VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

A poster for Madani International Film Festival (MIFF) 2021. (ANTARA/Madani International Film Festival/FR) - 

The Education, Culture, Research, and Technology Ministry has affirmed the government's commitment to supporting film festivals held by the film community and figures, such as the Madani International Film Festival (MIFF) 2021.

MIFF 2021 is being supported by the ministry along with the Jakarta Art Board (DKJ) and is ready to be held in a hybrid format from November 27 until December 4.

"This Madani Film Festival has a unique characteristic that differentiates it from other film festivals," the ministry's film, music, and new media director, Ahmad Mahendra, noted at an online press conference on Friday.

"In addition, the theme that it presents aligns with the tolerance campaign conducted by the ministry," he elaborated.

Meanwhile, chairman of DKJ, Danton Sihombing, said he feels that it is important to hold MIFF to celebrate diversity and make film the medium to do so.

"This is the second year that DKJ fully supports Madani Film Festival," he added.

"We hope that, in the coming years, we can continue to support it so that we can spread humanitarian values displayed in the Madani International Film Festival," he affirmed.

The theme of Madani Film Festival this year is 'Light: Sufism and Humor'.

"The theme this time concerns Sufism and humor, two terms that provide a huge space to happily express and contemplate the religious journey," filmmaker and member of MIFF's Festival Board, Garin Nugroho, noted.

The film festival will showcase movies from Indonesia and abroad to reflect the diversity of Muslims in the world, he said.

"Celebrating Muslim diversity has become the tagline that Madani Film Festival brings up every year. From these films, we want to learn and enjoy Muslims' diverse cultures," MIFF festival director Sugar Nadia expounded.

The opening ceremony for MIFF 2021 will be held on Saturday in an online format at XXI Epicentrum, Jakarta, he said.

Pesantren (2019) a film by Shalahuddin Siregar has been chosen to open the festival, he added.

The film premiered during the International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam (IDFA) in 2019, he said.

This year's MIFF will showcase 13 films and seven discussions that will feature international speakers such as Hassan Abdul Muthalib (Malaysia), Amir Masoud Soheili (Iran), dan Dag Yngvesson (Malaysia) as well as Indonesian speakers, he informed.

MIFF will also collaborate with a number of institutions to liven up the film festival such as East Cinema, Binus University, GusDurian network, and Kineforum, Nadia said.

Kineform has prepared an online viewing space for the films on kineforum.eventive.org, he said.

The film chosen to close the festival is set in Casablanca, Morocco, and features rap music titled "Casablanca Beats".

This film was a primary nominee for Cannes Film Festival 2021 and will be shown online on December 4 at XXI Epicentrum, Jakarta//ANT

Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs and Investment, Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan, visited a mangrove forest in Bali on Thursday (November 25, 2021). (ANTARA/HO Coordinating Ministry for Maritime Affairs and Investment) - 

The G20 Summit in Bali in 2022 will emphasize the importance of the Indonesian government's mangrove restoration program, Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs and Investment, Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan, has said.

"President Joko Widodo will convey a message to world leaders about the importance of mangrove restoration in generating carbon credits (at the summit)," Pandjaitan remarked while inspecting mangrove plantation sites in Bali on Thursday.

The program has received funding of US$1.2 billion, he said in a written statement in Jakarta on Friday. Countries and world leaders in the forum must take concrete action on mangrove restoration, he added.

Currently, the government is running a mangrove restoration program in an area of 600 thousand hectares and mangrove planting in Bali is part of the mangrove restoration program, the minister said.

"To date and next year, we will restore almost 200 hectares and most of the funds will come from the state budget," he noted.

The extent of mangrove restoration carried out by Indonesia will provide value in the form of carbon credits and prove more valuable for the nation, Pandjaitan informed.

Therefore, the ministry, along with the state-run electricity company (PLN) and the financial services authority (OJK), is finalizing the derivative rules related to the carbon credit in question, he said.

"We are currently completing derivative rules regarding the implementation of carbon pricing and carbon trading because Indonesia is one of the superpower countries in carbon credits," he added.

Indonesia's high carbon credit will become a strength, he opined. This potential must be managed and utilized optimally, he added. With this, the nation could make hundreds of dollars over the next few years and generate jobs for generations to come, he explained.

The Coordinating Minister said his working visit to Bali was intended to ensure that there are no problems and obstacles during the G20 Summit, which is scheduled to be held in 2022.

Things like handling waste problems and the use of clean energy should be started before preparing for the event, he remarked.

He said he also hopes all preparations and needs related to the G20 Summit will be completed soon.

"Because we have experience with the Annual Meetings of the World Bank Group and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) last time. The obstacles are minor. There are 20 meeting spots (for the G20 Summit), so it is not only in Bali. The target is to finish in August next year," Pandjaitan affirmed//ANT

The Minister of Tourism and Creative Economy/Head of the Tourism and Creative Economy Agency, Sandiaga Salahuddin Uno, held a meeting with the Moroccan Ambassador to Indonesia Ouadiâ Benabdellah, at the Sapta Pesona Building, Kemenparekraf/Baparekraf Office, Friday (11/26/2021).

In the meeting, the two discussed the potential for cooperation in the creative economy sector, because previously Indonesia-Morocco did not have an MoU in this sector. In addition, the two countries also discussed the potential for cooperation in organizing international events.

The Minister of Tourism and Creative Economy hopes that this cooperation will strengthen bilateral relations between the two countries, especially in the tourism and creative economy sectors.

"Hopefully we can work together and collaborate with each other in developing tourism and the creative economy in both countries. Especially in the creative economy sector, because there is no MoU and cooperation agreement in the creative economy sector between Indonesia and Morocco. And can help promote and present quality and sustainable tourism," he said.

Morocco is one of the countries that contributes the largest tourism to Indonesia, from quantity to spending money. It was noted that before the COVID-19 pandemic, Moroccan tourist visits to Indonesia in 2017 reached 11,000.

The Moroccan Ambassador to Indonesia, Ouadiâ Benabdellah, said that Moroccan tourists have something in common with Indonesian tourists, namely they tend to stay long enough and buy creative economy products.

"Indonesia and Morocco have something in common when they travel, they come to stay for a long time, then they are both happy to buy handicrafts typical of that country, and come home with lots of suitcases to share with their relatives," said Ouadiâ.

Furthermore, Ouadiâ said that in 2019, the art of Moroccan sahrawi was present at the opening of the 2019 International Creative Crafts Exhibition. He hoped that in the future Morocco could be involved again in international events owned by the Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy.

Ouadiâ also hopes that international events owned by Morocco such as the Rabat Festival can be collaborated with Indonesia.

"We also have the Rabat Festival, this event is the 2nd largest in the world, there are one million visitors who come and this event is also included in UNESCO. Hopefully this can be collaborated," he said//VOI-NK

Director general for resilience, zoning, and international industry access at the Ministry of Industry, Eko SA Cahyanto. (ANTARA/HO-Biro Humas Kementerian Perindustrian) - 

The Industry Ministry is committed to encouraging halal industry zones to cater to the increasing potential of the domestic and global halal market by enacting the ministerial regulation on halal industry zone permit application.

The ministry's director general for resilience, zoning, and international industry access, Eko SA Cahyanto, made the remark in a written statement released in Jakarta on Friday.

"Industry Minister Regulation No 17 of 2021 about halal industry zone permit application (aims to) accelerates the development of halal industry zone in Indonesia," he said.

The three halal industry zones that have been established are Halal Modern Valley in Banten, Halal Industrial Park in East Java, and Bintan Inti Halal Hub, he added.

"The industry zone has comprehended the potential of global halal industry investment, and we laud the three pioneers of halal industry zone in Indonesia," he remarked.

Cahyanto asked halal industry zone operators to apply for an industry zone license (IUKI) and conceive a master plan to cater to halal industry factories that have been established in their zone.

"By ensuring that all of the supporting facilities in halal industry zones, such as the management team and system, laboratory, certification body, and water processing plant, are halal-certified, this could serve as a selling point to enhance halal industry zone's competitiveness," the director general expounded.

He also noted that fiscal and financial incentives are necessary to accelerate halal industry development in Indonesia.

The ministry will propose incentives for halal industries that export their products, substitute imported materials, develop halal product processing technology, innovate with new halal products, and provide export assistance to other halal industries, he said.

Financial incentives are proposed to be provided for halal product processing, halal certification, material substitution with halal products, and enhancing the bankability of halal industries, the director general added.

To achieve the goal, the ministry will collaborate with relevant stakeholders to enhance halal industry development in Indonesia, Cahyanto said.

"Our measures that include accelerating fiscal incentives, rating system, innovation funding, and budget support are aimed at encouraging Indonesia's halal industry to reach the top-tier level among countries with halal industries," he remarked//ANT