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HBO Asia has teamed up with Infinite Studios to produce its first ever feature film in Asia, shot entirely in Indonesia and featuring local actor Ario Bayu.

The English-language action-horror film, Dead Mine, is being shot entirely in Batam in Infinite Studios’ new 2,800 square-meter facility. Filming began on Monday.

“HBO Asia is very excited to be working with Infinite Studios on our very first original feature film co-production,” said Jonathan Spink, chief executive officer of HBO Asia.

“This is truly a landmark announcement and is another important milestone for HBO Asia ,” he added.

Indonesian audiences will be able to see the film in theaters next year, followed by television premiers on HBO Asia.

Minister of Tourism and Creative Economy Mari Elka Pangestu had previously said the studio in Batam was expected to produce quality movies.

“I hope the studio will be the source of creativity and a lot of fantastic movies will be produced here,” Mari said, during the studio’s opening night on Nov. 5.

Mari, recently appointed to her current ministry, has been keen to promote tourism by encouraging international filmmakers to shoot in Indonesia.

Bali has already had a brush or two with silver-screen fame. While it was hardly a surprise that Columbia Pictures’ “Eat Pray Love” was filmed partly in Bali, given that the “Love” part of the book on which it is based was set on the island, scenes for another Hollywood film have also been shot there recently.

Director Rob Cohen’s adaptation of the detective thriller “I, Alex Cross” involves the eponymous character, played by Tyler Perry, tracking a murderer down to Bali.