| Halfworlds | |
|---|---|
| Genre | Dark fantasy Thriller |
| Created by | Collin Chang Erika North Garon de Silva Andrew Chin Nicholas Gauron |
| Written by | Collin Chang Joko Anwar (season 1) |
| Directed by | Joko Anwar (season 1) Ekachai Uekrongtham (season 2) Mikhail Red (season 3) |
| Country of origin | Indonesia Thailand |
| Original languages | English Indonesian Thai Mandarin |
| No. of seasons | 2 |
| No. of episodes | 16 (list of episodes) |
| Production | |
| Production locations | Indonesia, Thailand |
| Original release | |
| Network | HBO Asia RED by HBO |
| Release | 29 November 2015 – present |
Halfworlds is a dark fantasy thriller television series produced and created by HBO Asia and written by Collin Chang. [1] [2] [3] Set in present-day Southeast Asia, the series reveals an underground society populated by demons from Asian folklore across the region.
The first season of Halfworlds, set in Indonesia and directed by Joko Anwar, premiered on 29 November 2015. A second season, set in Thailand and directed by Ekachai Uekrongtham, premiered on 22 January 2017. [4] A third season was announced in November 2019 to be set in the Philippines and directed by Mikhail Red; [5] production of the third season faced several delays due to the COVID-19 pandemic. [6]
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Set in the city of Jakarta, Halfworlds Season 1 lifts the veil on a parallel world of bloodthirsty creatures from Indonesian mythology who have lived amongst humans for centuries. [7] They are known simply as "Demit" and have been carefully concealed by a powerful family of mortals. The arrival of the Gift, a mysterious supernatural event, causes this hidden world to reveal itself. As the day of the Gift draws near, Sarah, a street artist, finds herself caught between the worlds of human and Demit. Once the Demit find out who she really is, and what she must do, the delicate balance between the two worlds will be shaken forever.
The first season of Halfworlds premiered on 29 November 2015.
| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | "Episode 1" | Joko Anwar | Collin Chang and Joko Anwar | 29 November 2015 | |
A street artist finds herself caught between two worlds. Little does she know her life is about to take an unexpected twist. | ||||||
| 2 | 2 | "Episode 2" | Joko Anwar | Collin Chang and Joko Anwar | 6 December 2015 | |
Sarah is pulled deeper into the Demit world and she can’t shake the feeling of being followed. | ||||||
| 3 | 3 | "Episode 3" | Joko Anwar | Collin Chang and Joko Anwar | 13 December 2015 | |
After being attacked, Sarah's rescuer reveals himself and warns her to stop drawing the monstrous creatures she dreams of. | ||||||
| 4 | 4 | "Episode 4" | Joko Anwar | Collin Chang and Joko Anwar | 20 December 2015 | |
A wounded Barata seeks out Sarah for help. Meanwhile, the search for the symbols continue in the Demit world. | ||||||
| 5 | 5 | "Episode 5" | Joko Anwar | Collin Chang and Joko Anwar | 27 December 2015 | |
The Gift draws closer and the Demit grow frantic. Barata rescues Pinung from an attack but it might be too late. | ||||||
| 6 | 6 | "Episode 6" | Joko Anwar | Collin Chang and Joko Anwar | 3 January 2016 | |
Sarah finally gets the answers she has been looking for but her relationship with her boyfriend Coki is in trouble. | ||||||
| 7 | 7 | "Episode 7" | Joko Anwar | Collin Chang and Joko Anwar | 10 January 2016 | |
With The Gift just days away, the Demit world is in chaos. Sarah receives an offer from a stranger that is too good to resist. | ||||||
| 8 | 8 | "Episode 8" | Joko Anwar | Collin Chang and Joko Anwar | 10 January 2016 | |
Sarah is trapped and her friends search for her. In a twist of events, The Gift is bestowed upon the most unexpected of all. | ||||||
In the second season of Halfworlds, a tenacious researcher named Juliet is trying to uncover the secret world of demons known as "Peesaj" that live amongst mortals in the city of Bangkok, Thailand. Armed with research by her late father, she embarks on a quest for an ancient artifact of great power. During her search, her actions draw the attention of the local Thai Peesaj.
The second season of Halfworlds premiered on 22 January 2017.
| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9 | 1 | "Episode 1" | Ekachai Uekrongtham | Collin Chang | 22 January 2017 | |
A tenacious researcher named Juliet goes to Bangkok to continue her late father’s work on a hidden world of demons and gets more than what she bargained for. | ||||||
| 10 | 2 | "Episode 2" | Ekachai Uekrongtham | Collin Chang | 22 January 2017 | |
As Fyter spends more time with Juliet, he finds it harder to kill her. Tony enters the fight tournament in Soi P to win an exclusive session with the Seer. | ||||||
| 11 | 3 | "Episode 3" | Ekachai Uekrongtham | Collin Chang | 29 January 2017 | |
Juliet tracks Fyter down and arrives at Soi P after Warin’s attack. In the Citadel, Barata almost gets himself killed, but an old friend comes to his rescue. | ||||||
| 12 | 4 | "Episode 4" | Ekachai Uekrongtham | Collin Chang | 5 February 2017 | |
An important fight between Tony and Thip will determine who wins a session with the Seer while Barata reveals to Kaprey the reason he has returned to the Citadel. | ||||||
| 13 | 5 | "Episode 5" | Ekachai Uekrongtham | Collin Chang | 12 February 2017 | |
Thip meets with Wish who reveals the way to the Kris of Amorana. Mick finally catches Pym and Fyter is left with an important decision to make. | ||||||
| 14 | 6 | "Episode 6" | Ekachai Uekrongtham | Collin Chang | 19 February 2017 | |
Fyter, Mick, Wish and Juliet fight their way into the Citadel to retrieve the Kris. They meet Barata and must decide whether he is a friend or foe. | ||||||
| 15 | 7 | "Episode 7" | Ekachai Uekrongtham | Collin Chang | 26 February 2017 | |
An unexpected death in the Citadel changes everything. | ||||||
| 16 | 8 | "Episode 8" | Ekachai Uekrongtham | Collin Chang | 26 February 2017 | |
Fyter brings the Kris to Thip, while Tony finally meets Wish to get the answers he has been searching for. | ||||||
The first season received 6 nominations from the 21st Annual of Asian Television Awards. [8]
| Ceremony | Category | Recipient(s) | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Asian Television Awards | Best Drama Series | Halfworlds | Highly Commended | [9] |
| Best Direction (Fiction) | Joko Anwar | Highly Commended | ||
| Best Cinematography | Ical Tanjung | Nominated | ||
| Best Editing | Gan Jia Yi for Episode 6 | Won | ||
| Natalie Soh for Episode 8 | Nominated | |||
| Best Theme Song | Aghi Narottama & Tony Merle | Highly Commended |
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