Phnom Penh: An international film crew hopes to start shooting a new Hollywood movie in Siem Reap and at Angkor Wat early next year. “37 Heavens” tells the story of Jackie Kennedy’s 1967 visit to Cambodia and her romance with a British diplomat. The movie takes its name from Angkor Wat’s first-level south gallery, which depicts 32 hells and 37 heavens.

The film explores a little-known period of the life of the former US First Lady. She visited Cambodia in 1967, together with British diplomat Lord David Harlech. They stayed with Cambodia’s premier, then-Prince Sihanouk, who wanted to build stronger ties with the US. At the time, Lord Harlech was also on a secret mission for Robert Kennedy to negotiate an end to the Vietnam War.

Shooting is set to get underway early next year and is expected to provide a much-needed boost to tourism in Siem Reap, which has been decimated by the pandemic. About a dozen international films have been shot at Angkor, perhaps the most famous being “Lara Croft: Tomb Raider”, starring Angelina Jolie.