Sergei Bodrov to direct ‘White Rajah’
KUCHING: Oscar-nominated director Sergei Bodrov has been named to direct the movie ‘White Rajah’, which will chronicle the adventures of Sir James Brooke in Borneo.
Bodrov has been nominated twice for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film – ‘ Prisoner of the Mountains’ (1996) and ‘Mongol’ (2007).
A press release yesterday said Bodrov recently arrived in Sarawak with producer Rob Allyn and Brooke Heritage Trust trustee Jason Brooke to meet Chief Minister Datuk Amar Abang Johari Tun Openg, attend the Asean International Film Festival and Awards (Aiffa), and begin work on the movie.
The movie is fully financed and approved for a shoot in the state in the middle of next year.
“Bodrov’s goal is to make a culturally authentic and thrilling historical adventure, and he has a history of directing great
Bodrov’s goal is to make a culturally authentic and thrilling historical adventure, and he has a history of directing great performances by non-actors in his past Oscar-nominated films.
performances by non- actors in his past Oscar-nominated films. So in ‘ White Rajah’, we will combine big-name Hollywood stars with the local talent we can find in Sarawak, Malaysia and the region,” said Allyn.
The team visited the Sarawak Cultural Village, Siniawan, Bako National Park, Santubong, Semenggoh Wildlife Centre, and Annah Rais longhouse.
“We love the idea of using the Sarawak Cultural Village to make our film, both as a possible shooting location but also to cast their phenomenally-talented actors, dancers, musicians and martial artists to perform in our film,” said Allyn.
In Kuching, they visited the Sarawak Museum, Main Bazaar, Carpenter Street, and the historical Bishop’s House, which was the residence of Bishop Francis Thomas McDougall – who will also be depicted in the film.
Bodrov’s Oscar-nominated epic ‘ Mongol’, about the early life of Genghis Khan, was earlier screened at Aiffa 2017.
Rob Allyn, producer