“When I die, you will come back to Bali; come to my cremation? Balinese cremation ceremony is fun – you will like it,” the wise Ketut Liyer said to befuddled heroine Liz Gilbert in the 2010 movie Eat, Pray, Love.

He then proceeded to enlighten Liz, played by Julia Roberts, about how losing balance for love is part of living a balanced life.

Similar scenes portraying Bali and its people are abundant in the movie, which was a hit at the box office.

In turn, Eat; Pray Love drew more people to the already bustling island.

The Tourism and Creative Economy Ministry is taking the lead and it is now looking at movie production as a way to promote Indonesia.

“Movies represent our country. We hope other movies can be a hit like Eat, Pray, Love,” Tourism and Creative Economy Minister Mari Elka Pangestu said.

According to her, the ministry offered a one-stop movie-production service and was promoting Indonesia as a location in the US and at festivals such as Cannes Film Festival.

The successful Eat, Pray, Love

The movie features Bali’s Ubud area and Padang-Padang Beach.

Thanks to Eat, Pray, Love, even more tourists chose to visit Bali to see the depicted locations. Not to mention the number of people choosing to visit Ubud just to consult with the “Balian” healer in the movie, Ketut Liyer.

Many tour packages inspired by Liz Gilbert’s journey in Bali – living near a paddy field, scouring the traditional market; swimming, hiking and, consulting a palm-reader – have sprung up over the years.

The Philosophers

The recently released fantasy thriller tells the story of 20 students from an international school in Jakarta.

They are challenged by their teacher to choose 10 among them to be granted the privilege of taking shelter in the event of nuclear apocalypse.

The Philosophers was filmed in various locations in Indonesia, including Bromo in East Java, Belitung Island in Sumatra and the Prambanan Temple in Central Java.

The movie, which reportedly uses plenty of special effects, is yet to be released for wide audience. Release for United States and Canada is scheduled for this fall.

So far, it has been screened at the Neuchatel International Fantastic Film Festival in Switzerland and the Fantasy Filmfest in Germany.

Java Heat and Alex Cross

Alex Cross is a character in a series of novels written by James Patterson.

The series has been adapted for the screen and uses the character’s name as its title.

Some of the 2012 movie's scene was shot in Bali.

Java Heat, a 2013 crime thriller movie, took incorporating Indonesia – especially Java – into the story one step further.

They chose local actor Ario Bayu and actress Atiqah Hasiholan to play prominent supporting roles with Hollywood stars such as Mickey Rourke.

Java Heat is reminiscent of the guns-galore style that was a big trend in 1990s action-movies, but it also gives a decent glimpse of Indonesian culture and the stunning Borobudur.

The Fall

One of the winning points of the 2006 film The Fall is its brilliant usage of magnificent locations around the world.

The adventure-fantasy directed by Tarsem Singh included scenes filmed in places such as Jantar Mantar in India, Charles Bridge in the Czech Republic, Hagia Sophia in Turkey, the Colosseum in Italy, Teatro Opera in Argentina andthe Butterfly Reef in Fiji.

One scene took place at the Tegallalang Rice Terrace in Ubud, Bali, and there is also an extensive scene involving the Kecak dance that took place in the open space beneath the reliefs of Kawi Mountain, also in Bali.

Laskar Pelangi

There are plenty of local movies depicting the Indonesian landscape, but Laskar Pelangi (2008) is one that captured our attention the most.

Set in the Bangka Belitung Islands, the movie garnered nationwide success and boosted the area’s popularity among tourists.

The Bangka Belitung islands, with its beach decorated by huge granite structures, has become one of Indonesia’s major tourist destinations.

Some of the locations there are now marked by signs saying, “Laskar Pelangi’s filming location”. A gallery was built in honor of the movie and the novel it was based on and a road in the Gantung sub district was named Jl. Laskar Pelangi.

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