REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, BATAM - The Government of Batam City, Riau Islands, is planning to make the city a hub of cinematography in the Southeast Asian region, as several international movies and TV serials have been shot on the island so far.

"We believe, with the support of the community, Batam will become a cinematography hub of Southeast Asia," Batam Tourism Department head Yusfa Hendri said here on Wednesday.

Batam has the biggest movie studio in Southeast Asia, named Kinema Infinite Studio. Situated in Nongsa, the studio was built by Mike Wiluan and it produced a movie called "Dead Mine" and HBO`s first Asian serial, "Serangoon Road".

"Kinema studio also produces various TV serials and cartoon movies that are broadcasted in the Cartoon Network," Hendri stated. "Batam cinema has also been enriched by local productions such as `Laskar Anak Pulau' and `True Heart', which are being currently screened at various theatres in Jakarta," he pointed out.

Meanwhile, a production assistant at Infinite Studio, Mutiara Laksmi, said the "Serangoon Road" production team included some 200 Indonesians. "Besides Ario Bayu, a major Indonesian actor who has an important role in this serial, about 200 Indonesian people work as crew members," she noted. "Dozens of local people have also been hired as stand-in actors," Laksmi added. 

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