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A publication of Penang Institute, Penang Monthly is the voice of Penang and an inspiring read for the curious Malaysian. Publishing articles concerning the well-being and good folks of Penang.

Lights, Camera, Action: Penang’s Niche in Movie-Making

4 min read

CHEONG FATT TZE Mansion and Eastern & Oriental (E&O) Hotel were thrust into international spotlight in 2018, when Jon Chu’s Crazy Rich Asians premie...

by Ooi Tze Xiong

Flyers from the Golden Age of Cinema

4 min read

THE GOLDEN AGE of Malaysian Cinema, spanning the 1950s to the 1970s, saw moviegoers lining up to catch the latest releases. For more popular shows, scalpers wou...

by Paul Augustin

Hassan Muthalib: A Life Lived in Drawings, Animations and Love of Visual Language

15 min read

HE IS THE Father of Malaysian Animation, a title bestowed on him by former Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak. He was also a recipient of the 2018 Merdeka Award u...

by Rachel Yeoh

Vulnerable and Exposed: Saw Teong Hin on the Travails of Filmmaking

5 min read

WHEN SAW TEONG HIN started his filmmaking career in KL, he began at the bottom rung. But to even get a foot in, he had to leaf through the Yellow Pages from A t...

by Lim Wan Phing

Raging Against the Machine: Reflections on Pendatang, Abang Adik and Maryam Pagi Ke Malam

5 min read

What do (a) a family living in a speculative, segregated Malaysia; (b) two brothers squeezed into a Pudu flat and; (c) a woman of royalty who owns an art gallery, all have in common?

by Yee Heng Yeh

Do Malaysian Films Have a Future?

8 min read

Badrul Hisham Ismail is the director and screenwriter of Maryam Pagi Ke Malam, a 2023 film about a Muslim woman’s struggles with religious bureaucracy and socie...

by Badrul Hisham Ismail

The Creative Industries Require More Organic Solidarity and Less Mechanical Solidarity

3 min read

IF YOU WISH to enhance material production, be this of electronic chips, fish and chips, or arts and crafts, the contemporary wisdom today is to aim for the est...

by Dato' Dr. Ooi Kee Beng

Flames of Fortune: The Chneah Hoay Ceremony at Penang’s Oldest Chinese Temple

4 min read

ON THE EVENING of 23 February, my friend—a heritage enthusiast from Penang Heritage Trust (PHT), Ganesh Kolandaveloo—and I went to see the venerable Chneah Hoay...

by Eugene Quah

Events in May

4 min read

RUNWhether you’re an experienced runner or just starting out, the Raya Run 2024 is perfect for people of all ages and fitness levels. With a scenic route and pl...

by Penang Monthly

Art Exhibition Extraordinaire at the Ng Fook Temple

4 min read

CHINESE TEMPLES IN Penang serve as a place for worship, for ancestral prayers and for celebrations, such as the Mooncake Festival and Dragon Boat Festival. Howe...

by Iylia De Silva

Embracing the Joy of Having Toys

5 min read

AS KIDS NOWADAYS gravitate towards tablets and gadgets, the toy market is being kept afloat mostly by adults. According to data from NPD Group, a huge number of...

by Cheah Mi Chelle

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