Lights, Camera, Action: Penang’s Niche in Movie-Making
By Ooi Tze Xiong
May 2024 FEATURE
CHEONG FATT TZE Mansion and Eastern & Oriental (E&O) Hotel were thrust into international spotlight in 2018, when Jon Chu’s Crazy Rich Asians premiered with scenes shot in these localities. Naturally, fans of the movie have since pilgrimaged here, to Cheong Fatt Tze Mansion, where Rachel Chu faced off Eleanor Young in a mahjong match. The heritage hotel had even offered an extravagant accommodation package featuring “Crazy Rich Asians-like splendour” to capitalise on the hype.George Town has, in fact, long...
References
- [1] How Malaysia became a big part of ‘Crazy Rich Asians’. The Nation. 31 August 2018. https://www.nationthailand.com/international/30353453
- [2] Sowerby, Samantha (20 August 2018). Live Like A Crazy Rich Asian At The Cheong Fatt Tze Mansion In Penang. Tatler. https://www.tatlerasia.com/lifestyle/travel/live-like-a-crazy-rich-asian-cheong-fatt- tze-mansion-penang
- [3] Liu, Yong (26 November 2020). “Framing Film-Induced Tourism into a Sustainable Perspective from Romania, Indonesia and Malaysia”. Sustainability. 12 (23): 9910.
- [4] Khoo, Su Nin (2007). Streets of George Town, Penang. Areca Books.
- [5] Kevin Vimal (15 March 2023). Culturally-driven ‘Nyonya Ronggeng’ movie to begin shooting in Penang this month. Buletin Mutiara. https://www.buletinmutiara.com/culturally-driven-nyonya- ronggeng-movie-to-begin-shooting-in-penang-this-month/
Ooi Tze Xiong
currently delves into content creation and enjoys piloting drones as a hobby. After years of sojourning in cities across Malaysia and Singapore, he eventually decided to call Penang home.
