July 11, 2023
JAKARTA – The government inaugurated Jababeka Movieland, a special zone designated for the film and television industry, in Cikarang, West Java, on Saturday.
Tourism and Creative Economy Minister Sandiaga Uno said the zone would help boost the country’s film and television industry, as well having a significant impact on the local economy and job creation.
“With this infrastructure, we hope it can expediate the development of our film industry,” Sandiaga said in a statement on Saturday.
The zone has been developed for the past 18 years with an investment totaling US$3.5 billion, according to publicly listed PT Jababeka, with each hectare of the site requiring around $100 million.
Founder and chairman of Jababeka Setyono Djuandi Darmono said the area would support film-shooting needs, which filmmakers often find difficult in other areas.
The company will gradually develop more facilities to support the film production, he said, including apartments, hotels, a commercial area, hospital and a golf course.
Parts of the facility would use the word “Hollywood” in their names, such as Hollywood Junction, Hollywood Plaza and Hollywood Boulevard, in reference to the home of movie-making in the United States.
“Now, Jababeka Movieland has become a choice for the film industry, especially for production houses in making either television movies, feature films, soap operas or advertisements,” Darmono said, as quoted in Bisnis.com.
Movieland is expected to become an integrated film and television industry center that provides all the facilities of film-study programs, film studios and film theme parks like Universal Studios, the company said.
The inauguration of Jababeka Movieland continued with the signing of four memorandums of understanding (MoUs) with the State Film Production Corporation (Perum PFN), the Indonesian Film Agency (BPI), PT Jababeka and President University.
Minister Sandiaga said the growth of the film industry would boost related industry sectors such as tourism, hospitality and other supporting services.
“This infrastructure not only reduces production costs, which are estimated to amount to 20 percent, it facilitates licensing and increases the welfare and income of filmmakers,” Sandiaga said.
Sandiaga also hoped for collaboration with the local government together with Jababeka Movieland and all film stakeholders.
The government has long sought to improve the film industry, while filmmakers have cited a lack of incentives and complicated regulations as the most prominent obstacles for foreign production houses looking to shoot scenes in Indonesia.
Earlier this year, the government admitted the country lost an opportunity with regard to The Last of Us, a live-action adaptation of the popular video game produced by US TV network HBO and which aired in January. One of the episodes featured Jakarta, but was actually shot in Canada.