Ekrafest 2024 is Festive, Support Local Films and Creative Products at Sarinah

Kapanlagi.com - The first day of Ekrafest 2024 was lively! This year, Ekrafest comes with more exciting collaborations. Among its activities are Ekrafs Talk, an inspiring discussion session with creative economy figures; Ekrafs Market, an exhibition and sales space for local creative products; Film Spot and Game Spot, areas to enjoy film works and interactive games; as well as Ekrafs Concert & Show featuring music and arts festivals.

Ekrafest 2024, organized by the National Creative Economy Movement (Gekrafs) on October 24-25 at Sarinah, Jakarta, commemorates National Creative Economy Day, which falls on October 24, in accordance with Ministerial Decree No.SK/98/UM.02.00/MK/2023. On this first day, visitors can enjoy various exciting activities presented at Sarinah.

The first session opened a discussion about the film industry with an interesting story from Rizal Mantovani about the making of the film Adagium, which raises the theme of nationalism. Rizal shared his shooting experience with the military. "Wow, it was exciting during the shooting process when we asked for help and supervision from the military. They assisted us in terms of equipment, locations, and technical aspects, especially since weapons are complicated, right?" he said.

According to Rizal, the military also helped with research and accompanied the shooting process, which was very helpful in realizing this film project. "They have helped from the research process." So when we were making the story, we asked them a lot, we asked more than they explained. When it came to shooting, we didn't ask anymore because it was time for research. It was more about assistance," explained Rizal Mantovani.

After the action film discussion session, the audience was invited to see the production process from Rumah Produksi Anak Bangsa Pictures, which is currently working on a comedy-drama film titled Makelar Doa. Producer Harry Pole explained, "The comedy-drama that we will make is not silly comedy. But we try to package it with a story about social issues in Indonesia with a refreshing comedic touch." This film is scheduled to be released in 2025.

1. First Collaboration

credit: Special

The film Makelar Doa is also the first collaboration of Gekrafs. “This is the first film of Gekrafs with the main star played by Ferry Ardiansyah, who is an actor as well as the Chairman of the DPP Gekrafs for events, a religious comedy film that is full of life meaning,” said Arifin, Associate Producer who is also the Secretary General of DPP Gekrafs.

The discussion that day concluded with a discussion of the film Tebusan Dosa, a horror film directed by Yosep Anggi Noen. This film, starring Happy Salma and Putri Marino, addresses the issues of underprivileged families that are under social pressure. Yosep explained, “This film tells the story of a mother who loses her child in a tragic accident. She searches for her child with the help of a horror podcast and a researcher from Japan. Exploring themes of loss and dark secrets, this film also discusses a person's efforts to reconcile with their past. So you could say this film is very complex.”

On the other hand, Kawendra Lukistian, the Chairman of DPP Gekrafs, expressed his pride in the implementation of Ekrafest at Sarinah. “Wow, today’s event is really amazing. Alhamdulillah we can hold Ekrafest 2024 at Sarinah and of course, this becomes an extraordinary spot, this is a historic spot because Sarinah has been one of the retailers that has supported the creative economy extraordinarily since its establishment. Hopefully this can become a national historical milestone and a legacy for us together with the creative economy actors, as well as a celebration for the creative economy actors in Indonesia,” said Kawendra.

2. Target of Thousands of Visitors

The Chairman of the Ekrafest 2024 Committee, Abcandra Akbar Supratman, who is also the youngest Deputy Chairman of the MPR in Indonesia's history, aims for thousands of visitors during the event. “Ekrafest 2024 is expected to attract visitors and simultaneously encourage local creative economy SMEs to develop their creative products. We target 15 thousand visitors to come today, and maybe tomorrow it could reach 25 thousand - 35 thousand visitors because tomorrow there will be more performances from talented musicians who are already familiar to the public,” said Akbar.

Many parties support this Ekrafest 2024 event, including PT Hakaaston (HKA), a subsidiary of PT Hutama Karya. “As the operator of the Trans Sumatera Toll Road section Bakauheni-Terbanggi Besar (BTB), HKA is not only focused on infrastructure development but also cares about the economic development of the surrounding community, especially SMEs,” said Riadiano Muhammad, Project Manager of Hakaaston Bakter.

With the presence of Ekrafest 2024, it is hoped that the works of filmmakers will be increasingly appreciated by the public, and the local film industry will find a place in the hearts of Indonesian viewers.

(kpl/glk)