'Give filmmakers incentives, facilities'

'Give filmmakers incentives, facilities'

National Film Day was marked on Wednesday amid signs of a film
industry slowly reviving and shaking off decades of slumber. The
Jakarta Post asked residents if the local movies being produced
nowadays lived up to their expectations.

Fifi, 24, is an employee at a film distribution company in
Central Jakarta. She lives with her parents in Kebon Jeruk, West
Jakarta:

We cannot compare Indonesian movies with Hollywood films,
which have all the technology. In addition, local movies are made
on much smaller budgets than Hollywood films.

Let us talk about the stories and actors if we want to assess
local movies.

Some of the movies, such as Petualangan Sherina (The
Adventures of Sherina), Ada Apa Dengan Cinta? (What's up with
Cinta?) and Arisan, were actually very well acted. Especially
Arisan, which was not a teen flick and was able to attract more
viewers.

These movies show that we can produce good movies without
necessarily using Hollywood's recipe.

These three successful movies show that Indonesians like
movies that do not make them think too hard, but are more
entertaining.

Ulil, 25, is a writer. She lives with her husband in Kalibata,
South Jakarta:

I think the re-awakening of the Indonesian film industry is an
excellent phenomena, and I predict that it will continue. It is
just a matter of time before Indonesia is able to produce
internationally recognized movies. And we should give our young
writers, directors and producers most of the credit.

It is natural that during this process lots of bad movies are
made.

But one thing that is really disappointing is the fact that
the government has done nothing to help the local movie industry
compete with foreign film industries. It seems to me that they do
not have clear program in this area.

For example, I heard the tax rate for movies is still high and
puts a burden on moviemakers. The South Korean government, for
example, really helps local moviemakers by providing them with
lots of incentives and facilities.

--The Jakarta Post