First look at the set of Angelina Jolie's new film in the heart of the Cambodian jungle
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- Published on Saturday, 07 November 2015 12:07
- Written by Daily Mail
Angelina Jolie was spotted scouting locations for her latest directorial project in Siem Reap. Cambodia last month.And now DailyMail.com can reveal a first look at the set of the Netflix movie First They Killed My Father: A Daughter Of Cambodia Remembers.The star is about to direct hundreds of locals in the epic, which she also co-wrote, while her eldest son Maddox - who was born in Cambodia - is going to be heavily involved.Workers have been preparing huts to look like a traditional Cambodian village and fields to look like rice paddies on the set.However there is one potential issue for Angelina and her crew, as they revealed that they had found nine Asian Forest Scorpions - also known as Black Scorpions - lurking underfoot in one day.A single sting from their barbed tails causes intense pain, swelling and a large, red wound that remains inflamed for days and can be fatal if left untreated. One skilled member of the locally sourced crew was in charge of cutting off their stinging tails, before placing them in a jar.His on-set colleague explained: 'You have to be very careful when you’re working. We keep them in a plastic bottle, which they can’t climb out of, but they do try and escape. The pincers can really hurt.'We put them in bottles of whisky, its good for you, it gives you strength! We do the same with centipedes when we find them – although we cut off their heads.'Scorpions aren’t the only problem the film crew faces. There are deadly critters to deal with on the forest floor and up trees - a major problem if anyone is bitten, as the nearest hospital is 45 minutes away on winding dirt roads, which become very difficult to negotiate in the rain.
A local villager explained: 'The scorpions are very dangerous for anyone who doesn’t know how to deal with their stings.'We have tarantulas here, some of the most venomous varieties, and cobras. They can dive out of the tree and bite you on the head - they’re deadly.'You have to be treated within the hour after being bitten to survive. The hospital is far, but there are some people in the village who know of a special medicine [extract] from one of the trees that can treat the bites.'Angelina, 40, will base herself in Cambodia while she makes her latest movie between now and February 2016.First They Killed My Father... tells the story of the deadly Khmer Rouge regime - which ruled Cambodia with an iron fist and massacred millions of its own citizens between 1975 and 1979 - from the perspective of girl who is five years old at the beginning of the story.It is based on the first-hand account of Angelina’s friend, Luong Ong, whom she met during one of her first humanitarian missions to the country after filming Tomb Raider there in 2000 and falling in love with it. Angelina has said that Maddox, 14, will be very much involved in production to ensure he connects to the country of his birth.'As Maddox and I prepare the film we will be side by side learning about his country,' Jolie explained earlier this year.'He is 14 and this is a very important time for him to understand who he is. He is my son but he is also a son of Cambodia. This is the time for our family to understand all that that means to him and to us.'One local woman who has been hired for the cast - but declined to give her name for fear of losing her part in the movie - told how Angelina’s film has provided work for a huge number of people in the village, some of whom live in grass huts not unlike the ones created for the set.
She said: 'More than 100 people from the village have been hired by the film crew – they’ve been building the sets, and preparing the fields to have banana trees, rice paddies and potato plants.'They’ve also been making the Khmer Rouge uniforms, which are all black with red and white chequered scarves.'People have been paid between $15 and $25 a day, depending on the jobs they do – it’s a good wage for here.'This film is very good for the village – the rice crop finished around a month ago, so it’s the slow season and this has provided jobs to help everyone through.'Most of the film will be made in the Siem Reap province, and will use a huge cast of between 2,000 to 3,000 people, all of whom will be Cambodian. Angelina is currently promoting By The Sea, which she directed and stars in with husband Brad Pitt. It is due for release in the US on November 13 and the UK on December 11.
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