Gadis Kretek continues to make Indonesia proud in the world cinema scene. After success on Netflix and the Busan International Film Festival, the series has now stolen the spotlight again by being nominated for the 2024 Seoul International Drama Awards.
The series won the Best Miniseries award in the International Competition Program category at the 2024 Seoul International Drama Awards.
The quality of Indonesian film production and cinematography is gaining recognition at the international level, as proven by this achievement.
This original Indonesian series beat serial titles from other countries that are no less popular, such as 3 Body Problems, The Worst of Evil, and even Moving, a popular series from South Korea.
“I’m really proud to remember that Gadis Kretek is alongside other best works such as 3 Body Problem, Moving, The Worst of Evil, and Daily Dose of Sunshine,” wrote Kamila Andini, the director of Gadis Kretek in a post on her Instagram account.
Gadis Kretek is a series adaptation of Ratih Kumala’s novel of the same name. The story is about a couple’s love struggle against the backdrop of Indonesia’s clove industry in the 1960s. The eight-episode series premiered on Netflix on November 2, 2023.
There are many good original Indonesian series airing on Netflix; here are some recommendations.
3 Recommended Indonesian Series on Netflix
1. Saiyo Sakato
The next recommendation for the Indonesian series is Saiyo Sakato. This series tells the story of a feud between two women, Mar (Cut Mini) and Nita (Nirina Zubir), after they learn they are both wives of Da Zul (Lukman Sardi), who recently died.
The cold war between them intensifies when they learn that they both inherited a recipe book from Da Zul, who owned a Minang restaurant that Mar now manages. Nita also made a counterpoint Minang restaurant with a similar name opposite Mar’s restaurant.
2. Tunnel
Tunnel is a series adapted from the Korean drama of the same name about a detective who tries to uncover a serial murder case after the discovery of a female corpse who died in unnatural circumstances.
But in the midst of revealing the case, the detective disappeared and only reappeared 30 years later. He also had to struggle to uncover the mystery of the serial murder, which had been delayed for 30 years.
3. Cek Toko Sebelah The Series
This series, based on the movie of the same name, stars Chew Kin Wah as Koh Afuk. After Koh Afuk sold his shop, like the story in the movie, he became unemployed and travelled around Indonesia.
However, this apparently bored him, and he wanted to try a new business. Koh Afuk bought a fishing pond and restarted the business despite many challenges.