Pinewood Malaysia opens its doors

Pinewood Iskandar Malaysia Studios (PIMS) has opened in Malaysia, with its backers hoping it will become a new regional hub for TV and film production.

PIMS was created by Pinewood Studios Group and the government of Malaysia’s strategic investment fund, Khazanah Nasional Berhad (Khazanah). The 50-acre facility comprises 100,000 square feet of film stages and 24,000 square feet of television studios.

The Weinstein Company has already committed to making its upcoming Netflix drama series Marco Polo at the facility, which was completed last December.

“We have certainly hit the ground running. Attracting a production the size of Marco Polo is testament to our ability to offer world-class amenities to filmmakers looking for a one-stop shop from script to screen. We anticipate more projects to come our way as we continue to actively market the Studios internationally,” said PIMS CEO Michael Lake.

Ivan Dunleavy, CEO, Pinewood Shepperton plc said: “It will play a strategic part in Pinewood’s ever expanding international offering. It is an outstanding state-of-the-art facility, which will appeal to domestic and international film and television productions alike.”

Tan Sri Rafidah Aziz, PIMS chair, said, “PIMS is not only expected to contribute to the development of the creative industry, it will generate spill-over effects to other economic sectors like tourism, finance and high-value manufacturing.”