Viu, a leading entertainment streaming service, announced the global broadcast of 17 short films created by students in 17 selected cities in Indonesia during the Viu Shorts! program.
Viu aims to deliver compelling local entertainment with world class production quality. By working with local young talent in collaboration with BEKRAF, Jakarta Institute of Arts, the Indonesian Film Board (BPI), the Regional Film Commissions (KFD), the local governments, the professional film makers, the local film communities and high schools, Viu is investing in the Indonesian creative ecosystem.
The goal is to create stories that matter and resonate locally, while putting them on a global stage.
Indonesia, with its hundreds of cultures, is rich with local stories, myths and beliefs. The theme this year was “Urban Legends in Indonesia.” The students from each city successfully translated the theme into stories from various genres ranging from horror, drama, romance, and comedy popular in their city.
On Viu, all these short films will be available across all 17 countries with subtitles in English, Chinese, Vietnamese, Burmese, Thai, Malay, and also dubbed in Arabic.
Varun Mehta, Viu Country Head Indonesia, said, “The talent across Indonesia is so encouraging to see. As we travelled across all these markets our belief in investing in the local talent was further strengthened. We believe all these 17 stories not only have the local feel of the city that they come from but also executed with a very international audience in mind. We will continue investing in the local stories and talent as we bring original and fresh Indonesian stories to the world. We were blown away by the talent”
“Our creative industries are one of the Indonesia’s fastest growing sectors, and BEKRAF is delighted to be collaborating with Viu Indonesia in this Viu Shorts! Program, as part of our join Filmpreneur initiative. It is an important milestone and it is the duty of all of us working in the creative industries to fill the existing skills gaps and to ensure that young people today are inspired to become part of the next generation of creative talent.” said Triawan Munaf, Head of Indonesian Creative Economy Agency.
One winner will receive a full scholarship from Viu to attend an undergraduate or postgraduate cinematography program in Jakarta Institute of Arts (IKJ), and the opportunity to work professionally as an assistant to Viu Indonesia Original Executive Producer during his or her years of study.
From September 2018 to March 2019, participating students from Banten/Cilegon, Purbalingga, Bojonegoro, Siak Indrapura, Kupang, Maumere, Tanjung Pinang, Batam, Labuan Bajo, Banyuwangi, Makassar, Manado, Padang, DI Aceh, Banjarmasin, Samarinda, and Singkawang, received direct mentorship from Viu professionals under the command of Dirmawan Hatta, a film director, as the head of mentors, along with Edo Sitanggang as the producer, who is also one of the initiators of the Viu Shorts! idea.
The 17 short films are available exclusively on Viu application and website starting 21 May 2019. For further information about Viu Shorts! please visit www.viu.com and Viu’s social handles on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube.
