The Rise of Indonesia's Entertainment Industry
VIEW EVENT DETAILSU.S.-Asia Entertainment Summit
Join Asia Society Southern California and studio executive Wicky V. Olindo, director Angga Dwimas Sasongko and actor Raline Shah for a discussion on the growth of the entertainment industry in Southeast Asia in general and the Indonesian market specifically. They will share their perspectives on how the increased attention from international streaming giants and studios, as well as the growth of the domestic box office, will impact the local creative industry. Furthermore, they will discuss the cross-cultural influences shaping local content across the region. This program will be moderated by award-winning film producer, Shanty Harmyn.
Panelists:
Angga Dwimas Sasongko began his career as a film director and produced his first feature film when he was only 19 years old. Sasongko founded Visinema Pictures in 2008 with the vision of balancing the idealism of filmmaking with the need to ensure commercial profitability. His forward thinking in storytelling and IP development is reflected in his critically acclaimed film, Filosofi Kopi ("Coffee Philosophy" based upon the novel by the same name), becoming a movie franchise and coffee retail business. The lifestyle brand has made an indelible impact on Indonesian coffee culture.
In 12 years under Sasongko's visionary leadership, Visinema has grown from a production house to an entertainment and technology company. Today, Visinema has capability in end-to-end supply chain from content creation to distribution platforms and retail consumer. Visinema has received numerous awards and recognitions including winning Best Picture in Festival Film Indonesia and setting the Indonesian Box Office record in 2020 with Nanti Kita Cerita Tentang Hari Ini which sold more than 2.2 million tickets.
Raline Shah was born in Jakarta, Indonesia and grew up in Singapore and Malaysia. She is widely known for her versatility as an actor and public figure. Her unique pan-asian features and fluency in both English and Bahasa have enabled her to take on a wealth of diverse roles as well as characters close to her traditional Indonesian roots.
Shah has garnered international praise for her work in Indonesia and, after moving to Los Angeles, she continues to develop a thriving career in America. In 2015, Raline won Best Supporting Actress at the Bandung International Film Festival for her role in Surga Yang Tak Dirindukan and was nominated for Best Supporting Actress at the Indonesia Film Festival that same year. Outside of film, Raline has developed a notable theater repertoire, most recently starring in the famed folklore work Timun Mas: The Musical.
Wicky V. Olindo is Co-Founder and CEO of Screenplay Films, a company partnered with leading media group EMTEK. Olindo is one of Indonesia’s most influential film producers. Throughout his career, he has had a constant stream of successful box office movies. He strives to raise the visibility of Indonesian films on the global stage by producing films that can travel internationally.
Under Screenplay Infinite, a JV with Infinity Studios, he produced “Headshot” which was officially selected in the Toronto International Film Festival. Under the same label, he produced Indonesia’s first Netflix Original “The Night Comes for Us” that was world premiered at Fantastic Fest.
Olindo's latest venture is with Bumilangit Studios, forming Screenplay Bumilangit, that produced “Gundala” which was also officially selected at the Toronto International Film Festival. "Gundala" is the opening movie of the Bumilangit Cinematic Universe, Indonesia’s first comic based superhero movie franchise.
Moderator:
Shanty Harmayn is an Indonesian film producer based in Jakarta. She has been in the film industry for more than 20 years. She is currently the Chief Executive of BASE ENTERTAINMENT, a Jakarta and Singapore based film studio with focus on development, financing, production and distribution.
BASE’s most recent films are Joko Anwar’s Impetigore (2019) which premiered at Sundance 2020 and was last year’s one of Indonesia’s Top 10 highest grossing films and a Netflix Original film Crazy Awesome Teacher premiered in August 2020. BASE’s current International co-productions projects are Trese, a Netflix Original Animated Series based on a popular Filipino graphic novel series by Budjette Tan and Kajo Baldissimo and The East (De Oost) a war drama by Dutch award winning director, Jim Taihuttu, a co-production with New Amsterdam Film Company.
Harmayn has produced award winning Indonesian films such as: Sang Penari (The Dancer) in 2011 by Ifa Isfansyah - Best Indonesian Film 2011 and Indonesia’s Foreign Language entry to Academy Awards 2012; The Photograph a film by one of Indonesia’s leading female director, Nan Achnas - Special Jury Prize at Karlovy Vary International Film Festival 2008.
Click here for more programs on the 2020 U.S.-Asia Entertainment Summit.