FOREWORD FESTIVAL BOARD
Celebrate Film, Celebrate Life
Jakarta and Cinema. Both need each other, complement each other. The two are intertwined and offer a lot to explore. It is time for the two of them to be in synergy again and bring benefits for all, in the form of an international film festival, something that has been missing and many people have missed for a long time.
On the one hand, Jakarta is the heart of the nation’s cultural arts, and one of the focal points of Cosmopolitan conversations. It is also a blend of the modern and the traditional, the global and the local, a hub where all vital interests and passions, as well as the dynamics of interactions and transactions, be it social, cultural, to financial take place.
On the other hand, the film festival serves as a platform for film celebrations for all. The meeting center for all film stakeholders and counterparts. This is where the entire film ecosystem gathers to come together, both domestic and overseas: filmmakers, distributors, exhibitors, film critics, and journalists, to the audience.
If the two meet, of course, it will become a discourse and an instrument that can optimize Jakarta residents, Indonesian citizens, and the global community. It is the moment for Jakarta to have another international-class film festival. This film festival will renew and enrich Jakarta’s cultural identity. Just as other big and important cities that have their own film festivals, Jakarta has the potential to become a center of joy and celebration for all parties, Indonesia and the world, celebrating film and life.
And why not start now, during the pandemic? In addition to recording the actions of filmmakers in Indonesia and the world in this difficult time, of course, it will also document the milestone and achievements despite all limitations, and bring together various elements of film. And of course, it also captures the modern spirit and tradition, local and global, which has been and is currently taking place in Jakarta.
Let’s celebrate film, let’s celebrate life.
Ekky Imanjaya
Festival Board
FOREWORD FESTIVAL BOARD
The Jakarta Film Week (JFW) is an international-scale film festival initiated by the Jakarta Provincial Tourism and Creative Economy Office in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic, as well as in the era of rapidly developing cinema technology and media. JFW is a space that captures the growth of curious creators in the world of cinema in this day and age. Through JFW, Jakarta is expected to become the epicenter of the Indonesian cinema industry that functions as a motor for the development of the cinema industry in other cities across Indonesia. Almost 70% of Indonesian cinema production facilities and equipment are located in the city of Jakarta, which potentially makes Jakarta the CAPITAL OF CINEMA. Jakarta gave birth to the history and figures of Indonesian cinema, and it is the forerunner of formal film education. The education and industry spaces grow side by side and even intersect in the city of Jakarta. This condition gives JFW the opportunity to become a transitional space between the worlds of education and industry. As an international-scale festival, JFW is expected to be the driving force for the birth of a new generation of Indonesian cinema professionals through an international competition program that also attracts other participating countries such as Malaysia, the Philippines, India, Japan, Italy, Egypt, South Korea, Afghanistan. Talks and Community, and Masterclass are discussion programs that can also be attended by professionals.
Andhy Pulung
Festival Board