Destinations Known | Bali eyed as Hollywood film production hub, prompting ‘film tourism’ chatter – the island could have the kind of exposure Crazy Rich Asians gave to Singapore

The Indonesian island of Bali is no stranger to Hollywood. It provided the backdrop, cast and folk narrative for 1935’s Legong: Dance of the Virgins, a silent exploitation film whose poster advertised “native customs, native music, native cast”, and in 2010 it was where Julia Roberts found herself in Eat Pray Love.

Variety magazine also noted this month: “The deal will see CAA help represent and arrange financing for local-language film and television content in Indonesia and Southeast Asia, as well as advise on the company’s overall entertainment strategy.”

The partnership appears to have the blessing of Indonesia’s minister of tourism and creative economy, Sandiaga Uno. “I am very excited to see United Media Asia’s effort to build and cultivate Bali as a world-class hub for international content,” he said in a statement provided by CAA. “UMA is a promising company with an advanced vision to promote Indonesia’s best assets of arts, creativity and culture while at the same time bridging the gap between Asia’s creative with Hollywood’s cinematic universe.”

Perhaps most importantly for Bali, the development promises to introduce some economic diversification. “Through their productions, UMA will employ thousands of local talent [sic] to bolster the Bali economy, which has been severely impacted by the global pandemic,” the statement continued. Bali’s GDP (gross domestic product) contraction of 9.3 per cent in 2020 was the worst among Indonesia’s 34 provinces, with hotel occupancy rates hovering around 10 per cent, according to financial newspaper Nikkei Asia.