From a contracted market to an expanding horizon: an analysis of Indonesia’s film production chain and accessibility

Abstract

ABSTRACT Indonesia’s film industry presents the case of shifting power dynamics in its production chain; throughout its production, distribution, and exhibition sectors. For most of the decades the industry experienced a contracted market, only expanding recently in the 2010s. In order to explain this shifting market and power dynamics, the paper examines the impacts of internal and external pressures during and after the New Order Government (1966–1998). This framework bridges the gap in connecting past structural problems of Indonesia’s film industry with its current situation. The paper also focuses on Indonesia’s film distribution sector, which has withdrawn from its ideal function beyond recognition, but its significance remains intact. The results show that restrictive internal pressures contracted the market, whereas constructive internal pressures laid structural foundations for optimizing external pressures of liberalization and digitalization to expand the market. Meanwhile, film distribution plays an important role in developing the industry by increasing financial and logistical accessibility.