Tourism and Creative Economy Minister Sandiaga Uno announced last Sunday (17 October) that the government will take initiative to revive the Indonesian film industry through the National Economic Recovery Program (PEN) on “Government Assistance for Indonesian Film Production”. 

The initiative is aimed at helping restore the Indonesian film industry ecosystem that has been affected quite badly by the pandemic, so filmmakers could continue to produce great quality films. 

“According to data published by the Opus Creative Economy Outlook in 2019, the contribution of film production in Indonesia has grown significantly by up to 64%, contributing Rp15 trillion to the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP),” said Sandiaga at the Indonesian Creative Appreciation (AKI) which was held at Puri Begawan in Bogor city. Through the event, the government seeks to encourage the improvement of Indonesian creative MSMEs in order to accelerate economic growth.

He further explained that the film industry is indeed one of the creative economy sub-sectors hit hardest during the pandemic. Previously, Indonesia managed to screen 129 national films in theatres that were watched by almost  52 million people, with each film being watched by 400,000 viewers on average.

However, since the pandemic, as many as 2,117 cinema screens in 420 locations throughout Indonesia were closed. The public's hesitation to come to the cinema and the declining people’s purchasing power have resulted in the film industry losing 90% of its income.

“The National Economic Recovery Program (PEN) on Government Assistance for Indonesian Film Production will be focusing on short films and short documentaries considering the time constraint of the remaining effective time of 1.5 months,” he added.