Ministries Disagree Over Film Import Priorities1 min read
Reading Time: < 1 minuteWith major movies still missing from Indonesia’s screens, the Finance Ministry and the Culture and Tourism Ministry are at odds over whether or not the to address the lack of competition in the import of films.
Bambang Permadi Brodjonegoro, the head of fiscal affairs at the Finance Ministry, said the near-monopoly held by the country’s main film importers needed to end.
“Two film importers handle six major studios,” Bambang said. “We should ask the major studios, such as Walt Disney Pictures, Sony Pictures, Paramount Pictures and 20th Century Fox to open a representative office in Indonesia.”
He added that an alternative solution would be to make sure all major studios use a separate local business partner.
The Finance Ministry’s Directorate General of Customs recently granted a new foreign-film importing license to Omega Film. However, that company is believed to be related to major cinema chain 21 Cineplex.
