Film, Animation, and Fashion Drive Indonesia-Thailand Cooperation

RRI.CO.ID, Jakarta - Indonesia and Thailand are seeking to deepen cooperation in the creative economy, with opportunities for collaboration spanning film production, animation, fashion, and automotive modification.

Indonesia's Minister of Creative Economy, Teuku Riefky Harsya, said cooperation opportunities between the two countries are expanding as Indonesia broadens its creative economy sector from 17 to 21 subsectors.

"Through the flagship Creative by Indonesia program, we are encouraging Indonesian creative economy players to expand their access to international markets, including by leveraging various creative economy events in Thailand," Riefky said in a statement received in Jakarta on Saturday, Oct. 3, 2026, as quoted by Antara.

Creative economy businesses from various subsectors will be curated according to the needs of target markets to ensure business-matching activities create concrete opportunities for collaboration and commercial partnerships, he added.

Riefky also called for the acceleration of the renewal of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on creative economy cooperation with Thailand. The previous agreement expired in 2025.

Indonesia is coordinating the renewal process with its embassy in Bangkok, focusing on priority areas including broadcasting content, film and animation, design, and music.

The renewed agreement could be signed on the sidelines of the World Conference on Creative Economy (WCCE) 2026 in Jakarta.

Discussions have also covered the possibility of strengthening institutional ties with Thailand's Creative Economy Agency (CEA).

Indonesian Ambassador to Thailand and permanent representative to the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP), Hari Prabowo, welcomed the initiative.

According to Hari, retail networks such as Central Department Store could serve as an entry point for Indonesian creative economy products into the Thai market.

"Our priority is clearly to open the Thai market to Indonesian creative economy products. We also aim to strengthen Indonesia's human resource capacity by learning from Thailand's experience," Hari said.

He added that modest fashion has strong market potential in Thailand, while Indonesian traditional fashion with contemporary elements is also well received there.

In the fashion sector, the two sides are exploring knowledge exchanges involving senior designers and students from Indonesia and Thailand, including the development of works that combine Indonesia's traditional textiles, known as wastra, with contemporary design.

As a follow-up, the Ministry of Creative Economy and the Indonesian Embassy in Bangkok will identify creative economy events in Thailand from late 2026 through 2027 that can help connect Indonesian businesses with potential partners through international exhibitions and business forums. ***