Transforming Jakarta into a Cinema City: Rano Karno Proud of Thousands of Existing Cinemas

Jakarta Deputy Governor Rano Karno has noted an unusual condition regarding cinemas in Indonesia. He highlighted that the number of cinemas in Indonesia, particularly in Jakarta, remains very high even though numbers have significantly decreased abroad.

“This is what makes Indonesia an anomaly, my friends. Globally, there is a decline in the number of cinema audiences,” said Rano Karno during a film screening organised by Kulturanesia to commemorate Bung Karno Month at Metropole XXI, Jakarta, on Sunday (7/6/202<0xA0>6).

Rano compared the number of cinemas in Jakarta to those in Hong Kong, noting that Hong Kong has only 25 cinemas, whereas Jakarta still has approximately 3,500.

“Recently, the Jakarta team travelled to Hong Kong for market research. In Hong Kong, there are only 25 cinema buildings left. Jakarta still has 3,500,” he stated.

“This is an anomaly. Suddenly, many investors, producers, and international filmmakers are coming to Indonesia, especially to Jakarta, to create something,” he added.

Rano stated that the Jakarta Film Commission is currently being prepared. Once established, the commission will provide subsidies and support to local filmmakers.

“As Deputy Governor, I will certainly support this. Once the Jakarta Film Commission is formed, we will provide various forms of support, such as subsidies or facilities, so that Indonesian filmmakers can increase production,” he said.

The Chairperson of the PDIP Central Executive Board also mentioned that President Soekarno viewed art and film as more than just entertainment, which is why film screenings were chosen to commemorate Bung Karno Month.

“The relevance here lies in Bung Karno’s thinking. Bung Karno viewed art and film not merely as entertainment,” he concluded.