Shining a Light on Indonesian Children’s Movies1 min read
Reading Time: < 1 minuteWhile the months long Hollywood movie drought may soon be over, there is another type of film that has been in short supply for much longer – local children’s movies.
Each year, there are, on average, only one or two local movies that are produced specifically for children. Andra Fembriarto, a filmmaker who has worked on numerous projects aimed at kids, said the lack of quality children’s entertainment was alarming. He believes most Indonesian kids grow up watching inappropriate shows like sinetron (soap operas) or foreign kids’ programs.
Andra said watching local movies was important for children to learn to be proud of their national identity.
“If there were a lot of Indonesian children’s movies, children could be proud of their country,” he said. “Later in life, they wouldn’t feel the need to buy foreign products all the time.”
Andra and a group of like-minded filmmakers decided that they needed an event to highlight the importance of children’s movies. In 2009, they launched the annual Goelali Children’s Film Festival.
