Why is this Hollywood actor looking like he's from a bygone era in Sarawak
Film about James Brooke to showcase Sarawak’s natural beauty
KUCHING: A Hollywood feature film about Sarawak’s first White Rajah James Brooke is set to showcase the state’s natural beauty to an international audience.
Rajah is being filmed in various locations in Sarawak, with shooting expected to wrap up by next weekend. It is expected to be released next year.
Producer Rob Allyn from Margate House Films described Sarawak as a “natural studio”.
“I had thought about making the movie in other places, which have a film infrastructure but then I came here and was amazed. I thought it’s a great place to make a movie,” he told reporters during a visit to one of the film’s locations at Siniawan village near here yesterday.
Besides Siniawan, other locations included Santubong, the Sarawak Cultural Village and the Fairy Cave in Bau.
“We’re going out of our way to show the best of Sarawak in the film,” Allyn said.
He said production had to be extended by a week due to the rainy weather but the movie is expected to meet its target release date in the middle of next year.
“In fact, we’re trying to get it ready in time for the Cannes Film Festival and the deadline for that is March 11, so we’re on a tight schedule.
“But overall, whatever challenges we’ve had, the people of Sarawak have been very welcoming and efficient. We have many Sarawakians in the crew and Sarawakians provided all the logistics, along with hundreds of extras.”
Rajah, which stars Jonathan Rhys Meyers in the title role, tells the story of how James Brooke came to Sarawak and fell in love with its people, culture and nature.
State Tourism, Arts and Culture Minister Datuk Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah, who visited the shoot yesterday, said the movie would help promote Sarawak to movie viewers around the world.
“Our hope is that the movie will make Sarawak better known. As it is shot entirely in Sarawak, we hope it will arouse the interest of movie viewers to come here,” he said.
Jason Brooke, a descendant of James Brooke, added that the movie would be a “long and steady advertisement” for Sarawak when it reaches cinemas.
“I saw a couple of rough cuts and it looks beautiful. The visual representation of places like Santubong will be very good for Sarawak,” he said.