Tourism, creative economy clock positive growth ahead gov’t transition

Travel

Jakarta (ANTARA) – The tourism and creative economy sector has recorded positive growth ahead of the government transition, according to Deputy Minister of Tourism and Creative Economy, Angela Tanoesoedibjo.Based on the ministry’s data, Indonesia has recorded 7.75 million international tourist arrivals and more than 598 million domestic tourist visits as of July 2024.Meanwhile, foreign exchange earnings have reached US$7.46 billion, with the added value of the creative economy estimated at Rp749.58 trillion (around US$49.3 billion).”The export value of creative products has also reached US$12.36 billion,” Tanoesoedibjo informed at the opening of the “Wonderful Indonesia Outlook 2024/2025″ in Jakarta on Thursday.This shows that the tourism and creative economy sector can survive amid global dynamics, and even, continue to help build a more competitive and sustainable nation, she added.”The Expert Survey Outlook for Creative Economy 2024–2025 released today shows that future tourism growth will be determined by economic stability and the development of quality and innovative destinations,” she said.”Meanwhile, the growth of the creative economy sector will depend on innovation, creativity, and collaboration between sub-sectors,” she added.Furthermore, the trend in the tourism sector is increasingly moving toward conscious and impactful travel.Related news: Middle-class interest in tourism still growing: Sandiaga UnoTourists are now more likely to seek experiential travel—for instance, traveling ‘like locals’ and exploring destinations through the eyes of local residents.Meanwhile, the trend in the creative economy sector is driven by the strong role of social media in promotion and branding.”In response to this, there are two things that we cannot ignore, including sustainability and technology. The implementation of sustainable creative economy is no longer an option but needs to be positioned as a priority need,” the deputy minister stressed.Further, technological developments need to be viewed not as a substitute but as a new opportunity for moving toward building a quality and competitive creative economy.The Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy is preparing a number of programs to strengthen Indonesia’s tourism and creative economy sectors in 2025.The programs are expected to improve the welfare and skills of the community, and more particularly, enhance the quality of human resources in the tourism and creative economy.The programs include the development of tourist villages and the strengthening of human resource potential through digitalization and content production.Related news: Indonesia prepares 2025 tourism, creative economic programsTranslator: Aji Cakti, Yashinta DifaEditor: Yuni Arisandy SinagaCopyright © ANTARA 2024

Movie Review | ‘The Substance’

Arts & Culture, Film & TV

As Coralie Fargeat’s “The Substance” opens, a new star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame is being designed. The sequence is then used as a sped-up demonstration of the passage of time. In the matter of moments, the star finds its new home on Hollywood Blvd., is inscribed with the made-for-the-movies name ‘Elisabeth Sparkle’ and quickly becomes just another part of the sidewalk for people’s trash and discarded food. It’s the safest visual representation of what “The Substance” is all about.Demi Moore stars as Elisabeth, a movie star-turned-exercise guru who has been famous for decades. As a woman of a certain age, Elisabeth is starting to feel the harsh and gross reality of Hollywood. Her boss Harvey (Dennis Quaid, having the time of his life in this role), a sleazy and off-putting producer whose character name certainly can’t be a coincidence, doesn’t help assuage her fears of being forced to retreat because of her age.Elisabeth learns about a product known as The Substance, a product obtained through shady phone calls and secret underground lockboxes, completely designed to create a stereotypically perfect younger version of the consumer. Elisabeth is apprehensive, but the temptation mixed with the crossroads in her life convinces her to try The Substance. There are rules and guidelines as to how it works, but from The Substance, a younger Elisabeth is born: Sue (Margaret Qualley).[embedded content]
Discussing the plot too deeply doesn’t compare to actually experiencing the movie. No matter what one’s opinion of the film may be — because a lot about “The Substance” doesn’t work — there’s no denying the visual and aural elements. Its use of body horror feels fresh and original, likely to find the approval of someone like David Cronenberg.”The Substance” had its debut at this year’s Cannes Film Festival, where Fargeat won Best Screenplay. It’s an interesting award for this movie, because the script is where the movie often falters. Fargeat runs the gamut of perfectly pointed in her depiction of females aging in a shallow industry to more bonk-you-over-the-head obvious with her themes. It creates an uneven experience, but as “The Substance” goes on, it becomes repetitive as Elisabeth and Sue interchange placement in the real world. At 140 minutes, “The Substance” feels bloated, but each time the movie starts to flail, Fargeat throws another shocking image at the screen.While the body horror element is the biggest takeaway from the movie, it shouldn’t drown Moore’s performance. The actress, who hasn’t had a role of this kind in decades, is so fitting for Elisabeth: a once prominent star, who isn’t seen in projects of note these days, gets a chance to come back to an industry where she once was a staple. Moore’s performance isn’t just strong, fierce and vulnerable; it’s also poetic for her to lead this story.”The Substance” has been earning raves across the festival circuit and will likely prove to be a great conversation starter in theater lobbies and car rides afterward. The movie’s imperfections tend to blunt the daring visuals, but Fargeat’s vision is nothing less than audacious. It’s a story to be seen in the darkness of a theater, shoulder-to-shoulder with adventurous viewers.”The Substance” opens at The Little Theatre on Friday, Sept. 20. click image

Publishers Sue Florida for Desantis’ “Unconstitutional” Book Banning Law

Arts & Culture, Books

Six publishers including HarperCollins, Penguin Random House, Hatchette Book Group, Macmillan Publishers, Simon & Schuster, and Sourcebooks are suing Florida on the grounds that the book banning law passed by failed presidential candidate Ron Desantis is unconstitutional. The law in question is H.B. 1069, which allows anyone, whether or not they have a child in a Florida public school, to get a book removed from school libraries by reporting it has “sexual content.” This law has immensely limited the education that students in Florida are receiving on topics such as inclusivity, the LGBTQ+ community, and general sex education. The effect of this is the promotion of discrimination against the LGBTQ+ community in Florida as well as other minorities due to a lack of representation.  Books that have been banned under this law include Brave New World by Aldous Huxley, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain, The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank, The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood, The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison, Forever by Judy Blume, and Tango Makes Three and other children’s picture books with LGBTQ+ themes and characters. Each of these books carries a strong message about topics such as systematic discrimination, the importance of inclusivity and diversity, women’s rights, and representation of minorities. In a joint press release, the publishers involved in the lawsuit state, “Fighting unconstitutional legislation in Florida and across the country is an urgent priority. We are unwavering in our support for educators, librarians, students, authors, readers—Everyone deserves access to books and stories that show different perspectives and viewpoints.” This support is also mirrored in the actions taken by groups and individuals nationwide in protest of H.B. 1069. Various organizations have donated banned books to schools and libraries in Florida and other states that have since passed similar legislation. Popular celebrities have also taken a stand against book banning as exemplified by the artist P!nk giving away thousands of banned books at her tour stops in Florida. The outcry against banning books in schools and libraries has been overwhelming, and with this lawsuit filed by six major publishers, it is now receiving even more attention and pushback.

VAT increase on books angers both the opposition and students

Arts & Culture, Books

Part of the government’s fiscal consolidation measures will be an increase in VAT on books, from 10 to 23 percent. The Ministry of Finance justifies the decision with an analysis suggesting that the wealthy drive most of Slovakia’s book sales. The Minister of Education for Hlas-SD Tomáš Drucker says that it is a bill for the irresponsible governance of previous governments. He admits that this is not good news for students, but reminds the public that, on the other hand, VAT on textbooks will be reduced to five percent.”It’s certainly not good news, just like it’s not good news for many others, but I repeat, we have to do something to pay the bill,” says Drucker.Students are one of the most vulnerable groups of the population, the Student Council of Universities pointed out in its statement.”We consider it intolerable for there to be an increase in VAT on books, because it will negatively affect access to education and the development of knowledge,” declared Vice-Chairman of the Council Marek Vojtko.The chairman of Hlas-SD Matúš Šutaj Eštok says that whoever wants to be rich in spirit will buy books. “I note that it caused a stir and I think we will still talk about it within the coalition,” he declared.The chairman of the Cultural Committee of the National Council of the Slovak Republic, Roman Michelko from the CIS, also has a fundamental problem with the tax increase. He points to the Czech example, which showed that a 0 percent tax on books helped increased sales.”I understand the need for consolidation. The question is whether, in this way, it will do more harm than good. If it can somehow be reversed, I will help and try to negotiate some compensation,” declared Michelko.Source: STVR

Jeremy Hill, Photo: TASR

Film Fest Gent offers “adventurous edition” this year with massive lineup

Arts & Culture, Film & TV

Film Fest Gent is gearing up for what promises to be an “adventurous edition”, according to the festival director Wim De Witte. The annual film festival presented its programme on Thursday and officially kicks off on 9 October with an immense lineup of domestic and international films.The festival will open with Small Things Like These, the latest film by Belgian director Tim Mielants, marking the fourth consecutive year that a Belgian film has opened at the event. Previous years included works by directors Fien Troch and Lukas Dhont. Mielants is no stranger to major film festivals; earlier this year, his film, a co-production with Ireland starring Cillian Murphy, opened the Berlinale. The film is set in a small Irish town where Murphy’s character, a coal merchant, uncovers dark secrets about the local convent’s involvement with the Magdalene Sisters.©Lionsgate Movies”There may be more new voices than in previous years”Throughout the festival, attendees can expect a diverse program featuring about 95 feature films and 29 short films, selected from over 1,500 entries. “There will be a lot to discover,” De Witte shared, hinting at a fresh and dynamic lineup. “There may be more new voices than in previous years.”De Witte also noted that the festival always aims for a “good mix of big names and smaller names.” This year, big names include new releases from celebrated directors such as Pedro Almodóvar and Steve McQueen, along with Anora, the latest film from Sean Baker, which recently won the Palme d’Or at Cannes.Beyond these high-profile films, the festival will also be a platform for emerging voices. “There are a lot of debuting directors,” De Witte said. “That is always a bit more adventurous, in the sense that these are films for which you don’t have many references in advance. But few films will disappoint people, I think.”The selection draws from prestigious festivals like Berlin, Cannes, Locarno, Telluride and Toronto, ensuring that film lovers will have access to some of the best and most talked-about works from the global festival circuit. Among the notable entries is Julie Zwijgt, the debut feature from Leonardo van Dijl, which has been chosen as Belgium’s submission for the Academy Awards.#FlandersNewsService | The presentation of the upcoming Film Fest Gent on Thursday 19 September 2024. © BELGA PHOTO JONAS DHOLLANDERRelated news