WAVES Summit Mumbai, Menbud Fadli Zon: Cultural Economy Key To Growth, Indonesia Ready To Expand Global Collaboration

Minister of Culture Fadli Zon (Doc. Kemenbud)

JAKARTA The Minister of Culture of the Republic of Indonesia, Fadli Zon, attended the 2025 WAVES (World and Audiovisual) Summit which took place on May 1, 2025 in Mumbai, India. This global forum brings together the ministers of culture, industry players, creators, as well as artists and cultural observers from more than 100 countries to discuss the future of the global culture and media industry.

Watching live on various audiovisual platforms, arts and Indian cultural industries featured in this forum, Fadli emphasized that the cultural economy is a strategic force that has a direct impact on the country's economy. India recorded very high film production. In 2024 alone they produced nearly 19,000 films, supported by more than 2,000 television channels, thousands of OTT content, and are even still actively publishing thousands of newspapers. The contribution of all these audiovisual platforms to the Indian economy is huge, showing that the industry and cultural economy have tremendous potential to encourage the growth of a country's GDP," said Fadli.

Fadli also highlighted India's vision to strengthen its position as one of the global entertainment centers. "With a population of more than 1.4 billion people, India's human resource potential is extraordinary. Efforts to make India a powerhouse for the global entertainment industry are strategic steps that will strengthen the position of the Asian region on the world's creative industry stage," he explained. He explained the importance of Indonesia utilizing this momentum to expand cooperation opportunities.

WAVES Summit 2025 was inaugurated by Indian Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, alongside Minister of Information and Broadcasting Shri Arwini Vaishnaw, Maharashtra Chairman Shri Devendra Fadnavis, business and philanthropic figure Mukesh Ambani, as well as Indian film industry legends such as Shah Rukh Khan, Amir Khan, and Amitabh Bachchan. The Forum also marks the launch of new institutions such as the Indian Institute of Creative Technology (IICT) in Mumbai to prepare 43 million young creators to be ready to enter industry, with the support of seven major technology companies such as Apple, Google, Meta, and Microsoft.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his remarks emphasized that the creative, cultural, and content industry is the main pillar of the future economy, with India's power of story and creativity ready to go global. Meanwhile, Mukesh Amani in his speech also mentioned that India's entertainment industry, which is currently worth more than USD 28 billion, is projected to grow to USD 100 billion in the next decade, creating millions of new jobs and encouraging the emergence of various sub-sectors.

Fadli emphasized that for Indonesia, participation in this forum is an important opportunity to strengthen cross-border creative cooperation. Content moves faster than any commodity. Cultural collaboration can expand the creative market, strengthen the national creative ecosystem, and bring Indonesia's narrative to be increasingly recognized and appreciated on the global stage," concluded Fadli.