JOHOR, MALAYSIA — Pinewood Iskandar Malaysia Studios (PIMS) has opened in South East Asia. Located in Iskandar Malaysia, in the state of Johor, the new facility is designed to serve as a regional hub for film and television production. The integrated facility was opened by Duli Yang Maha Mulia Sultan Ibrahim Ibni Almarhum Sultan Iskandar, the Sultan and Sovereign Ruler of the State and Territory of Johor Darul Ta’zim.
PIMS is the result of a strategic alliance between the Pinewood Studios Group and the Government of Malaysia’s strategic investment fund, Khazanah Nasional Berhad (Khazanah). In February 2014, Japan’s largest post production company, Imagica Corp formed a joint venture with Khazanah to set up a post production facility, Imagica South East Asia, at the Studios.
The 50-acre facility currently offers filmmakers 100,000 square feet of film stages, 24,000 square feet of television studios, post production facilities and complete support services, including production office space, dressing/make-up rooms, workshops and backlots. The complex is one of the largest independent integrated studio facility in South East Asia, if not Asia.
Construction was completed in December and the studio has already generated great interest from international film and television producers. In April 2014, the studio inked a deal with independent American multimedia production and distribution company, The Weinstein Company, to shoot the upcoming television series, Marco Polo at the facility.