Let’s Talk Travel Insurance For Bali: Everything You Need To Know
FINNS Holidays is all about holidays in Bali, and tens of thousands of people visit Bali every year without a single issue. In fact, many
Bali has appeared on the big screen for almost a century, inspiring everything from Hollywood romances and thrillers to international classics.
For this guide, we’re looking specifically at foreign and internationally released films with a Bali connection. Some are set entirely or partially in Bali but were actually filmed somewhere else, while others were shot on the island despite their stories being set elsewhere. And, of course, some are both filmed and set right here in Bali.
We’ve also thrown in a couple of more recent Indonesian movies that made it onto the international stage, along with some feature-length surf documentaries and a few shorts about Bali that you can watch on YouTube right now.
So, here’s our selection of 16 films with a Bali connection, large or small.
One of the most recent international movies to be both set and shot in Bali, Influencers is also one of our favourites on the list. It’s extra special for us, as part of the movie was filmed at FINNS Beach Club.
The psychological thriller follows a group of social media influencers whose seemingly glamorous travels take an increasingly dark and twisted turn. Without giving too much away, expect beautiful destinations, deception and more than a few moments where things suddenly get very uncomfortable.
The movie, which also has scenes set and/or shot in France and Canada, was filmed over four months with a 15-person crew using handheld cameras. Some of their indie-style filming was so stealthy that guests at FINNS didn’t even notice a four-minute sequence being filmed around them.
While in Bali, one of the characters stays at the spectacular Laputa Villa in Sidemen, a secluded bamboo villa high in the hills.
Influencers begins in the south of France and is a sequel to Influencer, which was set in Thailand. However, it’s completely fine to watch as a standalone movie. In fact, some of us didn’t even realise it was a sequel until afterwards.
A word of warning, though. Certain parts of this rollercoaster of a movie aren’t for the faint-hearted.
Probably the first movie that comes to mind when many people think of Bali, but it just lost out to Influencers for our top spot.
Based on the 2006 memoir by writer Elizabeth Gilbert, and starring Julia Roberts, the film follows Gilbert as she travels through exotic spots in Italy, India and finally Bali in search of a new direction in life. The “Love” part of the story was filmed around Ubud, where she meets Brazilian businessman Felipe, played by Javier Bardem.
Several recognisable Bali locations appear on screen, including the Tegallalang Rice Terraces and the home of real-life Balinese healer Ketut Liyer. The beach scenes were filmed at Padang Padang on the Bukit Peninsula.
The movie caused a substantial tourism boom following its release in 2010, and to this day many tourists watch it before they visit Bali for the first time.
Roberts’ second movie visit to Bali, except this time she never actually came here.
In this romantic comedy, Julia Roberts and George Clooney star as divorced parents who travel to Bali to stop their daughter from marrying a local man.
Despite the story taking place on the island, the entire movie was filmed in Queensland, Australia, with locations around the Whitsundays, Gold Coast and Brisbane standing in for Bali.
Bandit is an Indonesian neo-noir crime thriller filmed entirely in Bali, which made its way onto the international stage in 2026.
The story follows a desperate father who turns to crime after losing his job, drawing him into Bali’s criminal underworld. The film includes plenty of authentic Balinese locations and local culture, and premiered in Hollywood before winning the Grand Jury Prize at Dances With Films.
Filmed entirely in Bali with a Balinese cast, this American silent drama follows a love triangle involving two Legong dance sisters.
Set around Ubud when it was still a small village, Legong is particularly fascinating today for its early colour footage of Balinese life, ceremonies and traditional dance performances.
Visually spectacular adventure fantasy The Fall is actually set in Los Angeles, but Bali provides some of the locations for the fantastical stories told by bedridden stuntman Roy Walker following a filming accident.
Gunung Kawi Temple appears in a memorable Kecak dance scene, while the Tegallalang Rice Terraces also form part of the movie’s spectacular fantasy world.
Another one out of Indonesia, but as a Netflix exclusive, A Perfect Fit was released to audiences around the world and became quite a hit.
The romantic comedy follows a Bali fashion blogger whose life takes an unexpected turn after meeting a shoemaker while visiting a village.
Scenes were shot in Jatiluwih Rice Terraces, Ubud and Tenganan.
One of the most famous surf documentaries ever made, Morning of the Earth follows surfers searching for waves in Australia, Hawaii and Bali.
The Bali footage has become particularly iconic, capturing a very different island and the early days of surfing at Uluwatu, including legendary Hawaiian Gerry Lopez.
Hollywood action thriller Alex Cross stars Tyler Perry as a Detroit detective hunting the man responsible for his wife’s murder. The chase eventually takes him to Bali, with the movie’s climactic scenes filmed around Jasri in Karangasem.
The East Bali scenes include its rural coastline and a villa where the final manhunt comes to an end. The production also employed 35 local crew and 20 Balinese extras.
This feature-length documentary follows Charlie Chaplin’s visit to Bali in 1932, as the silent film star was struggling with the arrival of sound in cinema.
Chaplin travelled around both northern and southern Bali with his brother Sydney, capturing footage of everyday life on the island, traditional dances and ceremonies. The documentary combines this remarkable archive footage with the story of a very different Bali almost a century ago.
Apparently, he was surprised to discover that nobody recognised him on the island, despite being one of the world’s biggest movie stars at the time.
Released in English as All the Beauty of the World, this French comedy-drama follows a French woman grieving the death of her partner who travels to Bali with a man secretly in love with her.
The movie includes plenty of Balinese locations, including Kuta Beach, Seminyak, Legian, Ubud, Jatiluwih’s rice fields, Tanah Lot Temple and Mount Batukaru.
The Endless Summer II follows American surfers Robert “Wingnut” Weaver and Patrick O’Connell as they travel between some of the world’s most popular surfing destinations.
Their Bali part combines Bali waves with plenty of the island’s culture, including Kuta Beach, Uluwatu Temple, Tanah Lot, traditional villages, ceremonies and gamelan music.
As far as we can tell, this is the oldest international feature film to be both shot and set in Bali. Part exploitation movie and part documentary, Kriss, The Sword of Death, later released as Goona-Goona, follows a love triangle involving a Balinese prince, a local woman and her husband.
The story involves a goona-goona and aphrodisiacal love potion, while the footage offers a fascinating glimpse of rural Bali and Balinese culture in the early 1930s.
Starring Scott Eastwood, The Perfect Wave is a surf adventure biopic based on the life of surfer Ian McCormack.
The international production was filmed across several surfing destinations, including South Africa, Mauritius and Indonesia, with around a third of the story taking place in Bali. The Bali scenes follow McCormack as he travels to the island in search of waves.
Also known as Incontro d’amore a Bali or simply Bali, this Italian drama follows two men living on the island while working on a photography book. Much of the movie was filmed in Bali, with its exotic places and local rituals forming an important part of the story.
The original release was a box-office bomb, but a re-edited version released a few years later became a success, and the movie has since gained something of a cult following.
Baraka is a feature-length, non-narrative documentary filmed across 24 countries, including Bali. The film features human life, religious rituals, natural beauty and stunning landscapes from around the world.
The Bali part includes rice paddies, Balinese rituals and gorgeous landscapes, with one of the best moments being a spectacular Kecak dance sequence. It truly captures the real Bali culture.
Not every worthwhile film about Bali is feature-length. There are also some excellent short documentaries available to watch for free online, perfect for killing time at the airport before your flight to Bali.
A short film exploring the island, it’s culture and the pressures tourism places on this tropical paradise. Produced with support from the local hotel industry and board of hotels.
Based on Phil Jarratt’s book, this short Australian film looks beyond the island paradise image to explore the changing face of modern Bali, including the darker side of its transformation into a tourist mecca.
The documentary highlights how tourism helped make Bali what it is today, giving you a chance to visit Bali and learn more about the island beyond its beaches, resorts and holiday image.
Surfing legend Lopez returned to Bali four decades after his first visit to see just how much the island had changed. The short film was made with local NGO Project Clean Uluwatu alongside members of the local community, and looks at both Bali’s famous surf scene and the environmental pressures that came with its growth.
Yes, the series is Ring of Fire: An Indonesian Odyssey, a five-part show on Indonesian culture following brothers Lorne and Lawrence Blair on their decade-long journey across the Indonesian archipelago.
The second episode brings you to Bali, where the brothers had a house. You can see the traditional boats on the coast of Sanur in the 1980s, Besakih temple in Karangasem, and stunning scenery including views of Mount Agung.
Yes. Bali appeared in international films as far back as the early 1930s. Goona-Goona was shot entirely on location in Bali, while Legong: Dance of the Virgins followed in 1935 with an all-Balinese cast and early colour footage of the island.
Yes, but foreign film productions in Bali need the correct visa and filming permits to comply with Indonesian law. You’ll generally also need to work with a registered local production company or fixer, who can help arrange the necessary permits and permissions.
From Hollywood romances and thrillers to old classics, international productions and surf films, Bali has played plenty of different roles on screen over the years.
Some movies capture the real beauty of Bali and immerse you in the culture, some simply use its spectacular scenery, and others recreate Bali somewhere else entirely.
Either way, there are plenty of movies and documentaries here for you to watch before your next trip to Bali.
FINNS Holidays is all about holidays in Bali, and tens of thousands of people visit Bali every year without a single issue. In fact, many
Planning a short Bali itinerary? 5 days may not seem like a lot, but there’s plenty of time to enjoy the beaches of Canggu, temples of Ubud and more.
Looking for the best breakfast Bali has to offer? Discover 24 top cafes for everything from smoothie bowls and coffee to big breakfasts and brunch.
Worried about tomcats? Bali has them, but our guide to understanding these rove beetles covers their toxin, burns, treatment and how to avoid them.
Pay Safely With Us
