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They are the creative force behind Qodrat, the 2022 box office hit that sparked a wave of Islamic horror movies in Indonesia. But before Charles and Linda Gozali made headlines for their chilling supernatural tale and its 2025 sequel, Qodrat 2, they were simply the children of a film legend.
Growing up, Charles and Linda were never told to follow in their father’s footsteps. They did not attend film school, nor did they feel any pressure to join the family business.
Still, the pull of cinema was always close.
Their father was the late Hendrick Gozali, the legendary producer and owner of Garuda Film, a powerhouse of Indonesia’s 1980s golden era. Known for its socially charged dramas, Garuda Film collected more than 25 Citra Awards, with standout titles like Ranjang Pengantin (The Wedding, 1974), Perempuan dalam Pasungan (The Shackled Woman, 1980) and Usia 18 (Age 18, 1980).
Though the studio eventually shut down in the 1990s, its legacy never quite left the family home.
“We lived in the house next to the production house. I always saw my father and mother working on films with their collaborators every day,” Charles recalls.
In 2003, Charles and Hendrick co-founded MAGMA Entertainment. Today, Charles directs while Linda produces.
“As our father said, a movie can define an era, a country, a people, but it can also take down a nation.” - Charles Gozali
Though Qodrat and Qodrat 2 were packaged as horror thrillers, the stories go deeper, digging into corruption, class and gender, echoing the values that their father once championed. Since its return to the industry, the company has released six features and spent over a decade quietly earning its place.
So how did these siblings become the duo to watch, and where are they headed next?
Charles: From finance to film sets
Charles first stepped onto film sets while studying finance, accompanying his father during a time when the industry was in decline. In the 1990s, as cinema slumped, Hendrick and other filmmakers shifted to television, producing notable action-drama series like Jacky (1995), Jacklyn (1997) and the hit Buce Li (2004).
Inspired by Jackie Chan films, Charles gravitated toward action.
“I always commented on the action sequences, saying something like, ‘Oh, Jackie Chan would have done this and that’,” he recalls.
He became involved in the company’s various departments, sometimes handling tasks that a director would, such as coordinating the stunt team.
By the late 2000s, when Hendrick revived his film pursuits under MAGMA, Charles was already directing. He debuted with Rasa (Feeling, 2009), starring Christian Sugiono, Pevita Pearce and Wulan Guritno.
With Hendrick producing, they followed up with Nada untuk Asa (A Note for Hope, 2015), which earned Marsha Timothy a Citra nomination.
Linda: From corporate to creative
Linda’s path took longer. After studying in the United States, she built a career in Indonesia’s capital market. After decades in the corporate world, it was her mother, not her father, who nudged her toward the family business.
When Linda finally brought it up, Hendrick warned her about the trade-offs: no 9-to-5 structure, no steady paycheck and a completely different work culture.
Adjusting was not easy.
When she officially joined as producer for Nada untuk Asa, Charles already had a solid creative team. The challenge was not talent, it was recalibrating her corporate instincts.
“In the capital market, you mainly work with numbers, you have to be decisive and fast,” she says.
“On set, you work with people with more compassion and passion.”
Even once she found her rhythm, the hurdles have not stopped. One of the toughest? Creative rights.
MAGMA has seen projects they developed for years proceed without proper credit or compensation. Linda points to the industry’s reliance on informal agreements instead of formal contracts. With handshake deals, trust can be exploited, and hard work can vanish.
This was a problem she sought to address, and in 2022, she received the Asia Pacific Copyright Educator Award from the Motion Picture Association (MPA) and the Indonesia Film Producer Association (APROFI), a recognition hard-won.
“Just because some relationships are built on trust doesn’t mean they shouldn’t be protected in writing,” she reflects.
Craft over code
With the need to protect creative rights even more urgent now in the era of artificial intelligence (AI), the Gozalis’ stance is clear.
“AI should help humans, not replace them,” Linda says.
While they recognize AI’s potential, MAGMA avoids shortcuts. Writing screenplays with tools like ChatGPT is not aligned with their philosophy. For them, creativity isn’t something to outsource.
“A lot of artists see AI as something that could replace them,” Charles says.
But for Charles and Linda, the filmmaking process matters. Filmmaking is more than content, it is a craft. Using AI might be fast, but there is no passion in it.
The legacy continues
MAGMA may not always top the box office, but its films, like Finding Srimulat (2013) and Nada untuk Asa, leave a mark.
This year, they plan to release Tumbal Darah (The Damnation, 2024), a collaboration with Wahana Kreator and Sinemaku. Premiered at the 2024 JAFF, the film has already earned rave reviews.
At the same festival’s market section, MAGMA unveiled one of the biggest booths, teasing upcoming projects like the “Qodrat-verse”, a slate of horror-action films and modern remakes of Garuda Film classics.
One collaboration they are eyeing? A partnership with Beacon Films, Dian Sastrowardoyo’s production house.
Still, prestige is not the point.
“Producing movies is our way of honoring our father, but it also reminds us to be responsible as filmmakers,” Charles says.
“As our father said, a movie can define an era, a country, a people, but it can also take down a nation.”
MAGMA’s next chapter is ambitious, but its roots stay grounded and personal. In carrying their father’s legacy forward, Charles and Linda are shaping the future of Indonesian cinema, one film at a time.
