Indonesia's Film Agency chief aims to boost global box office presence

Fauzan Zidni attends Cannes this year as the newly elected head of the Indonesian Film Agency (BPI) with a program featured in Critics’ Week, marking the agency's first official participation at the festival.

“Next Step Studio Indonesia” — a collection of four short films by Indonesian creators, collaborating with talents from Malaysia, Singapore, the Philippines, and Myanmar, produced by Yulia Evina Bhara and Amerta Kusuma at KawanKawan Media and co-produced by Dominique Welinski, the architect and curator of the program — makes its debut at Critics’ Week. It is the first Cannes initiative funded entirely by Indonesian resources.

As Zidni defines it, the statement reveals that the future of Indonesian cinema cannot depend solely on the determination of individual producers. “Indonesia stands out as one of the few film industries globally where domestic films regularly surpass Hollywood productions,” he notes. “We have the viewers. What we need is to establish the link between these audiences and the global film industry. That is the mission for the coming four years.”

Domestic films claimed about 67% of the Indonesian box office in 2025, with 2026 demonstrating a similar trend. Zidni is focused on bridging the divide between this local success and persistent international invisibility — a gap he attributes to the lack of financial frameworks, legal systems, and distribution networks.

“We currently do not have organisations like the CNC in France, KOFIC in Korea, or IMDA in Singapore,” he elaborates, referencing the public film bodies of those nations.

“These are entities whose structures support ambition by funding it upfront, not merely rewarding it after success is achieved. Until we establish such structures, ambitious films must be pieced together from multiple smaller elements. This approach is tiring and, critically, not scalable.”

BPI is exploring bilateral co-production agreements with France and Korea, building on a deal signed with the Netherlands at JAFF Market in 2024. “A treaty transforms more than just paperwork,” Zidni explains. “It alters the way costs are divided, rights are organised, and which national funds Indonesian films can access.”

The agency also supports a matching-fund mechanism recently reinstated by the Indonesian Ministry of Culture, allowing films that secure international funding to receive matching government aid. Zidni predicts this will boost both the quantity and scale of international co-productions in two to three years.

Domestically, the situation is more complex. Indonesia has roughly 2,200 screens for its 287 million citizens, primarily located in Java, with one exhibitor controlling approximately 60% of the market.

“Even our biggest local successes don't reach their full potential,” Zidni notes. “And smaller films — those that grow through word of mouth — often lack adequate opportunity for exposure.”

Zidni's experience at the Walt Disney Company, where he managed original productions in Indonesia from 2022 to 2024, reinforced a belief he now applies on a national scale.

“The key takeaway, particularly after global streaming services pulled back from commissioning Southeast Asian originals in early 2024, is that we cannot rely on others to manage our distribution network.”

Zidni is straightforward about the legislative changes he sees as the agency's most significant long-term challenge. BPI is pushing for amendments to Indonesia’s Film Law, which Zidni expects the Ministry of Culture to propose to parliament during this legislative term.

“The policy initiatives we pursue now won't yield immediate results,” he states. “But if we're successful, Indonesia will gain, for the first time, a well-defined legal and financial framework for international co-production, an enhanced institutional role for BPI akin to CNC, a designated national film fund, and a regulatory climate that views the film industry as a strategic creative sector rather than a mere administrative issue.”

Specifically for Cannes 2026, Zidni aims to establish a distinctive Cannes Film Market presence for future delegations and lay the foundation for international scholarship and residency collaborations.

“If Cannes 2026 initiates two or three meaningful co-production negotiations, creates a sustainable Marché du Film presence, and starts credible institutional engagements with European and Asian funds, that’s the outcome we desire,” he remarks. “The agreements we seek will materialise in 2027 and 2028.”