Aiming for a wider audience

ASTRO Shaw Sdn Bhd thought outside the box when it decided to produce movies that would be accepted by regional and international audiences.  

“Now Astro All Asia Network owns Astro Shaw 100% and Shaw Brothers was kind enough to allow it to retain the name ‘Shaw’ in the company,” says Anuar. 

Late last year, to gain experience in international film production and distribution, Astro Shaw collaborated with Hong Kong-based Celestial Pictures to produce Perhaps Love, the first Chinese musical film in 30 years which starred Taiwanese-Japanese star Takeshi Kaneshiro. 

Tengku Datuk Anwar Mussaddad Astro Shaw executive directorwith photos of the locations for the movie Dukun.

Dukun has a RM2.8mil budget, which is nothing near the record RM15mil set by Puteri Gunung Ledang but it’s still more than what’s typically spent on a local production. 

And a lot is riding on its success. Explains Astro Shaw executive producer Dominique Hee: “Dukun is the company’s first baby. And the first baby is always the hardest and the most precious because it will determine the other projects to come.”  

Astro Shaw will try – Hee emphasises the word “try” – to make three films for 2007, four for 2008 and five for 2009. 

“Every film will be a different genre. The only genre that I don’t have an affinity for is science fiction because I don’t have the money and a good script,” she says candidly. 

Anuar’s banking on Dukun’s theme to attract “eye balls” regionally and internationally. “Curiosity in black magic is quite universal,” he says.  

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