Indonesia is officially aiming for Country of Honor status at Cannes in 2028.
In an interview with Variety magazine in Cannes, Culture Minister Fadli Zhong laid out a radical strategy to move Indonesia from the fringes of the international film industry to what he calls a central and influential role.
“It’s not just about fame, but also about building a bigger international platform for Indonesian films, culture and creative talent,” Zong says of his 2028 ambitions.
The move comes at a time when Indonesia’s film industry is generating outstanding local box office revenue but has yet to translate that momentum into consistent international breakthroughs. Zhong has framed the ministry’s response around expanding global distribution and export capacity, expanding access to film festivals for regional filmmakers, and creating more competitive incentive structures, identifying these areas as active policy priorities.
While tax incentives and production rebates are areas where competitors such as South Korea and Thailand are actively working, Zhong acknowledged that Indonesia is still in the process of developing its architecture. “Yes, we recognize that incentives and rebates are becoming increasingly important in the global film industry, especially as countries compete to attract international productions, investments and creative partnerships,” he said, adding that the ministry is studying international models while ensuring that any system has a measurable impact on local talent development and economic value creation. In the meantime, the government has established a matching funding scheme and cooperative financing model designed to strengthen partnerships between Indonesian filmmakers and global industry players. In parallel, the ministry leverages Dana Indonesia Raya, the country’s cultural endowment fund, which supports human resource development, production support, international mobility and festival participation.
Indonesia’s participation in Cannes 2026 is supported by Next Step Studio Indonesia, a talent development and co-production initiative for young filmmakers supported by the Ministry of Culture, the Jakarta Provincial Government, the Embassy of France in Indonesia, and Institut Français Indonesia. This program reflects the bilateral cultural commitments outlined in the Borobudur Declaration between Indonesia and France. Indonesia’s broader Cannes push also builds on momentum from last year’s meeting between President Prabowo Subianto and Emmanuel Macron, where the two leaders reaffirmed their commitment to expanding cultural cooperation. Alongside Next Step Studio Indonesia, the Indonesia-French Film Institute’s institutional partnership with La Fémis and CNC forms the core of the country’s European co-production strategy, with the Netherlands also recognized as an important partner in talent exchange and film education.
This year, Indonesian filmmakers and producers are participating in multiple industry platforms in Cannes, including Cannes Documents, Producers Network, SFC Rendezvous Industry and Sama-Sama Lab Matchmaking Program, as well as expanding their engagement with Critics’ Week and the Annecy Animation Film Festival. Indonesia Cinema Night, held on May 14, aimed to directly connect producers, directors and organizations with international investors, festival programmers and industry partners.
The Department’s regional strategy is similarly wide-ranging. The National Film Talent Management Program, known as MTN, is designed to create structured career paths for local filmmakers and is a clear effort to ensure that Indonesia’s film industry is not concentrated around Jakarta. Zhong emphasizes that geographic inclusiveness is not just a cultural principle, but also a competitive principle. Indonesia is a country of 1,340 ethnic groups, more than 17,000 islands, and 718 local languages representing approximately 10% of the world’s linguistic heritage, and Zhong argues that the richness of the region’s storytelling is precisely what sets Indonesian cinema apart internationally.
“The more authentic the story, the more universal its emotional resonance,” he says. Regarding the question of whether local cultural specificity is inconsistent with global marketability, he rejects that framework entirely. These two goals, he argues, are mutually reinforcing.
Zong sees the current generation of Indonesian filmmakers as proof of that. She points to a group that is increasingly willing to engage with social, political, environmental, and historical material, such as identity, inequality, urbanization, and gender, with honesty and nuance. “What we are witnessing now is the emergence of a generation of filmmakers who are technically skilled, globally connected and at the same time culturally rooted,” he says. “This combination will give Indonesian cinema a stronger voice both domestically and internationally.”
Regarding streaming, Zhong rejects the framework of platforms as a threat to theatrical culture, instead describing them as complementary. While streaming has expanded access to Indonesian stories and connected local content with younger and international audiences, movie theaters remain culturally unique and collective spaces that maintain the communal aspects of film as an art form, he says. He added that the ministry’s priority is to create a balanced ecosystem where both can grow in parallel.
The rapid rise of microdrama, short-form storytelling and the creator economy has caught Zhong’s attention, especially given Indonesia’s status as one of Asia’s most dynamic digital markets. He believes this format is a real entry point for emerging talent. When it comes to artificial intelligence, his position is cautious. “AI is both an opportunity and a challenge, and our responsibility is to ensure that technology strengthens, rather than undermines, the creative ecosystem,” he says. While improvements in efficiency in editing, subtitling, visual development and production logistics are welcome, he argues that technology must support, not replace, the human creative labor that defines film’s cultural value. The ministry is developing a policy framework to protect creative workers and intellectual property as well as innovation, he said.
Looking ahead five years, Zorn’s benchmark for success is concrete. Indonesian films and series consistently appear at major international festivals, wider global distribution, and Indonesia serving as an attractive production hub for international collaborations. This is due not only to its landscape and market size, but also to the strength of its creative talent and cultural depth. He similarly argues that growth needs to remain inclusive, reaching regional creators and independent voices alongside large-scale commercial productions.
“If we can consistently build that ecosystem, Indonesia will not just be a participant in the global screen industry, but an important and influential contributor to the global screen industry,” he says.
