Hollywood has come to Jakarta with the filming of psychological thriller “The Philosophers” set to begin on Saturday.
At a news conference in Senayan, South Jakarta, on Friday, film producer George Zakk said he believed “The Philosophers,” to be set in an international school in Jakarta, was the first time Hollywood had shot a movie on location in Indonesia’s capital.
The producer of “The Pacifier” starring Vin Diesel said the film would “present Jakarta today as we will shoot the entire film in Indonesia, not any other place.”
Also present at the news conference were stars Bonnie Wright who plays Ginny Weasley in the Harry Potter film series, English actor James D’Arcy and Indonesian Cinta Laura.
Cinta, who shot to fame on a local sinetron production but has most recently focused on her pop career, said she would “represent an Indonesian student in the film.”
Philosophers director John Huddles, who has previously directed the 1998 film “At Sachem Farm” starring Minnie Driver, Rufus Sewell and Nigel Hawthorne, said multiculturalism was a major theme in the movie, which revolves around a challenge to reboot humanity in the event of a nuclear apocalypse.
“There will be students from Turkey, Iran, Australia, Africa, Canada, United States and London,” he said.
Wright said the cast had been in Jakarta for a week, acclimatizing themselves to the local conditions to help them get into character.
Television station SCTV has worked with the crew for more than a year to arrange the film’s production in Jakarta.
The film will also be shot at locations outside of Jakarta, though it was not disclosed where.