Filmmakers Urge Govt to Allow Foreign Investment in Cinema
Jakarta. As the government prepares to finalize its revised negative investment list, Indonesian filmmakers gathered at the Haji Usmar Ismail Film Center (PPHUI) in Jakarta on Tuesday (09/02) to call on the government to allow foreign investment in the local film industry.
Lala Timothy from the Indonesian Film Producer Association (Aprofi) read a statement on behalf of ten filmmaker associations, urging President Joko Widodo to sign a presidential regulation (Perpres) allowing foreign investment in Indonesia's film industry, specifically in the areas of exhibition, distribution, production and techniques.
"As filmmakers, we see this revision [of the negative investment list] as a big opportunity to improve our film industry. Revising the negative investment list for the film industry will not only boost the number of screens in Indonesia, but also raise the standard and competency of our own filmmakers," Lala said.
Lala also said the Education and Culture Ministry should establish an integrated box office system for both foreign and local films to help filmmakers track the number of viewers, screens and showing times for each film.
At the same time, she called on local cinema chains to abide by the 2009 Film Law, which says that local exhibitors should reserve 60 percent of their total showing time for Indonesian films.
She also mentioned the examples of Vietnam and China, whose film industries have showed significant progress after their governments allowed foreign investment. China's film industry has grown 40 percent in the last ten years, Lala said, and the country is currently the second-biggest film market in the world.
Firman Bintang from the Indonesian Film Companies Association (PPFI) said the "monopoly" by the largest cinema group in the country, 21 Cineplex, had long held back the local film industry.
He also pointed out that Joko, the president, has said Indonesia needed at least 5,000 screens for a robust film industry, but local cinema chains can only grow at a modest pace: 40 screens in the past year.
Between 21 Cineplex, CGV Blitz, Cinemaxx, Platinum and independent theaters, there are currently only 1,117 big screens in Indonesia.
"87 percent of our cinemas is located in Java, and 35 percent of them are in Jakarta. We need more screens in other cities because that is where the potential viewers of Indonesian films are," Lala said.
"Films need more screens to survive, and those that do not perform well in the opening week will suffer and die. We are not fighting for this for our generation, but for young filmmakers who struggle to make films and don't get to reach targeted viewers," Firman said.
Director Joko Anwar said foreign investment should not be feared, adding that most of the highly acclaimed Indonesian films with esthetic approaches and cultural themes, such as "Opera Jawa" by Garin Nugroho and "Siti" by Eddie Cahyono, were funded by international film bodies and festivals. Joko's latest work, "A Copy of My Mind," which will hit theaters on Thursday, is also funded by a South Korean film festival.
"They have better a understanding as to why such films need to be made by Indonesian filmmakers," Joko said.
Filmmakers also expressed the hope that the Creative Economy Agency (BEK) would come up with supporting policies to protect Indonesian film productions.
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