China Central Television (CCTV) 's TV Drama Production Center signed a pact with Malaysian VL Film Production Sdn Bhd Kuala Lumpur on Monday to co-produce a TV serial drama which tells some moving stories about a group of tourists when the tsunami hit the Indian Ocean region in December 2004.

This is the second TV serial drama that the two companies are cooperating to produce after they joined hands to make Tale of Twin Cities in December last year.

The filming of 24-part TV drama called Sea Providence will start on March 6 this year on Pulau Redang, a renowned tourism island in Malaysia's northern state of Terengganu, said Li Gongda, producer of the 1.3 million U.S. dollar drama.

Most of the actors and actresses in the drama will be picked up from China and Malaysia and the selection process are stilling going on, said Li, who is also a senior playwright and producer of CCTV's TV Drama Production Center.

He said at the pact signing ceremony that his team and Malaysian cooperative partner will try to finish the filming of the TV drama in December this year, immediately before the third anniversary of the tsunami.

Malaysian Deputy Tourism Minister Lim Siang Chai said that Malaysia attaches great importance to the role of foreign movie and TV drama makers in promoting Malaysia's tourism destinations and the tourism industry.

He said that Malaysia welcomes them coming to Malaysia to shoot movies to help introduce the beautiful scenery of the country to the world.

Source: Xinhua

(People’s Daily Online Jan. 8, 2007)