[1] This situation was created by the Great Depression, which had led to the Dutch East Indies government collecting higher taxes, advertisers asking for more money, and cinemas selling tickets at lower prices; this ensured that there was a very low profit margin for local films.
[2] Java Pacific Film was founded in 1934 in Bandoeng,[3] in what was then the Dutch East Indies, by Dutch-Indonesian journalist Albert Balink working with the Wong brothers.
Balink, who intended to target high-class audiences, had found financial support for the new company, took control, while the Wongs brought a studio and film equipment to the endeavour.
[8] A commercial flop which bankrupted the producers and company,[9] Pareh is credited with shifting the focus of Indonesian cinema from Chinese productions and subject matter to a more local industry.
[11][12] Balink collected funds from numerous sponsors and established the Dutch Indies Film Syndicate (Algemeen Nederlandsch Indisch Filmsyndicaat, or ANIF) in late 1936.