Nairobi — Six hundred years ago, Chinese explorer Zeng He set sail and eventually reached the East African coast. The effect of his expedition is seen in the sizeable population of Kenyans of Chinese ancestry found in Lamu, where members of the crew intermarried with the Bajuni who are native to that part of the Kenya coast.

The story of Zeng He is a new source of curiosity in China.

This week, a Chinese film crew arrived in Kenya for a documentary that traces the voyage 600 hundred years ago and the eventual landing at the Kenya coast. For additional colour, the crew is inserting scenery of the Masaai Mara which has enjoyed popularity among Chinese travellers due to its endowment as a tourist destination.

The documentary offers great prospects for Kenya as a tourist attraction in China and is the second production from this country for Chinese production. The other was the drama series The Last Breakthrough shot in Shaba last year.

This new production is bound to raise interest in the history of the Kenya and the contacts with other cultures from time immemorial. Previously Jakub and Stan Barua made Forgotten Places, exploring the seafarer traditions at the Kenya coast.

There are other stories yet to be told.

From overseas, the state of New South Wales expects to make a small fortune with the making of Superman Returns scheduled to start shooting there shortly.

Estimates released by the state spokesperson this week indicate that the production will create some 10,000 jobs and pump at least $ 77 million into its economy. This is largely through local sources, bed nights and other services. The movie is part of the series that starred Christopher Reeve and does not indicate the replacement for the lead role.

It is the biggest ever earnings for a film shoot in Australia which has been a popular location for major Hollywood movies. Previous record for highest gains was by two episodes of The Matrix which created 800 full time and 2,500 part time jobs over an 18-month period.

Australia's big break as a film location came through the 80s movie Crocodile Dundee and its huge global success spurred popularity of the country down under as a movie location.

Ever since, it has generated its own movie industry and international stars most notably Russell Crowe and Nicole Kidman. It has also grown on television productions with programmes such as Neighbours which has had a huge following in Kenya.

In India, Bollywood is looking to a decent 18% growth over the next five years.

A joint report by PriceWaterHousecoopers and Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industry released early this week indicates that the growth will earn Bollywood at least $ 10 billion and probably higher.

The growth in Indian film industry reflects a similar trend in South East Asia with South Korea emerging as a new power house in movie making in that region.

In America, Black Entertainment Television (BET) is looking to developing original movies for its programming.

The first project is a hip hop inspired movie titled The Apprentice in which Damon Dash is expected to play the character of Donald Trump.