The "Pulang Kampung" film becomes a new way to introduce North Sumatra's tourism and culture.

Musical Film Pulang Kampung does not only tell the story of a homecoming journey, it also positions the natural beauty of North Sumatra as a core visual element of the movie. Director Bene Dion Rajagukguk features a number of iconic Tourist Destinations to introduce both the natural wealth and Batak culture to audiences.

One of the most engaging parts of the film is the medley song sequence. This scene was filmed across multiple tourist locations in North Sumatra, crafted to highlight the unique character of each place through the combination of music, landscape, and the daily activities of local communities.

"We wanted to showcase the Tourism and beauty of North Sumatra through this medley sequence," stated Bene Dion Rajagukguk during a press conference for the release of the Pulang Kampung film trailer, held at the Sarinah complex in Central Jakarta.

Producer Ernest Prakasa revealed that principal photography for the entire film took 26 days total. Of this duration, 21 days were spent on production in North Sumatra, with the remaining 5 days filmed in Jakarta.

Out of the entire production schedule, four full days were specifically allocated to shoot the medley sequence on location from one site to the next, ensuring every featured destination was presented in line with the story's requirements.

The production team made every effort to portray the local communities at each location naturally. Producer Dipa Andika explained that they avoided using generic extra actors, as they wanted to match the cast of on-screen residents to the actual demographic Profile of each area.

Background performers were recruited based on the common age ranges and daily habits of the local population at each filming site. For example, when shooting at traditional lapo community venues, the production team cast local middle-aged men for the scene.

A different approach was applied for other locations. Areas where women form the majority local demographic were cast with women aged 30 to 60 years old, while younger residents were brought in for scenes filmed at Lake Toba and the fountain tourist precinct.

"Whenever Bene would observe a location and note, 'Oh this place is usually mostly women', we would cast local women for that spot. We adjust the age range too: 30 to 40 here, 50 over there, 60 at another site. That's why we never reused the same background performers at different locations. We cast new local people for every place we filmed," explained Dipa Andika.

This creative choice meant that local residents were not just set dressing in the film. Community members from each location helped build the authentic atmosphere that matches the character of each Tourist Destination shown on screen.

The natural beauty of North Sumatra was then paired with the region's rich traditional music. Composer Viky Sianipar arranged the medley to incorporate musical traditions from multiple ethnic groups in North Sumatra, including Batak Toba, Karo, Simalungun, and Pakpak.

Batak Toba musical elements form the largest portion of the composition at approximately 80%. Musical influences from the other ethnic groups are woven throughout the medley structure, so that the cultural diversity of North Sumatra comes through clearly within the unified musical sequence.

"Everything is represented. It is true that 80% of the material is Batak Toba, but the entire purpose of this medley is exactly to highlight all the different ethnic identities that exist here," said Viky Sianipar.

Combining original music, on-location tourist site filming, and this large-scale production resulted in significantly higher production costs.

Using internationally standard musical films such as La La Land as a reference, Viky estimated that the budget for Pulang Kampung Film is around three times higher than that of a typical non-musical feature film.

"It can run three times the cost of a regular movie," Viky Sianipar confirmed.

Pulang Kampung will feature a total of nine original songs. The film is scheduled for simultaneous theatrical release across all Indonesian cinema networks starting 26 November 2026.

The trailer released by production house Imajinari also previews four of the film's songs: Jamila, Pulo Samosir, Tortorhon Ma, and Tirismo Lae Bangkuang. Three of these tracks — Jamila, Tortorhon Ma, and Tirismo Lae Bangkuang — have already been published on the @imajinari.id Instagram, YouTube and TikTok accounts.

Through Pulang Kampung, Sumatra Tourism destinations in North Sumatra are not used merely as a backdrop for the story.

Instead, the natural landscape, local communities, and traditional music are integrated as core parts of the viewing experience, creating a new way to introduce the charm of North Sumatra to audiences all across the country.