Jakarta (ANTARA) – Indonesia’s Film Censorship Board (LSF) said sustaining audience trust remains the main challenge for the national film sector, despite strong growth potential, after cinema attendance hit record highs in recent years.LSF chairman Naswardi said the goal for 2026 is to keep expanding domestic film output and audience appreciation, after what he called the industry’s strongest performance in 2024 and 2025.“Our challenge is maintaining public trust so audiences continue to appreciate Indonesian films,” Naswardi told a press conference in Jakarta on Wednesday.Culture Ministry data showed domestic cinema attendance reached a record 80.2 million viewers in 2025, the highest level ever recorded for Indonesian films.​​​​​​​Naswardi said LSF continues to improve film quality through strict supervision, granting either “approved for screening” or “not approved” status to films submitted for censorship.He said the process aims to protect audiences from potential negative impacts of content that violates legal provisions or social norms.In 2025, LSF issued 41,092 censorship clearance certificates and reviewed 545 feature films, comprising 270 domestic titles and 275 imported films.By age classification, the Teen category (13+) dominated with 46.96 percent, followed by General Audience at 29.50 percent and Adult (17+) at 22.66 percent.Applications for censorship of over-the-top (OTT) content, including films for platforms such as Netflix, Disney+, Vidio and Viu, surged to twice previous levels, LSF said.In contrast, censorship volumes for free-to-air television content declined, which LSF attributed to economic pressures on conventional broadcasters and advertisers shifting to digital platforms.Domestic film and advertising production showed resilience, contributing 23,462 titles, or 63.57 percent of total submissions, compared with 13,452 imported titles, or 36.43 percent.​​​​​​​LSF said compliance with censorship criteria was very high, with 99.77 percent of submitted content passing without requiring revisions.Separately, Creative Economy Ministry official Agustini Rahayu said distribution remains a key weakness in Indonesia’s film industry ecosystem.Speaking at a parliamentary hearing on Tuesday, she said production houses face a “double burden” due to the limited number of professional distributors.With few distributors acting as dedicated sales agents, production houses must handle both filmmaking and marketing, she said.​​​​​​​Rahayu said stronger distribution bridges are needed so producers can focus on quality and expand genre diversity, rather than doubling as sellers for their own films.