Collective Studios, Singhasari SEZ Develop Indonesian Stories with AI

JAKARTA, JakartaWeekly.com — Collective Studios, Galleri5, and the Singhasari Special Economic Zone (SEZ) have entered into a strategic partnership to develop original Indonesian stories into films and series with the potential to reach international audiences. The collaboration will focus on developing intellectual property (IP) rooted in Indonesian culture, supported by artificial intelligence (AI) technology.

Airlangga Hartarto, Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs and Chairman of the National Council for Special Economic Zones, said AI in the creative industry should empower creators rather than replace them.

“Artificial intelligence must empower creators, not replace them,” Airlangga said in Jakarta recently.

He also stressed the importance of involving Indonesian talent and stories in every partnership, while protecting, developing, and increasing the added value of the country’s intellectual property.

The partnership was announced at the Indonesia–India Creative-Tech Corridor forum, organized by the Ministry of Creative Economy/Creative Economy Agency in collaboration with the Embassy of India in Jakarta, with Singhasari SEZ serving as an implementing partner. The announcement coincided with the 2026 National Creative Economy Day celebrations.

The collaboration will focus on developing stories drawn from Indonesia’s cultural heritage, including mythology, fantasy, history, and animation. Indonesian creative talent and local cultural knowledge will be combined with Collective Studios’ original IP development capabilities and Galleri5’s AI-powered production technology and workflows in India.

Collective Studios is part of Collective Artists Network, while Galleri5 is an AI technology company within the Collective ecosystem that develops production platforms for the film industry and broader creative economy.

Developing the Creative-Tech Sandbox

Under the partnership, Singhasari SEZ has also been tasked with developing the Singhasari Creative-Tech Sandbox as a pilot initiative for the New Technology and Digital Content subsector.

Minister of Creative Economy and Head of the Creative Economy Agency Teuku Riefky Harsya said the collaboration brings together Indonesia’s rich cultural storytelling and creative talent with India’s technological capabilities and audiovisual production expertise.

“Through various discussions, we identified opportunities to connect Indonesia’s rich cultural stories and creative talent with India’s advanced capabilities in technology and audiovisual production. This shared vision gave rise to the Indonesia–India Creative-Tech Corridor, along with the development of the Creative-Tech Sandbox, which will create opportunities for collaboration among creators and industry partners,” Teuku Riefky said.

He said the Ministry of Creative Economy was ready to support talent development, industry partnerships, intellectual property protection, and expanded market access.

The initiative is also aligned with the 2026–2045 Creative Economy Master Plan, which expands the scope of Indonesia’s creative economy to 21 subsectors, including New Technology and Digital Content.

Singhasari SEZ President Director David Santoso said the partnership between Indonesia and India builds on the two countries’ longstanding historical and cultural ties.

He noted that the Singhasari area was historically a center of engineering, arts, science, and governance, shaped in part by centuries of cultural exchange with India.

AI-Powered Film Production Technology

Galleri5 has developed G5 AI Studio, a platform integrating more than 200 AI models with specialized workflows for storyboarding, character and world design, animation, visual effects (VFX), and cinematic video production.

Galleri5 said its technology has been used to produce more than 10,000 advertisements and videos.

One project involving Galleri5’s technology is the series Mahabharat: Ek Dharmayudh, launched by JioStar and Collective Media Network for Star Plus and JioHotstar. For the project, Galleri5 developed and implemented AI-powered film production technology and workflows.

Galleri5 is also developing technology workflows for several feature film projects in Collective Studios’ Historyverse portfolio, including Chiranjeevi Hanuman – The Eternal and Krishna.

Vijay Subramaniam, Founder and Group CEO of Collective Artists Network, said Indonesia has a wealth of stories with the potential to be developed into entertainment content for international audiences.

“Every country has stories that deserve to reach wider audiences, and Indonesia has an extraordinary wealth of stories. Through Collective Studios’ Historyverse, we want to work with Indonesian creators to develop these stories into films, series, and entertainment properties that can be recognized worldwide,” Vijay said.

Meanwhile, Rahul Regulapati, Founder and CEO of Galleri5 and Partner at Collective Artists Network, said G5 AI Studio combines AI models and film production workflows in a single platform.

He said the collaboration with Indonesian creative talent and Collective Studios presents an opportunity to bring stories rooted in local culture to global audiences.

Echoes of Nusantara in the Concept Development Stage

One of the initial concepts being discussed under the partnership is Echoes of Nusantara (working title), an original adventure and mythology project inspired by the stories of the Indonesian archipelago.

Through its Historyverse division, Collective Studios will lead creative development, studio production, and IP packaging. The project will also involve Indonesian creative talent in its development.

Echoes of Nusantara is currently in the concept development stage. The project is being developed with the potential for international financing, production, and distribution.

Under the partnership, Singhasari SEZ will connect Collective Studios and Galleri5 with Indonesian creators, studios, prospective investors, distributors, and creative economy institutions.

Based in Malang, East Java, Singhasari SEZ is developing an ecosystem that connects education, digital talent, research, technology, creative industries, and investment.

Through PT Lokanima Kreatif Nusantara, Singhasari SEZ is developing the Lokanima 2.0 initiative and Singhasari Creative-Tech Sandbox to encourage a shift from service-based production toward intellectual property development and ownership, supported by AI technology.

Initial Results Targeted for WAVES 2027

Coordinating Minister Airlangga has called for the partnership to be translated into concrete projects. Initial results from the collaboration are targeted for presentation at the World Audio Visual & Entertainment Summit (WAVES) 2027 in Mumbai, India.

The Ministry of Creative Economy also expects the collaboration to create economic opportunities, strengthen IP protection, and expand international market access for Indonesian works and talent.

Through the partnership, Collective Studios, Galleri5, and Singhasari SEZ aim to create opportunities for producing films, series, and original Indonesian intellectual property by combining local stories, India’s entertainment industry experience, and AI-powered production technology.