Lee Hwan-kyung, the Korean filmmaker behind the tearjerker “Miracle in Cell No. 7”, has found his next project — and it is a deeply personal one. Lee is now in production on “Gasigogi”, an Indonesian father-son drama starring Vino G. Bastian, Pevita Pearce, Faradina Mufti and Indra Jegel, produced with Falcon Pictures.
The film follows Jiwa, a father who sacrifices everything in a fight to save his son Juna, who has blood cancer. Bastian takes the lead, Pearce plays the co-lead, and Mufti plays Chitra. Falcon Pictures unveiled the cast together with Hwantasy Entertainment, in an exclusive first reported by Variety.
Gasigogi: The Stickleback Fish Metaphor Behind Lee Hwan-kyung’s New Film
The title carries the film’s emotional core. The gasigogi is the stickleback fish — in nature, the male stays with the eggs and defends them from predators until its body gives out, and its flesh then becomes the hatchlings’ first food. Lee uses that devotion as a metaphor for fatherhood and the sacrifices parents make for their children.
Lee has described “Gasigogi” as the most emotionally taxing film he has ever taken on. Where he made “Miracle in Cell No. 7” as a gift for his daughter, this film is dedicated to his son — a personal bookend between the two stories.
Why Lee Chose Indonesia for Gasigogi
Lee said he chose to film in Indonesia to draw on the country’s strong ties to family, faith and community. He described the project as an original work rather than a transplant of Korean feeling — one that “breathes with Indonesian lungs.” It is a natural fit: Bastian headlined the Indonesian remake of “Miracle in Cell No. 7,” and the ensemble gathers some of Indonesia’s most respected names, including Indro Warkop, Verdi Solaiman (“The Raid”), Dea Panendra (“Marlina the Murderer in Four Acts”), Sadana Agung (“Agak Laen”) and Irma Novita Rihi (“Women From Rote Island”).
With production underway, “Gasigogi” is shaping up as one of the most closely watched Indonesian films of the coming year — a story about a father who gives everything, from a director who clearly understands the feeling.
Gasigogi cast (Credits: Variety / Falcon Pictures)
Also Read: Indonesian Zombie Film ‘Zona Merah: Dead City’ Drops First Teaser Ahead of January 2027 Release and “Mother Bhumi” and “Rehana Maryam Noor” Producers Head to Indonesia’s JAFF Market Exchange
Source: Variety — read the full story there.
