Jakarta (ANTARA) - The cultural endowment fund Dana Indonesiana is the government's initiative to help local filmmakers go international, the Education, Culture, Research, and Technology Ministry said here on Wednesday.The matching fund is meant to support collaboration between local filmmakers and foreign partners, the ministry's public policy expertAlexander Sihar Purnawansaid at an Asian Academy of Creative Arts event. "This program is aimed at increasing the exposure for our filmmakers by inviting them to make co-production projects with foreign partners," Purnawan added. Under the matching fund program, the government will provide funds after filmmakers establish cooperation with partners from abroad. The program is planned to be held this year and will target documentary and feature filmmakers. Purnawan informed that filmmakers from other categories will also be eligible for the matching fund. He said he believes that the initiative will help introduce Indonesian filmmakers to foreign audiences, increase the capacity of filmmakers, and promote Indonesian films on international screens as a form of cultural diplomacy. Dana Indonesiana was introduced by the ministry at the 2023 Cannes Film Festival in May. "Under the Kampus Merdeka (Freedom in Campus program), the matching fund scheme has proven successful in supporting the creation of various projects between higher education institutions and partners," Education, Culture, Research, and Technology Minister Nadiem Makarim pointed out. ccording to Makarim, it is also time for transforming government funding for cultural advancement efforts. Later this month, the ministry will announce the Dana Indonesiana mechanism and technicalities for filmmakers. Dana Indonesiana is aimed at helping cultural actors channel their expressions and develop their craft as well as make achievements. Under its policy of easy grant of funding, cultural actors can submit their ideas and innovations and ask for facility assistance. The gross domestic product (GDP) of Indonesia's film, animation, and video sub-sector grew 6.31 percent to reach Rp2.69 trillion (US$178.6 million) in 2021.
Source: Antara News Agency