Denpasar, June 8 -- Culture Minister Fadli Zon welcomed the growth of film festivals as part of efforts to promote culture.

At the closing of the 18th Bali International Film Festival (Balinale) in Denpasar, Saturday (June 7), Zon acknowledged the great contribution of the film sector in introducing Indonesian culture.

"Film is one of the media to promote (our) culture because there are many cultural elements or cultural expressions in addition to acting. There is literature in it, dance, music as well as culinary -- so this is a very important choice for promoting culture," he said.

He noted the significant growth of Indonesian film ecosystem, with 81 million viewers of cinema screenings or 67 percent of cinema in Indonesia in 2024. ...