Wooing tourists with a feature film

Promoting Sabah: A scene from ‘Craze Below The Wind’, a film to boost the state tourism that will be released in May.

KOTA KINABALU: A local filmmaker is confident that the debut of Craze Below the Wind at 53 cinemas in Malaysia and Brunei will draw tourists to Sabah.

Producer Chester Pang said the movie tells a story of two siblings who get into mischief and are forced to journey across Sabah with a mysterious suitcase.

The 90-minute Chinese feature film produced by Can Bah Production is expected to be released in May, following postponements due the Covid-19 lockdowns since early 2020.

The director, Chua Soon Min, popularly known locally as Katak Chua, said the film garnered positive responses during its preview, with seven out of every 10 respondents expressing an interest in visiting Sabah.

“We have engaged 52 crew members, and 80% of them are Sabahans. We want to promote tourism through the film industry as it can provide job opportunities to locals.

“We hope Sabah Tourism can work with filmmakers to make the film tourism industry in the state a success,” said Chua, who with Pang and industry players paid a courtesy call on Sabah Tourism Board chairman Datuk Joniston Bangkuai.

Can Bah Production also filmed a promotional video, Discover Kiulu, that would be ready by the end of April. It will be displayed at the Sabah International Convention Centre here.

During the courtesy call, Bangkuai lauded the local filmmakers for their efforts to promote the state and its rural destinations.

“This is a good effort to raise awareness of Sabah’s numerous attractions and stimulate people’s curiosity about them,” said Bangkuai, who is also the state’s Assistant Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister.