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The Western Tien Shan mountain range, stretching across Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Uzbekistan. / Photo courtesy of EPA, Yonhap News

Kazakhstan is rapidly gaining attention as a new global hub for content filming. With production underway for a new film starring global action icon Jackie Chan, alongside South Korean dramas and joint film productions between South Korea and Kazakhstan, anticipation is building locally that the country could emerge as Central Asia's next content creation powerhouse.

State-run news agency Kazinform and other local media reported that the Almaty Police Department in Kazakhstan actively provided logistical support on July 12 by ensuring safety at the filming locations and managing surrounding traffic for the movie starring Jackie Chan.

Jackie Chan has been fulfilling his production schedule since attending an opening ceremony in Almaty on July 9 to mark the commencement of principal photography for his upcoming film, Armor of God: Ultimatum. Filming is scheduled to run through October across various locations in Almaty and the Mangystau region.

Co-produced by China's state-run China Film Group Corporation, Hong Kong-based production company Billion Target, and Kazakhstan's media company Salem Entertainment, the project aims for a worldwide theatrical release in 2027.

Among the primary filming destinations, the Bozzhyra Canyon in Mangystau is renowned for its breathtaking scenery featuring massive white cliffs and desolate, rugged rock formations. Kazakhstan's unique and untamed natural environment has increasingly captured the attention of the global film industry.

South Korean celebrities are also drawing local attention; in May, singer and actress Suzy sparked significant interest among local fans when she arrived at the Aktau International Airport in Mangystau. Local media reported that she visited the country to shoot the South Korean drama The Men of a Harem.

More recently, Big Tiger Media, a joint production company co-established by South Korea and Kazakhstan, has been pushing forward with a bilateral film project. The romantic comedy follows a South Korean superstar who falls in love with a local woman while visiting Kazakhstan, and it is being produced in three languages: Korean, Kazakh, and English.

With the majority of the filming slated to take place in Almaty, local industry insiders expect this project to go beyond a simple co-production. It is highly anticipated to serve as a bridge to integrate South Korea's advanced film production systems and technical expertise into the Kazakh film industry.

Keywords for Kazakhstan's rise as a new international filming destination include the coexistence of highly diverse natural and urban backdrops within a single country. The nation offers a vast array of visual spectacles, ranging from sweeping steppes, snow-capped mountains, deserts, and canyons to the Caspian Sea coast, as well as cityscape views that still retain Soviet-era architecture.

Analysts project that Kazakhstan holds substantial potential to firmly establish itself as the representative hub for global content filming in Central Asia. This shift is expected to generate significant tourism benefits while positively boosting the country's overall brand image on the global stage.

                                                                                                              Kim Min-gyu