Support FFWI 2023, Helfi Kardit: Film Festival Ibarat Vitamin Bagi Sineas Dan Industri

Helfi Kardit (Puput Puji/VOI)

JAKARTA - Director and producer of Helroad Production, Helfi Kardit, provided support for the implementation of the 2023 Indonesian Journalist Film Festival. In the 2023 FFWI Jury socialization, Helfi called the film festival a vitamin for filmmakers.

"Film festivals are like vitamins for filmmakers because they will come into contact with filmmakers from different parts of the world and see firsthand how their work is appreciated by audiences with different cultural backgrounds," said Helfi on Wednesday, May 25.

Film Ahead of Maghrib or Before Night Falls for its international title, has participated in a competition for prestigious international film awards specifically for films with horror genres in Barcelona, Spain, in November 2022.

Although not yet the winner at the Molinan Horror Film Festival, or better known as Terror Molinans, Helfi admits that the experience of participating in film festivals since 2007 has wide open up opportunities for his production house to build networks with international industry players, especially buyers and film distributors.

Through the festival, we can do research and learn a lot about quality works, how to manage or get funding, even about how the world film market actually moves. This will strengthen our film ecosystem and encourage the growth of the national film industry," said Helfi.

Helfi is an Indonesian filmmaker who continuously improves the quality of his works by participating in various film festivals to the international level.

"Reluctibility to participate in festivals and focus on commercial profits is a mindset that should have been abandoned by our filmmakers. We cannot stem the flow of information where people can enjoy various films from all over the world in various ways and they can self-assess the quality of their selected films," he explained. a series of 21 journalists covering cultural news, films, music and art in national media spread across various cities in Indonesia following online and offline from the Office Building of the Directorate of Film, Music and Media of the Ministry of Education and Culture, Research and Technology in Jakarta. The socialization event is a series of activities towards the 13th FFWI which will be held on October 27, 2023.

The members of the Initial Jury will assess national films that are shown in theaters and streaming or OTT services during the judging period from October 1, 2022 to September 30, 2023.

Other resource persons in the socialization activity were Rita Sri Hastuti, a senior journalist and administrator of the Film Censorship Institute, film critic Daniel Irawan, and Susi Ivvaty, senior journalist and founder of alif.id who is also active as a Lisan Traditionist. Sources highlight the uniqueness of FFWI which gives awards to four film genres at once, namely the drama, horror, comedy, and match genres.

Helfi added that domestic festivals are currently an effective means of introducing a work to the world, because participation in festivals is an indication that the work is not only in demand by its audience or has commercial benefits, but also has good quality.

"I hope that more domestic film festivals will focus on genres like FFWI, especially today where horror films are of concern to the world and have high opportunities to be distributed around the world," he added.