Still of 'Zona Merah: Dead City' (provided by Barunson E&A)

Barunson E&A, the Seoul-based production and sales outfit behind Bong Joon Ho's Oscar-winning Parasite, has boarded Zona Merah: Dead City, a feature adaptation of the hit Indonesian horror series, and will launch the title at the 2026 Cannes Marche du Film. Produced by Indonesia's Screenplay Films, the zombie thriller is one of the highest-performing titles ever on local OTT platform Vidio, and represents a centerpiece of Barunson E&A's growing Southeast Asian genre portfolio.

The original Zona Merah series debuted on Vidio in November 2024, accumulating over 34 million views to lead all streamers -- domestic and international -- in Indonesia, while driving a notable surge in new subscribers. Set in the fictional town of Rimbalaya, the series follows Maya as she races against time to find her missing younger brother Adi amid a rapidly spreading zombie outbreak, before authorities seal off the area as a "zona merah," or red zone.

The feature expands the world considerably, with a second city falling and a new red zone emerging. Series co-directors Sidharta Tata and Fajar Martha Santosa return to helm the film, with Tata also serving as screenwriter. Much of the original cast reprises their roles, including Aghniny Haque, Andri Mashadi, Maria Theodore, Devano, and Lukman Sardi, joined by new additions Luna Maya, Bryan Domani, Shindy Huang, Myesha Lin, and Derby Romero. Principal photography began April 7 and is scheduled to wrap in May.

Screenplay Films is among Indonesia's most established genre producers. Recent credits include Gundala (2019), Joko Anwar's superhero origin story that premiered at TIFF's Midnight Madness, and Wait Until I Make It, currently the second highest-grossing Indonesian film of 2026. "Expanding it into a feature felt like a natural progression, both commercially and creatively," said CEO Wicky V. Olindo.

At Cannes, Barunson E&A will present Zona Merah: Dead City alongside Inherit, the new horror feature from Thai genre master Banjong Pisanthanakun (Shutter, Pee Mak) -- his first film in five years and one of the most anticipated genre titles from the region.

The partnership is the latest move in a deliberate Southeast Asian strategy Barunson E&A has been building for several years. In 2025, the company signed a two-year exclusive sales deal covering Joko Anwar's projects through his banner Come and See Pictures. Anwar's latest, Ghost in the Cell, premiered at the Berlin International Film Festival earlier this year and has since held the top position at the Indonesian box office since its mid-April release, approaching two million admissions. Beyond Anwar, Barunson has acquired international remake rights to titles from local banner Imajinari and maintains active working relationships with leading Indonesian production houses including Visinema Pictures, Base Entertainment, and Rapi Films.

Taken together, these moves position Barunson E&A less as a passive investor and more as an active hub for Southeast Asian genre content entering international markets -- leveraging the global sales network and credibility built through Parasite to unlock distribution pathways for titles that might otherwise struggle to reach buyers at major markets.

The Zona Merah: Dead City deal also highlights the growing appeal of OTT-to-theatrical expansion as a content strategy. By converting platform-built audiences into theatrical demand, then using a prestige market like Cannes to pursue international distribution, the model offers a potentially replicable route for Southeast Asian titles to cross over globally. Barunson E&A CEO Yoonhee Choi framed the moment plainly: "Indonesia's genre landscape is at an inflection point -- audiences are becoming more adventurous, creators are pushing boundaries, and stories from this market are increasingly resonating globally." How Zona Merah: Dead City lands with buyers on the Croisette will be an early measure of just how far that resonance extends.

Sources

• Variety, "Indonesian Zombie Horror 'Zona Merah: Dead City' Boards Barunson E&A for International Sales, Sets Cannes Film Market Launch", 2026.04.29

• The Hollywood Reporter, "'Parasite' Producer Barunson E&A Boards Indonesian Zombie Movie 'Zona Merah: Dead City'", 2026.04.29

• Screen Daily, "Indonesian Horror 'Zona Merah: Dead City' Heading to Cannes with Barunson E&A", 2026.04.29