Following The Success of First Season, The New Season will  Develop Creative Talent Across 20 Cities in Indonesia  

Jakarta, October 17, 2019. Viu, a leading entertainment streaming service with 36 million monthly active users, announced today Viu Shorts! Season 2. Viu is focused on cultivating the interest and talent of Indonesian high school filmmakers to create short films based on the pride of their local stories. Viu Shorts! will be conducted in 20 new cities across Indonesia over 7 months, starting in Sep 2019 and continuing through March 2020.

Initiated in 2018, Viu Shorts! Season 1 was hugely successful leading to the creation of 17 local short films that were released globally on Viu. They gained high social shares and mentions, and screened internationally at the prestigious Marché du Film, Cannes Film Festival 2019. In conclusion of Season 1, a talented participant from Cilegon, West Java was awarded a 4-year full scholarship grant to continue her studies in Cinematography at IKJ and the opportunity to work with the Viu Original team.

Varun Mehta, Country Manager – Viu Indonesia, said that, “We are thrilled with the outcome of our Viu Shorts! Season 1, which led to the discovery of 17 new talented junior directors, more than 500 young film talents from 17 cities across Indonesia. This Viu Shorts! Initiative in Indonesia is very close to our heart and is our commitment to develop  the Indonesia Creative Talent ecosystem. In Season 2 of Viu Shorts! we are increasing the level of participation, both in terms of number of cities and opportunities. We are excited and looking forward to showcasing Indonesian local talent and stories globally through Viu Shorts! Season 2.”

Under the joint initiative signed by Viu and BEKRAF to support the Indonesian Film Development Program, Viu Shorts! Season 2 is supported by the Local Governments of 20 cities, Yayasan Tumbuh Sinema Rakyat, MAV Production, E-Motion Entertainment, Jakarta Institute of Art (IKJ), Indonesian Film Board (Badan Perfilman Indonesia), Local Film Commission (Komisi Film Daerah), Local Film Communities, Yayasan BPK Penabur and Yayasan Tarakanita.

Triawan Munaf, Head of Indonesian Agency for Creative Economy, added, “Viu is playing a great part in developing the new creative film economy of young Indonesian content creators through the Viu Shorts! initiative. This year we are extending further support to Viu Shorts! Season 2. Through Deputy 1 of Research, Education and Development, we are committed to support the workshop stage, Deputy 2 of Financial Access on the production stage, and Deputy 4 of Promotion will showcase the 20 short films made during the program in prominent International film festivals.”

Carrying forward the theme of “Indonesian Local Myths”, the 20 participating cities and regions are Klungkung, Atambua, West Bandung, Majalengka, Cilacap, Kendal, Magelang, Kulon Progo, Solo, Salatiga, Batu, Probolinggo, Sangatta, Jambi, Ambon, Palu and Merauke, on top of the top ranked high schools in three other cities, namely Tarakanita 1 High School Jakarta, SMAK BPK Penabur Tangerang and SMPK BPK Penabur Bekasi, which have adapting Viu Shorts! as an extracurricular program in the academic year of 2019 – 2020.

To find out more about Viu Shorts!, visit https://www.viu.com to watch 17 short films from Viu Shorts! Season 1, or download Viu Android app from Google Play or Viu IOS app from the Apple Store.

Further information about Viu Shorts! Season 2 can be accessed at @viuindonesia on Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, Twitter and Viu Blog.

Furthermore, download the films’ posters of Viu Shorts! 2018 – 2019 in : http://bit.ly/ViuShorts