Indonesia’s first-ever Minister of Culture, Fadli Zon, has outlined an ambitious blueprint for the nation’s cultural growth, with special emphasis on developing the country’s rapidly expanding film industry.
“This is the first time for Indonesia to have a new Ministry of Culture. This is a new chapter for cultural development under President Prabowo Subianto’s administration,” Zon tells Variety in an exclusive interview at the Hong Kong FilMart market.
The newly established ministry is guided by Indonesia’s constitutional mandate, which Zon notes has been in place for 80 years, requiring the state to advance “Indonesia’s national culture within global civilization by ensuring the freedom of society to preserve and develop its cultural values.”
The ministry’s strategy rests on three key pillars: protection and revitalization of cultural heritage, cultural diplomacy, and development of the cultural economy through digital innovation. The latter specifically targets film industry growth, which Zon describes as experiencing “rapid growth” with more than 200 films produced last year and cinema audiences exceeding 80 million.
Among the challenges facing Indonesia’s film sector, Zon identifies “the shortage of skilled script writers” as a key bottleneck. To address this, the ministry is implementing capacity building initiatives including masterclasses, training programs, student competitions, and industry collaborations.
“Our vision is to preserve Indonesia’s rich storytelling traditions and position Indonesia as a competitive player in the global cultural creative economy,” Zon explains.
To put matters in context, films from Indonesia now routinely get selected and win prizes at major international festivals. The local market in Indonesia, which has the fourth-largest population in the world with 283 million, is rapidly expanding with homegrown productions accounting for a significant share of the local box office. Indonesia is also bolstering its cultural policies that include an annual $13 million international co-production grant.
The government is working to accelerate funding through an endowment fund with match funding schemes to support the film industry’s economic potential. When asked about plans for international production incentives, Zon indicated that while specific tax breaks are still being developed, the immediate focus is on streamlining procedures.
“We try to make the procedure and the process easier and shorter. It’s important for us to have this kind of exchange reciprocally with other countries,” he says, adding that international productions would help promote “Indonesian culture, tourism, landscapes, and cultural values.”
Zon emphasizes the importance of international festivals and markets like the Hong Kong FilMart in sustaining Indonesia’s growing global presence in film and television.
“Networking is very important for Indonesian filmmakers,” Zon says. “With the culture of globalization, we have to cooperate with each other.” He highlights regional networks such as AFAN (Asian Film Commissions Network) as crucial platforms for dialogue and exchange of best practices within the industry.
The ministry is also revitalizing cultural centers across Indonesian provinces to serve as creative hubs for the film industry, alongside other cultural initiatives.
