Jakarta Unveils Tax Rebates and Production Incentives in Bid to Become Southeast Asia Film Hub, Expands Netflix Partnership
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- Rano Karno unveiled a six-point initiative at the APOS conference in Bali to make Jakarta a Southeast Asia production hub, covering cost reduction, permissions, venues, talent, infrastructure, and economic opportunity.
- The centerpiece is a 50% tax rebate program formally launching June 26, refunding qualifying national film productions up to half their costs incurred in Jakarta.
- A new one-stop platform called "Filming in Jakarta" will replace the multi-office approval process, consolidating location access, traffic, and security coordination into a single team.
- Jakarta is offering discounted access to government-owned venues plus the new Jakarta Film Lab, which provides training, mentorship, and certification for writers, directors, producers, cinematographers, editors, and crew.
- Netflix executives Ruben Hattari, Andrew Ure, and Sung Q. Lee met with Karno to deepen ties after shooting "Tygo: Extraction" in Jakarta's Kota Tua district for approximately 50 days in Q1 2026.
- At least three additional Netflix titles are planned for Jakarta, with the city and streamer jointly developing an HR training program for the local film industry ahead of an October Jakarta Film Summit.
Why it matters: The 50% rebate launching June 26 plus a one-stop permit system directly cut costs and lead times for a city that has already hosted a Netflix shoot and lined up three more — moving Jakarta from a one-off filming location to a credible regional production base competing with Bangkok and Singapore for streaming dollars.
