Making Movie-watching Mobile – and Safe
3 min read
IT WAS ONE of the first to close and among the last few to reopen. Such was the fate that befell Malaysia’s cinema industry during the many MCO phases over the...
November 2025
This November, Penang Monthly explores language, place and memory. As GTLF returns, we highlight Penang’s multilingual streets and the dialects that keep local history alive.
Cinemas of Old Had Their Own Identity and Architectural Design
8 min read
Welcome to the 1960s and 1970s – when going to the movies was a real treat, a weekend reward from your parents.
Penning for the Pictures
6 min read
“SO MUCH OF being in the movie industry comes down to pure luck, of your being at the right place at the right time,” says Chi-Ren Choong. He is the screenwrite...
Inhabiting a World Populated by Pieces of Art
4 min read
GEORGE TOWN WAS a sensory feast for artist Ono Kang on his walks to school many years ago. He was especially charmed by the colourfully tiled five-foot ways, an...
Come Discover the Food Trail of Butterworth
6 min read
IN JANUARY, PENANG Monthly featured the gastronomic delights to be found in Bukit Mertajam. This time around, we encourage you to come eat as the locals do – in...
Pressure on Parents Rises as the Pandemic Drags On
2 min read
DURING COVID, PARENTS have been forced to assume full child-rearing duties, including playing the role of educator; these responsibilities used to be shared wit...
A Rush of Art Shows as the Flood Gates Open
6 min read
HERE THEY COME! After being completely shut up for so long, or showing only in spurts and shorts, galleries and artists are back with an avalanche of exhibition...
The Japanese Conquest of Penang: Part One
6 min read
THE OVERWHELMING FOCUS on the bombing of Pearl Harbor on December 7, 19411 as the start of the Pacific War means that the actual first shot is largely forgotten...
The Malaysian Film Industry in Numbers
3 min read
MALAYSIA’S FILM INDUSTRY has great economic potential. Between 2012 and 2019, the total gross collection for both local and foreign movies shown at local cinema...
Malaysia’s Heritage Landmarks on International Screens
4 min read
For the last two decades, Malaysia as location has attracted a string of international filmmakers, with its nature-scapes and characteristic melting pot of cultures, and landmarks that are a delightful mix of the traditional and the modern.
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Claiming Right of Place in Malaysian Cinema for Indigenous Stories
6 min read
NADIRA ILANA IS doing it all. This Sabahan filmmaker, film programmer and activist of mixed-Dusun heritage, recalls in memory snippets her first encounters with...
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