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Indonesian film industry poised to reach climax in line with OTT business boom
With the current funding climate for film production at its peak – and the same to be said for audience figures – Indonesia's film industry is flourishing, filmmakers and domestic streaming services say.
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A film camera is in the spotlight in this illustration. (Shutterstock/Virrage Images)
T
he majority of Indonesians consume content regularly, hence it is logical if this consumption translates into the success of the local creative industry. Consistent with this, filmmakers, as well as the biggest domestic players, claim that the industry is flourishing, especially in terms of investment.
Filmmakers have said that the current funding climate for local film production is at its peak, and the same positive conditions are reflected in audience numbers.
“Audience numbers have increased drastically, and Indonesian films are rocketing. This has made a lot of parties take interest in film investing. The government has also been much more supportive in terms of funding. This is the best condition we’ve seen [the industry in] in decades and hopefully it will get even better,” said Indonesian filmmaker Paul Agusta to The Jakarta Post on Thursday.
Paul credited over-the-top (OTT) media services, whose upheaval of the media industry has included strategies such as original content creation.
“If anything, good quality streaming series can increase the move toward Indonesian films overall and can make people more appreciative of local content,” said Paul, who has worked on dozens of movies, including the sensual Jakarta vs Everybody.
Much like Paul, Toba Dreams director Benni Setiawan agreed that the funding mood in the film industry today was thriving, as could be seen in the duration of time allocated for shooting web series.
Read also: Indonesian film industry in stasis, but for the better
