Last Updated: 2 months ago
By: Dr. Ali Alamsyah Kusumadinata, S.P., M.Si (Lecturer in Communication Science, Faculty of Social and Political Sciences, Universitas Djuanda)
The 76th anniversary of the filming of Darah dan Doa by Usmar Ismail in 2026 marks a crucial moment to reinterpret film not merely as entertainment, but as the most authoritative mass communication channel in shaping national narratives. The success of Indonesian films in dominating 64.4% of the market share proves that messages delivered by local filmmakers have successfully undergone effective encoding and decoding processes, where Indonesian audiences feel a much stronger emotional and cultural connection compared to imported narratives.
This indicates that film has become a medium of identity communication capable of uniting collective public perception through relevant and contextual storytelling. From the perspective of Visual Communication Design (VCD), the transformation of Indonesian cinema today is reflected in the maturity of its visual aesthetics, which no longer merely imitate Hollywood or Bollywood styles, but instead create a distinctly Indonesian visual language.
The use of visual elements—from iconic poster design, storytelling cinematographic composition, to the application of CGI technology and precise color grading—functions as a non-verbal communication instrument that strengthens narrative depth. Through well-integrated design, films such as Jumbo, Dilan, and Agak Laen are able to instantly communicate their production quality to audiences, making visuals the spearhead in capturing public attention amid the onslaught of global content.
With a strong domestic market foundation and substantial investment support from film financiers, the Indonesian film industry in 2026 has successfully combined persuasive communication strategies with cutting-edge design execution.
Usmar Ismail’s spirit of becoming “the host in one’s own country” is now manifested in the form of visual sovereignty, where every pixel on the cinema screen represents the nation’s creative independence. The future of our cinema is not only measured by the figure of 80.27 million viewers, but also by our ability to preserve Indonesian values through a visual medium that is increasingly adaptive, modern, and competitive on the international stage.
(Compiled from various data sources)