John Badalu

In 2000, he worked with British Council and Goethe-Institut to coordinate cultural film festivals and became a freelance journalist and film critic. He founded the Q-Munity in 2001, an organization that began as a group of ethnic Chinese Indonesians interested in contemporary Chinese cinema. A year later, the organization initially aimed to launch a festival of Chinese films. They eventually staged the Q! Film Festival, a festival featuring films that dealt with issues of sexuality, where he served as festival director.^[2] The festival ran for fifteen years, ending with its disbandment in 2017.

In 2006, he served as a jury for the Teddy Award, an award presented at the 56th Berlin International Film Festival.^[3] He was awarded the Ashoka Fellowship in 2008 in recognition of his advocacy for LGBTQ+ communities through film.^[4] Throughout the 2000s and 2010s, he served as a festival delegate at several film festivals, including Berlin International Film Festival, Shanghai International Film Festival, Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival, and Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival, scouting Southeast Asian films.^[5]

In 2012, he produced Paul Agusta's queer drama film Parts of the Heart, which premiered at the International Film Festival Rotterdam.^[6] In 2013, he co-produced Mouly Surya's What They Don't Talk About When They Talk About Love. The film had its world premiere at the 2013 Sundance Film Festival.^[7] He served as a jury of BIFF Mecenat Award at the 18th Busan International Film Festival.^[8] In 2014, he served as an associate producer of Lucky Kuswandi's directorial debut film In the Absence of the Sun, which had its world premiere at the 27th Tokyo International Film Festival.^[9]

In 2017, he produced Thai romantic drama film, Malila: The Farewell Flower by Anucha Boonyawatana, which won the Kim Jiseok Award at the 22nd Busan International Film Festival.^[10] In 2023, he produced Khozy Rizal's short film, Basri & Salma in a Never-Ending Comedy, being the first Indonesian short film to compete for the Short Film Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival.^[11] At the 2024 Indonesian Film Festival, he won two Citra Awards for producing Under the Moonlight and My Therapist Said, I Am Full of Sadness, which won the Best Documentary Feature and Best Documentary Short Film, respectively.^[12]

He died at his home in Bali, Indonesia, on 21 May 2025.^[13]

Badalu was a producer in all films unless otherwise noted.

Feature films

Short films