Marco Balsamo’s directorial debut Forza, an international soccer drama starring AC Milan great Alessandro Costacurta and newcomer Ghazi Alhabsyi, has been acquired for global sales by EST N8 ahead of its public premiere and upcoming market presentation at TIFFCOM in Tokyo.
The Road From Bali to the Tokyo Market
- The Festival Premiere: Forza holds its first public screening at Jakarta Film Week on October 25, where online tickets for the CGV Grand Indonesia screening famously sold out in five minutes.
- The Global Sales Push: EST N8 has picked up international rights and is heading to the Tokyo International Film Festival’s TIFFCOM market, running October 28–30, to pitch the film to international buyers.
- The Creative Pedigree: Produced by Riva Studios—founded by Marco Balsamo and Tara Sibel Demren—the film features prominent Indonesian talent alongside Italian football icon Alessandro Costacurta, with Adhya Pictures handling the 2027 theatrical release in Indonesia.
From Ball Fields in Bali to Italian Soccer Legacies
The narrative framework of Forza centers on Bima, an 11-year-old boy living in Bali whose aspirations of becoming a professional footballer represent a path toward a better life for his family. That trajectory shifts when a chance encounter brings him into contact with a former AC Milan player navigating the final stretch of his career. As Variety reported, the feature is shot across distinct backdrops in Bali and Milan, bridging two vastly different cultures through the universal language of athletics.
Behind the camera, writer-director Marco Balsamo shares the screen with a celebrated ensemble cast. Alongside newcomer Ghazi Alhabsyi in the lead role, the production features Tara Sibel Demren, AC Milan icon Alessandro Costacurta, and three Indonesian Film Festival (FFI) winners: Atiqah Hasiholan, Oka Antara, and Tio Pakusadewo. Production muscle comes via Riva Studios in partnership with Ario Sagantoro of The Raid franchise, establishing a strong commercial foundation for the indie feature.
Sales Strategy and International Distribution at TIFFCOM
Bringing an independent sports drama to the global marketplace requires calculated positioning. EST N8’s head of studios Sophie Shi noted that the sports genre possesses a unique ability to cross language barriers, pointing to the universal themes of family and hope embedded in the script. According to Crockpot Cartel, sports dramas do not always travel easily, but attaching a recognizable figure like Costacurta provides brand recognition to help grease the wheels with international buyers at TIFFCOM.
| Project Milestone | Date / Window | Key Details |
|---|---|---|
| TIFFCOM Market Run | October 28–30, 2026 | Presented for international sales by EST N8 in Tokyo. |
| Indonesian Theatrical Release | 2027 | Distributed domestically within Indonesia by Adhya Pictures. |
Riva Studios Expands Into Live-Action Filmmaking
For Riva Studios, Forza marks a significant corporate milestone. Established in 2022 by Balsamo and Demren as an independent outfit spanning live action, animation, and music, the company expanded its footprint in 2024 by acquiring French animation house TeamTO. This soccer drama stands as Riva’s very first live-action feature production.
EST N8’s sales team—led by EVP of acquisitions and global distribution Jan Paul Villanueva alongside Cathy Ni and Shams Pasha—will introduce the title to buyers alongside a robust slate that includes Thai horror title Tame, Manila-set crime thriller Jaguar, and Korean sci-fi animation Pilgrims. Whether international distributors embrace the Bali-to-Milan cross-cultural journey as eagerly as local Indonesian audiences snapped up festival tickets remains the crucial question as the Tokyo market opens its doors.
