TikTok named as official partner of Sundance Film Festival: Asia despite criticism regarding film piracy

TikTok is appointed as the official live stream partner of Sundance Film Festival: Asia that will be held virtually on 23-26 September 2021. The independent film festival, initiated by Sundance Institute, XRM Media and IDN Media, will screen 8 selected films, consisting of 4 narrative films and 4 documentary films.

TikTok will broadcast panel discussions about the film industry in Indonesia through its application. This collaboration is expected to provide insights as well as exciting interactions within the film community on the platform. 

In the panel discussion, experts in the film industry will present as speakers to share the updates and developments in the industry since the pandemic broke out.

TikTok Indonesia Head of Operations Angga Anugrah Putra said in a release that, “Film-related content is one of the fastest growing categories on TikTok, including movie reviews, recommendations, tips and even short films.” 

One of the main developments is the rise of short films or series in a vertical format. TikTok in March launched its first vertical short film series titled “X&Y”. 

“We received a great review after the launch of ‘X&Y’ earlier this year, the first vertical short film on TikTok. This shows that on TikTok, the audience interested in film is growing and [film-related content is] in demand,” Angga added. 

Angga ensured that the safety of users as well as all film workers has always been a priority, so they could express their creativity comfortably on the platform. 

However, TikTok recently received criticism from film producer Ernest Prakasa regarding the rise of pirated films on TikTok, as creators use films that are divided into several parts as their content.

Through his tweets, Ernest urged TikTok not to facilitate film piracy, but to educate their creators regarding this matter. He also compared TikTok with YouTube, where the latter has a certain system that can detect pirated materials. 

“I challenge @tiktokIDN to make an open statement about this. Admit that the platform is full of pirated films & state that they have an intention to combat it,” Ernest tweeted.