Hi, this is Izumitani from the Ehime Film Commission (Ehime FC).
I had no idea that AFCNet (Asia Film Commission Network) includes 19 member countries and regions—Indonesia, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Mongolia, Myanmar, Nepal, New Zealand, the Philippines, Bhutan, Cambodia, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, Russia, Thailand, Vietnam, Turkey, and Spain.
I’ve been thinking about how to attract more Asian productions to Japan and Ehime, but I realized I still have a lot to learn.
Bhutan and Jordan’s Film Commissions
This time, I learned that Bhutan, the “happiest country in the world,” now has its own film commission. Their representative passionately declared,
“We want to share the charm of Bhutan with the world!”
That statement really stuck with me.
Another surprising discovery was that Jordan has a film commission—The Royal Film Commission Jordan.
Jordan’s Cinematic Legacy
Then, an interesting conversation unfolded:
“Did you know? The Petra ruins were featured in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade!”
“I knew about Petra, but wait… it’s in Jordan!?”
“Yeah, and it was also used for Star Wars.”
“No way! I love Star Wars, and I had no idea!”
” The Martian was filmed there too.”
“The Martian? Oh, you mean the one with the Japanese title Odyssey!”
“And Dune was also shot there.”
“What!? Dune too!? That’s one of my favorite movies!”
“Looks like Jordan FC is the go-to for desert filming.”
“For sure.”
“But it’s not just about desert landscapes—they also have top-notch film studios, so they can handle any kind of shoot.”
“Yeah, totally agree.”
Surprisingly, this information didn’t come from the Jordan Film Commission representative but from a location manager at the Busan Film Commission, who joined us after an AFCNet board meeting.
Since Jordan’s film commission is “royal,” they operate under the King’s authority and provide full national support for film productions. That’s impressive!