COVID-19 Lockdown Dealt Heavy Blow, Now Indonesian Film Industry Potentially Survives
When it rains on our parade, look up rather than down. Without the rain, there will be no rainbow. That may well describe the current situation that the film industry is undergoing. Fajar Nugros, the Head of IDN Pictures, a technology-based film company focusing on storytelling and data to create engaging films and video content for Millennials and Gen Z in Indonesia, said, “I’m positive to say that experiencing a movie at home is totally different from experiencing one at a cinema.” This longing for the cinematic experience is what drives IDN Pictures to believe that the film industry in Indonesia will survive, even keep on growing.
1. The rise of the film industry in Indonesia
Local movies tend to generate higher, but more polarized expectations arising from local viewers’ cultural categorization of the movies. Due to this cultural relevance, domestic movies most likely perform in theaters, especially in the number of viewers. It, then, marks the rise of the film industry. Despite Hollywood films may still be the first choice, in terms of quality, Indonesian films are now standing on the spotlight as well. Gundala (2019), for example, is Indonesia’s preeminent comic book superhero telling us his alter ego, Sancaka, that enters the cinematic universe to battle the wicked Pengkor and his diabolical squad of orphan assassins.
Other films, such as 27 Steps of May (2019) and Marlina si Pembunuh dalam Empat Babak (2017), have broken out the records for most wins and nominations at Indonesia’s top film awards. “Local films are relatable, driving more Indonesians to like them even more. It’s exactly why IDN Pictures is convinced to present Balada Si Roy in 2021. Telling just a ‘normal’ story of a young guy, things experienced by almost all young people, we hope this film can be well-received,” said Nugros.
2. Policies and measures supporting the development of the Indonesian film industry
The growing number of film enthusiasts has finally prompted the government to propose a policy review regarding the reopening of the major theatrical chains after months of closure due to the pandemic. “To support the sustainability of the Indonesian film industry, we need cooperation from various parties, including the government,” Nugros emphasized.
Social and economic aspects are certainly the main things to consider. “As I said above, most Indonesians will agree that Indonesian films are very relatable. This is, then, combined with an irreplaceable cinematic experience: a comfortable venue, sound, screen — everything that is certainly different from the experience we get when watching movies at home using any kind of streaming services. Frankly speaking, cinema is one of the critical sources of revenue, which will be very unfortunate if we don’t even work on that in order to make it move forward,” explained Nugros.
3. Investment opportunity in the Indonesian film industry
The increase in the number of local film viewers is certainly a positive thing. Therefore, in order to encourage the national film industry even more, one of the government’s efforts is to open a Negative Investment List (Daftar Negatif Investasi) which further expands the opportunity for investors to invest in the field. This, according to the Creative Economy Agency (Bekraf), is a good opportunity to expand the national film market and gain outside experience in terms of its contribution to the film industry.
The COVID-19 pandemic has taken a big hit in many sectors, one of which is the film industry. However, despite this inevitable fact, we all do believe that the film industry in Indonesia is slowly recovering from the sluggishness having hit them. Let’s keep on moving, let’s support the Indonesian film industry by continuing to work and maintaining our optimism that better days will surely come.
