Indonesian horror 'Whispers of Fatimah' scales virtual production in Southeast Asia

This production marks a significant shift in Southeast Asian filmmaking by moving high-concept horror—a historically location-dependent genre—into controlled virtual environments. The use of LED volumes at Iskandar Malaysia Studios demonstrates the region's increasing technical maturity and the viability of cross-border infrastructure sharing. For the broader industry, it signals that virtual production has graduated from big-budget Hollywood tentpoles to mid-market genre cinema in emerging markets. Watch for the film's performance in secondary markets like Turkey to gauge if high-fidelity virtual sets improve the exportability of regional intellectual property.

The adoption of virtual production in Southeast Asia is accelerating as regional governments intensify financial support for high-tech filmmaking. Per the Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA) in July 2026, Singapore’s $25 million top-up to its Virtual Production Innovation Fund has already facilitated over 20 creative projects. This initiative is part of a larger SGD 200 million Talent Accelerator Programme launched in December 2025, aimed at positioning the city-state as a regional co-production hub through 2028. These funds specifically target the development of 'Made-with-Singapore' content that leverages emerging technologies like real-time rendering and AI.

Simultaneously, the infrastructure supporting these productions is undergoing operational shifts. According to Malaysia’s Ministry of Finance in June 2023, Khazanah Nasional divested 100% of its shares in the operating company of Iskandar Malaysia Studios (IMS) to Studio Management Services, a consortium led by Singapore’s GHY Culture & Media. While Khazanah retains ownership of the physical 49-acre land and assets, the private management shift was intended to stabilize the facility's financial sustainability and attract larger international productions. GHY Culture & Media reported to the Singapore Exchange that this acquisition serves as a strategic base for its regional film and TV expansion.

Market analysis from Grand View Research in early 2026 projects that the Asia-Pacific virtual production market, which generated over $770 million in 2025, will grow at a CAGR of 22.2% through 2033. This growth is driven by the rising complexity of digital visual effects and a transition toward LED volumes, which are expected to surpass traditional chromakey stages globally by 2031 per Mordor Intelligence. The success of genre titles like 'Whispers of Fatimah' serves as a critical test case for whether these hardware investments can effectively lower long-term post-production costs for regional studios.