Indonesia's Ministry of Culture selects 20 films for heroic narrative program

The Indonesian Ministry of Culture has announced the winners of the 2026 Heroic Narrative Film Production Program. A total of 20 proposals were selected from 143 submissions, consisting of seven feature-length films and 13 short films.

Minister of Culture Fadli Zon stated that the program is an affirmative step to strengthen the heroic film genre within the national cinematic ecosystem. The films will focus on historical events related to Indonesia's struggle to maintain independence between 1945 and 1950. The initiative aims to use cinema as a medium to bring historical struggles closer to the public, particularly the younger generation, while promoting values of patriotism, nationalism, and exemplary character.

The selection process involved administrative checks, proposal and script evaluations, pitching sessions, and a plenary meeting by a jury composed of filmmakers and historians. Winners were judged on the strength of their ideas, story relevance, production readiness, cinematic approach, and historical accuracy regarding the 1945–1950 period.