With a huge local market and growing production power, the Indonesian film industry has enormous potential. In recent times, Indonesian films, directors, actors, and other industry professionals are becoming more well-known around the world, not in small part due to a more integrated regional and global distribution network and web-based streaming services such as Netflix. Could films be utilised as a soft-power tool to increase Indonesia’s influence in regional and global cultural scenes? Furthermore, what are some of the market trends that may define the growth of the industry in the coming years?

To discuss recent trends in the Indonesian film industry, I speak with Associate Professor Thomas Barker from University of Nottingham Malaysia Campus.