Minister of Culture Opens the Door for Indonesian Films to Enter the Chinese Market

JAKARTA - Indonesia is beginning to target a larger space in the Chinese film market. Minister of Culture Fadli Zon met with the China Film Administration or CFA in Beijing, Monday, April 27, to discuss film cooperation between the two countries, ranging from festivals, film weeks, technical cooperation, to joint production opportunities.

The meeting is important because China is not a small market. The CFA said its film industry produces more than 1,000 titles every year. Its domestic film share reaches 83 percent. The number of movie screens in China is also more than 93,000, with an additional 2,200 new screens by 2025.

Fadli assessed that the scale opened up opportunities for Indonesian films. Moreover, the national film industry is also growing. In 2025, Indonesia produced more than 250 films. The number of local film audiences reached more than 80 million, or about 67 percent of the domestic market.

According to Fadli, the achievements of the two countries can be the basis for more concrete cooperation. Indonesia and China have previously pioneered film cooperation since 2017. However, this cooperation needs to be updated to match the changes in the current industry.

"The cooperation between Indonesian and Chinese films needs to continue to be strengthened as an instrument of cultural diplomacy as well as to present a common narrative that can reach regional and global audiences," said Fadli in a written statement received in Jakarta, Tuesday, April 28.

The Ministry of Culture said that cooperation would be directed at several agendas. Among them is the participation of Indonesian filmmakers in film festivals in China, the holding of the Indonesia-China Film Week in 2027, technical cooperation between industry actors, and joint production.

The joint production will be directed at a story that raises the closeness of Indonesian-Chinese history and culture. In that way, cooperation does not stop at the exchange of events, but can enter the production and distribution chain.

The meeting was attended by CFA officials, including Executive Deputy Director-General Mao Yu, Director of Import Division Jiang Xiaoling, Director of Art Division Zhong Minglan, Director of International Division Xu Yang, Deputy Director of International Division Zhang Yahui, and Staff of International Division Zhang Shuo.

From the Indonesian side, Fadli was accompanied by the Expert Staff of the Minister for Economic and Cultural Industries, Anindita Kusuma Listya, and the Special Staff of the Minister for Household and Protocol, Rachmanda Primayuda.