Jakarta Community Stories Ready to be Shared Through Anthology Book
JAKARTA - Stories of the people of Jakarta will be shared through the anthology book "Searching for Jakarta Stories Vol. 1". The making of this book was initiated by the DKI Jakarta Provincial Government together with Wahana Edukasi.
The book is in the form of a manuscript bank obtained from the results of the curation of the Jakarta Finding Stories program, to confirm Jakarta's vision as a City of Cinema. Its contents are born from the experiences of its citizens, the life of the city spaces, and the social dynamics that shape the identity of the city today.
The Jakarta Story Search program began by inviting nearly 50 writers to visit historical locations in Jakarta. Starting from Onrust Island, Cipir Island, Glodok, Old Town, Istiqlal, and the Cathedral.
They also visited more modern locations such as SCBD and Blok M, and were equipped with film writing classes by Gina S. Noer, Salman Aristo, and Arif Ashidiq. The writing was then revised and carefully curated before finally some writers with selected stories were included in the anthology book.
The launch of this anthology book proves that Jakarta should not just be a location for film and serial productions. Jakarta grows not only from physical development, but also from the social, cultural, and creativity of the people who live in it.
At the soft launching event for the Anthology Book Searching Jakarta Vol. 1, Deputy Governor of DKI Jakarta, Rano Karno, said that this program was a creative idea from the experiences of its citizens. It is also said to make it easier for licensing and film production needs in Jakarta in the future.
"The Jakarta Story Search Program is in line with the DKI Jakarta Provincial Government's initiative through 'Filming in Jakarta', a one-stop service to facilitate licensing and film production needs in Jakarta," said Rano Karno, at Taman Ismail Marzuki, in Jakarta, written on Monday, December 15, 2025.
"On the other hand, the Jakarta Finding Stories program provides creative ideas that come from the experiences of its citizens. With the presence of these two initiatives, the creative process in Jakarta becomes more complete," he added.
Meanwhile, the complete content of "Searching for Jakarta Stories Vol. 1" about a series of short stories that capture Jakarta from a perspective that is rarely seen on screen. The stories in it present a portrait of the city through everyday life, small encounters in public spaces, tracing the traces of memories in the midst of city modernity, to how humans navigate Jakarta with different identities and experiences.
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