Chand Parwez: Filming Costs Outside Jakarta More Expensive Than New York

Chand Parwez: Filming Costs Outside Jakarta More Expensive Than New York

Friday, 30 May 2025

Starvision production house announced their latest film project titled Jodoh 3 Bujang.

Set against the backdrop of the lives of Makassar residents, Jodoh 3 Bujang raises the issue of wedding dowry which is claimed to have begun to shift in meaning.

"This dowry has shifted in meaning in this flexing era," said Arfan Sabran as the director and screenwriter of the film Jodoh 3 Bujang in a press conference session at Epicentrum XXI, Kuningan, South Jakarta, Monday, May 26, 2025.

There is also a tradition of twin marriages in Makassar, which Arfan Sabran said was one solution to still be able to hold weddings in the midst of a bad economic situation.

"Twin marriages then became a solution to the economic pressures that exist in Makassar," said Arfan Sabran.

The filming process for the film Jodoh 3 Bujang was also carried out in Makassar, to adjust the background of the story.

Chand Parwez as the producer also openly shared that the cost of filming in Makassar was much higher than in New York.

"Maybe my friends think that making a film with local wisdom is easy. Well, I need to explain this here," said producer Chand Parwez at the same location.

"I have made several films that promote local wisdom, which in fact require more effort," added Chand Parwez.

Chand Parwez described that to shoot in Makassar he needed at least IDR 1 billion to mobilize equipment.

"IDR 1.1 billion or IDR 1.2 billion maybe. If shooting in New York, with a small team, it wouldn't reach that figure," he added.

This is not the first time Chand Parwez has felt that the cost of shooting in Indonesia is higher than abroad.

"I once made Critical Eleven which was shot in New York, and at the same time I was shooting Susah Sinyal in East Sumba. The budget turned out to be much more expensive shooting in East Sumba," said Chand Parwez.

"Filming in Baubau too, the film Komang. Maybe people think that filming in Baubau is easy, but it's not. It's more expensive than us filming The Architecture of Love in New York," added Chand Parwez.

However, Chand Parwez did not mind because he believed that there would be a positive impact from films that carry local wisdom values.