, “I was immediately struck by the work he had done in crafting a script that intimately explores the connections between Australia and Indonesia — and by his clear intention to partner with the right Indonesian creative collaborators for us to shape it further.”

McMahon emphasized the need for stronger cinematic collaboration between the two countries. “We are neighbours, yet our cinematic storytelling collaboration has remained limited,” he says. “It’s time for that to shift, and this cross-cultural love story between Stella and Aditya offers a genuine and compelling way forward.”

At JAFF Market, the filmmakers hope to connect with an Indonesian production company that’s excited to join them on the journey and help shape a film they believe will resonate with Indonesian, Australian and international audiences alike. “Attending JAFF Market to pitch ‘Under The Banyan Moon’ gives us a rare and valuable opportunity to engage with a wide cross-section of the Asian screen industry, but especially in Indonesia, where so much of the film is set and where its emotional heart lies,” the filmmakers say.

With sales agents, financiers and creative collaborators present, JAFF Market offers an ideal environment to build the partnerships that will carry the project forward. “It’s also exciting to be part of an initiative supported by key organisations in South Australia and Indonesia, that reflects a genuine commitment to strengthening creative ties between our two countries and the region,” they say.

The project is currently in development. JAFF Future Project functions as both a development platform and co-production hub, designed to advance independent works toward completion and distribution. The initiative runs Nov. 29-Dec. 1 at the Jogja Expo Center in Yogyakarta as part of the broader 20th-anniversary celebration of the Jogja-Netpac Asian Film Festival.

Wilson’s “Canopy” is a nearly wordless World War II survival drama set in the jungles of Singapore. The film competed at the Shanghai International Film Festival and screened at major festivals including Toronto, Busan, Rotterdam and Taipei. His second feature “Little Tornadoes,” co-written with acclaimed Australian author Christos Tsiolkas, won the ADG Award for Best Direction in a Narrative Feature Film (Budget Under $1 Million) in 2022.