The Bali International Film Festival, also known as Balinale, is set to gather film industry professionals on Sept. 22-23 for the first BalinaleX Film Forum, an event focused on the commercial aspects of Indonesia’s film industry.
The forum aims to discuss the country’s visual entertainment eco-system by inviting stakeholders from government, creative, as well as commercials sectors to convene prior to the film festival, which is slated to open on Sept. 24.
“Indonesia has the potential to be a great location for the production of films and television series. It has experienced professionals, spectacular locations and an improving investment climate for the creative industries,” said Balinale founder Deborah Gabinetti as quoted in a statement released earlier this month.
Experts confirmed for BalinaleX include Cinemaxx Group CEO Gerald V. Dibbayawan; the Office of the Coordinating Economic Minister’s undersecretary for the creative economy, entrepreneurship and SME competitiveness, Rudy Salahuddin; and SD Darmono, chairman of Jababeka Group.
Meanwhile, attending international film industry players include, Hollywood-based producer Jay Stern, Donna Smith from Universal Pictures and former TV executive Vicki Horwits of the NBC Network, as well as Sir Richard Branson, who is set to speak by video link.
Following the forum, the festival will run until Sept. 30 at Cinemaxx Lippo Mall Kuta in Bali and set to feature 108 films from 42 countries.
Balinale 2017 is also slated to launch its In Competition category with a jury headed by Mexico-based Australian writer-director Michael Rowe, who has previously won the Cannes Film Festival’s Camera d’Or and Venice Days Award.
Jury panel members include Jeane Huang from Taiwan, who is a former director of the Taipei Film Festival, chief consultant for the Taiwan Arts Council and president of Core Cultural Management; as well as Erwin Arnada, the Indonesian director behind the 2012 film Rumah di Seribu Ombak (House at the Thousand Waves).
As many as 21 films have been chosen for the competition, which include six feature films, six documentaries and nine short films. (liz/asw)
Balinale 2017’s In Competition films:
Narrative
- Almacenados (Mexico)
- Blank 13 (Japan)
- Bluebeard (South Korea)
- Moss (United States)
- Cold of Kalandar (Turkey, Hungary)
- Novitiate (United States)
Documentary
- Nokas (Indonesia)
- The Cinema Travelers (India)
- Hush (Indonesia)
- AlphaGo (Unites States)
- A Plastic Ocean (UK)
- Don’t Look Down (UK)
Short Films
- Jonah (Austria, Italy)
- Parasite (Hungary)
- Supot (the Philippines)
- Nameless Boy (Indonesia)
- Trespass (Australia)
- White House (Iran)
- The Servant (Iran)
- Ascension (Portugal)
- Love (Netherlands)