Fajarasia.co – The Speaker of the Indonesian House of Representatives, Puan Maharani, supports the Horror Sedap film that was chosen to represent Indonesia at the 2023 Academy Awards. She prays that Bene Dion’s film can make an achievement in the Oscars competition.
“I congratulate the filmmakers who have worked in total and I hope that the Horror Sedap film is able to win an award at the 2023 Oscars,” said Puan, Wednesday (14/9/2022).
The Horror Sedap film is ready to compete for the Best International Feature Film award category at the 95th Academy Awards which will be held in March. One of the Oscar nominations is held annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences by giving awards to feature films that are screened outside the United States.
Indonesia itself has sent representatives in this category since 1987. Nagabonar was the first film to be sent to participate in the Oscar nomination.
However, until now, Indonesia has never won an award in the Best International Feature Film Academy Awards category. Puan hopes that the horror film can break the history of Indonesia at this prestigious event.
“Moreover, the film Horror Sedap has a family theme with a Batak cultural background that represents one of the ethnic groups in Indonesia,” said the first woman who served as Chair of the Indonesian House of Representatives.
Puan herself is one of the national figures who continues to support the progress of cinema in the country. He even had a role in the film Nagabonar Reborn as a cameo.
“The DPR RI is committed to supporting the progress of Indonesian films by competing in prestigious international film competitions,” said Puan.
One of the supports given by the DPR RI for Indonesian films is through budget functions, such as the budget allocation for the Cultural Endowment Fund, known as the Indonesiana Fund. This program is in accordance with the mandate of Law no. 5 of 2017 and the Cultural Strategic Agenda and Presidential Decree No. 111 Year 2021.
The total principal funds used in Dana Indonesiaa are Rp. 3 trillion, and those used in 2022 are Rp. 185 billion. Puan said the Indonesiana Fund was allocated to support the development of Indonesian arts, culture and film.
“The DPR RI hopes that Dana Indonesiana can encourage the expansion of public access to funding sources to strengthen public involvement in the cultural promotion ecosystem so that Indonesian culture gets recognition so that it can be passed on to the next generation from generation to generation,” he said.
Dana Indonesiana is also expected to create inclusive spaces, encourage community initiatives, document knowledge/maestros, encourage people to create innovative creative works, utilize public space, and strengthen cultural diplomacy.
“The Indonesian film industry continues to grow, even during the Covid-19 pandemic, filmmakers continue to work and innovate amidst the challenges of restricting people’s mobility. It is the State’s obligation to continue to provide support,” said Puan.
The former Coordinating Minister for Human Development and Culture also highlighted how digital platforms are an alternative medium for filmmakers to display their best works. In fact, one of the films by Indonesian filmmakers entitled ‘Yuni’ was awarded the Platform Prize at the 2021 Toronto International Film Festival.
Therefore, Puan assessed that support from all elements of the nation is needed, so that films made by the nation’s children are able to win awards in the international arena.
“Of course, this includes support from the community. We must respect the copyrighted works of Indonesian filmmakers by watching or accessing them through official or legal channels,” appealed the grandson of the Indonesian Proclaimer Bung Karno.
“This is at the same time a means of proving that Indonesian human resources in the creative industry, the film industry are of superior quality and capable of being competitive at the global level. The DPR RI fully supports the creative ideas and works of the nation’s children which are realized through films,” concluded Puan.
