Prodita Sabarini, Jakarta – Craving change in the film industry, filmmakers and actors agree the law governing filmmaking in Indonesia needs to be revisited.

They said the 1992 Film Law was too rigid and was counter-productive to artists' freedom of expression and was hindering their creativity.

Amid simmering tensions between a new generation of filmmakers and the industry's long-established figures, the two parties sat together in a public meeting Saturday to discuss problems within the industry.

Prominent young filmmakers such as Mira Lesmana and Riri Riza were present, along with Indonesia Film Festival organizer Noorca Massardie, director Garin Nugroho, actor Alex Komang and old figures such as M.T. Risyaf, director of the 1987 comedy Naga Bonar.

The discussion allowed the industry's bigwigs an opportunity to vent their frustrations at the current state of affairs, all agreeing the problem lay with the Film Law.

Young director Riri Riza said after the Saturday discussion that the biggest obstacle hindering the industry in Indonesia was the presence of the law, drafted to serve the interests of the ruling government at that time. He said the law was "irrelevant given the current dynamics of the industry".

Riri acknowledged the regulation had moral intentions, but said, "When a regulation no longer supports the development of an industry, then maybe it is time to rescind it."

Under the law, film is designed to preserve and to develop the nation's culture with the aim of supporting national development. "Those are all good intentions, but should we confine film, which is a work of art, merely to that definition?" he asked.

Riri said his main objection to the law was the presence of a government censor. "There should be no censorship of films. However, there should be age classifications. People should be free to choose which films they want to watch," he said.

Industry old-timer M.T. Risyaf said, however, the problem was a lack of parliamentary and governmental will to alter the Indonesian film industry. "They should give more attention to this... the filmmakers can not walk alone," he said.

Regulation was needed, he said, "to give protection to the industry and also to limit differences among the people in the industry".

Actor Alex Komang said the Film Law should accommodate filmmakers' creativity without binding it.