'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