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More than 20 film projects entice interest of financial backers at Akatara
Indonesia’s largest film financing forum ended Saturday on a high note, with dozens of film projects and film-related initiatives attracting the attention of local and foreign investors.
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Eyeing investment: Filmmakers pitch their projects to potential investors at the Akatara 2019 funding forum, held on Sept. 19-21 at the Sultan Hotel in Central Jakarta. (JP/Narabeto Korohama)
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ore than 20 films and six book-to-film adaptations have found potential investors at Akatara 2019, a funding forum initiated by the Creative Economy Agency (Bekraf) and the Indonesian Film Board (BPI).
Held from Sept. 19 to 21 at the Sultan Hotel in Central Jakarta, the forum presented 61 film projects that vied for funding from approximately 40 Indonesian and foreign investors.
Akatara pitching forum director Ruth Pakpahan confirmed that several filmmakers were pursuing deals with their investors, though they had yet to discuss figures and a majority were being kept under wraps until they were finalized.
“However, we can say that more than 20 projects have secured further meetings with investors,” she said.
Among the 20 projects is Radio Rimba (Jungle Radio), a family adventure-drama to be directed by Sim F., who is currently wrapping up his first feature film, Susi Susanti: Love All, a biopic on living Indonesian badminton legend Susy Susanti.
“The response has been positive for my project,” said Radio Rimba producer Wilza Lubis. “We will be meeting [the investors] outside Akatara because they wanted to see every project featured here, so we didn’t get the chance to talk too long,” she said, adding that the meeting would discuss the general plot as well as the film's investment value.
Wilza, who also produced the critically acclaimed 27 Steps of May, said that funding programs like Akatara were extremely helpful in providing filmmakers a bridge to investors.
