Jakarta Vice Governor Rano Karno held bilateral meetings with Hong Kong delegation and representatives of the Busan International Film Festival (BIFF) from South Korea on the sidelines of the 2025 Cannes Film Festival.

The meetings aimed to explore strategic cooperation with the film industries of the two countries.

"The Jakarta Provincial Government is initiating the establishment of Jakarta Film Commission as a concrete form of our support for the national film industry, which will be equipped with various incentives, simplified licensing processes, and other supporting facilities," he said on Saturday (5/17).

His meeting with Hong Kong delegation was directly with the Chairman of the Hongkong Film Development Board, Dr. Wilfred Wong, who was accompanied by Assistant Commissioner of Hong Kong Government's Cultural and Creative Industries Development Agency, Mr. Gary Mak. Also present at the meeting were a number of partners and officials of the Hong Kong Government. 

In the meeting, Rano expressed his interest in learning more about the Hong Kong Government's policies to strengthen the creative industry ecosystem.

Several key issues caught his attention, including youth engagement programs in the film and creative industries; affordable cinema ticket policies to expand public access to films; strategic initiatives to build Hong Kong's image and identity as a creative industry hub in Asia; and support for industry players to participate in international film festivals to expand networks and global exposure.

Chairman of the Hong Kong Film Development Council and veteran actor Wilfred Wong welcomed the Jakarta Provincial Government's initiative to collaboratively build a creative film ecosystem. 

He noted that the Hong Kong government has successfully established a dynamic creative environment within its film industry.

This success includes the First Feature Film Initiative (FFFI) program which provides financing and mentoring for budding filmmakers, as well as the Film Production Financing Scheme 2.0 scheme which aims to strengthen the capacity of local creators.

In addition to meeting with the Hong Kong delegation, Rano also held discussions with Ellen Y.D. Kim, Director of the Asian Contents & Film Market (ACFM) at the Busan International Film Festival (BIFF).

During the meeting, Ellen welcomed the idea of concrete collaboration offered by Vice Governor Rano in the form of film co-productions between Busan and Jakarta.

She also extended an invitation to the Jakarta Provincial Government to visit the Busan Film Center in South Korea. 

According to her, Busan has proven itself as one of the most dynamic global film centers in Asia. 

Since being designated a UNESC O Creative City of Film in 2014, Busan has continued to demonstrate inspirational leadership in the global creative industry. 

Since being declared as UNESCO Creative City of Film in 2014, the city continues to show inspiring leadership in the global creative industry.

"Jakarta, as the largest metropolitan city in Southeast Asia, is actively promoting the growth of the national film sector. Collaboration with leading film cities like Busan is expected to provide strategic value in strengthening the national film ecosystem and opening up broader opportunities for global cooperation," she said.