Berlin-Bound Indonesian Horror ‘Sleep No More,’ From Locarno Winner Edwin, Unveils First Trailer (EXCLUSIVE)

The first trailer has been unveiled for Berlinale-bound Indonesian horror feature “Sleep No More,” marking the latest international outing for filmmaker Edwin.

Produced by Palari Films alongside co-production partners across Asia and Europe, the feature — titled “Monster Pabrik Rambut” in Indonesian — blends social realism with genre horror, centering on labor exploitation and physical exhaustion inside a factory pushed to inhumane extremes.

“Sleep No More” follows Putri and Ida, factory workers whose lives begin to unravel as a shadowy figure emerges, preying on laborers deprived of rest. As exhaustion mounts, the boundary between waking life and possession collapses, forcing the women to confront both a supernatural threat and a system that thrives on sleeplessness.

The film is directed by Edwin, whose previous features include “Blind Pig Who Wants to Fly,” winner of the Fipresci prize at Rotterdam, and “Vengeance Is Mine, All Others Pay Cash,” which won the Golden Leopard at Locarno in 2021.

“Sleep No More” is an international co-production spanning Indonesia, Singapore, Japan, Germany and France, with Palari Films and Beacon Film leading on the Indonesian side alongside Singapore’s Giraffe Pictures, Japan’s Hassaku Labs, Germany’s In Good Company and France’s Apsara Films. The film is produced by Meiske Taurisia and Muhammad Zaidy, with co-producers Anthony Chen, Teoh Yi Peng, Atsuko Ohno, Terutaro Osanai, Dian Sastrowardoyo, Roshanak Behesht Nedjad and Marine Arrighi de Casanova.

Worldwide sales are handled by South Korea’s Showbox.

In his director’s statement, Edwin describes the film as an attempt to merge horror with dark comedy and surreal fantasy while confronting labor exploitation and dehumanizing working conditions. “People are expected to grow body parts in order to survive long hours of slavery,” he notes, positioning the film’s horror as an extension of lived reality rather than metaphor alone.

“Sleep No More” will screen in the Berlinale Special Midnight section at the 76th Berlin Film Festival.

Watch the trailer here: