Italian
France and Indonesia are deepening their cinema ties with the launch of the France-Indonesia Film Lab at the inaugural JAFF Market, which operates alongside the Jogja-Netpac Asian Film Festival (JAFF).
The lab, a partnership between the French Embassy, Institut Français Indonésie, the Indonesian Film Producers Association (APROFI), JAFF, and the Indonesian Ministry of Culture, aims to support emerging Indonesian filmmakers working on their first or second features by connecting them with international mentors.
The lab is envisioned as a sustainable, long-term initiative, growing in scale and influence over time. The goal is to establish the lab as an annual event, to create a permanent framework for nurturing talent and fostering co-production opportunities. Plans for future editions include increased participation and mobility programs for selected talents to come to France and Indonesia.
“We need to structure the networks, and we need to help young Indonesian filmmakers to feel more comfortable with the French market,” Fabien Penone, Ambassador of France to Indonesia, told Variety. “We will not teach them how to shoot a movie, but we could help them to know the habits, the culture, the way how the French market works.”
Popular on Variety “Indonesian cinema has long deserved greater recognition on the global stage. Its dynamism, creativity, and innovation are undeniable, as evidenced by the remarkable growth of Indonesia’s film industry in recent years,” Penone added. “Films like ‘Autobiography’ by Makbul Mubarak, a French-Indonesian co-production that gained acclaim at the Venice Film Festival, exemplify the exciting opportunities arising from cross-cultural storytelling.”
The French Embassy has been organizing the Festival Sinema Prancis for 26 years, with the 2023 edition featuring 32 French films across 31 locations in 13 Indonesian cities. In 2023, more than 50 Indonesian films were showcased at 24 international festivals across 18 countries, including France’s Cannes and Clermont-Ferrand festivals.
While France and Indonesia currently don’t have a co-production agreement, efforts are on to establish one. The ambassador underlined the importance of matching funds from both governments as a testimony to their commitment to co-production activities.
Indonesian filmmakers can currently access French funding through programs like Aide aux Cinémas du Monde. Indonesia’s matching fund scheme, introduced at Cannes in 2023, worth $13 million, revealed its first recipients during this year’s festival. Garin Nugroho’s “Samsara,” which opened JAFF 2024, is one of the recipients.
“Even without an agreement, we have already demonstrated that meaningful collaboration can thrive through initiatives such as the Indonesia-France Film Lab, the Festival Sinema Prancis, talents mobility and other industry Networking opportunities like festivals,” Penone said. “Moving forward, an agreement with CNC can be set as a goal but needs to deepen further the links between our ecosystems.”
