Jakarta: Today Viu announces the production kick off of the latest Indonesian Viu Original Series, titled “Halustik” which will be directed by three leading national and international award-winning directors: Nia Dinata, Lucky Kuswandi and Andri Cung.
Halustik has an innovative story and was selected as winner at the Viu Pitching Forum 2018. It is the first time that three directors have collaborated to direct a series for Viu. This latest series is another example of Viu’s commitment to provide fresh, high quality entertainment to Indonesian Viuers.
“Halustik presents a perfect blend of drama, comedy and romantic elements in a single story. And, we believe that Nia Dinata, Lucky Kuswandi and Andri Cung are the right choices to direct it for us. Nia Dinata’s role as co-writer is also an advantage, as she is known to tell stories with strong female characters,” explained Myra Suraryo, Senior Vice President Marketing, Viu Indonesia. “The Viu Pitching Forum illustrates our commitment to develop local talent as well as the content ecosystem and provide them the opportunity to break into the industry. Halustik is an example of this.”
“When we all read the Halustik story for the first time, we immediately began to develop ideas. This is the story of Kanti, a young and successful banker who is fired from her job at a reputable bank and turns herself into a financial spiritual advisor,” explained Nia Dinata.
Lucky Kuswandi, praised as a director whose works illustrate the contradictive nature of the people of Indonesia, explained, “Indonesians, and Asians in general, are unique. On one side they embrace the modern lifestyle, but on the other end there are plenty of people who still believe in holistic and spiritual beliefs. This contradiction will be an interesting story to bring forth to Viuers in Indonesia.”
To add more flavor, Andri Cung – winner of Oliver Stone’s “Best Asian Short Film” for his short film Red Umbrella – will bring his comedic touch in the Halustik’s story. “Using humour, we will make “Halustik” entertaining, familiar, and intriguing all at once,” added Andri, who also directed Viu Original Film “Kenapa Harus Bule?”.
Viu also announced four cast members who will play the four main characters in “Halustik”. One of them is the winner of 2015 Piala Citra for Best Leading Female, Tara Basro. “This is the first opportunity for me to play a character on my favourite OTT platform, Viu. It is amazing that I will be working with three award-winning directors. The series will surely become a phenomenal work,” explained Tara Basro. Richard Kyle, Lutesha and Natalius Chendana round out a carefully selected star-cast.
Viu Original Series “Halustik” will run 13 episodes and will be available on Viu later this year.
For further information on Halustik, please check Viu’s social media accounts on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube and Viu Blog.