Test

90 Armenian Street10200 George Town

Penang

t: +604 261 6308 • f: +604 261 6305 • m: +6016 464 4211 • e: [email protected]

georgetownfestival.com

RM2.17 Millionturn over reported during the Festival in 2011 by the hotel industry alone

1.2 Millionwebsite hits in 2011 in 3 months

40is the number of countries the visitors came from

192international and local articles about GTF

195international and local performers

2.4 Millionimpressions in 2012 in the Airasia website

60international proposals received in 2012

The George Town Festival is a month-long celebration of the inscription of George Town on the UnESCo World Heritage listing on 7th July, 2008. It is a feast of art, music, theatre, dance, opera and film that transforms George Town into a unique platform for arts, heritage and culture.

INTRODUCTION

“i want George Town Festival to inspire people.”Joe Sidek

George Town Festival Director

PeNANG, PeARl OF The ORIeNTGeorge Town is a historic Straits settlement city located in Penang island on the west coast of the Malaysian Peninsula. Recently listed as a UNeSCO heritage site, Penang is famous worldwide for its brilliant food selection and unique culture. With a recent emphasis on heritage preservation and flourishing boutique hotel industry George Town is fast becoming the destination of choice for arts and culture in South east Asia.

GeORGe TOWNWhat sets George Town apart from the crowd is exactly the right balance of things on offer. You can easily take a hike in the jungles in the morning followed by a leisurely afternoon on the beach, have a candlelight dinner and see a world class show in one day! George Town has a soul and a historic charm that Singapore lacks, and it is not as chaotic and busy as Jakarta or Bangkok which makes it such an attractive place to indulge in arts, food, culture and heritage.

With George Town Festival 2012 taking place from June 15th to July 15th there has never been a better period to visit Penang. During this time George Town springs into life and its streets become a platform for arts, dance, film, music, culture and heritage events!

KHEnG HUa on HER lovE aFFaiRWITh PeNANG

Tan Kheng huaDIReCTOR, PRODUCeR AND ACTReSS

Kheng hua, the actress whose name is almost a synonym with feminine elegance and charm, tells us how she fell in love with Penang and how inspired she is by George Town Festival. Warm, witty, sharp and charming, Kheng hua gives an intimate interview on how lost Singaporeans feel in their own city and how much she would love to move to Penang, Malaysia!

Tell us about your first visit to Penang.I first went to Penang when I was pregnant with my daughter Shi-An! her father’s family comes from Penang and we thought we could find a name for her. As itturned out, only male babies get names from the lim Kongsi.

But my love affair with Penang began from that trip onwards. I fell in love with the place, its food, its culture, my relatives there, and this love affair continues today. In fact, it has deepened!

What are your impressions about Penang from the most recent visit?Penang is a lot cleaner now than before. You can sense a distinct air of pride dwelling from the Penangites. They are proud of their island, how far it has come, how independent they are, how unique and unlike the rest of Malaysia. And Penangites are so eager to share this unique approach with all the visitors.

Despite a cleaner and organized sense that has taken over the island, Penang continues to hold onto its distinct and unique character.

Could you imagine yourself living in Penang?Capital YeS!

What are your most beloved things about Penang?The food, the people, the architecture, culture, but the environment of open, honest, creativity led by passionate individuals who love their city authentically and this comes from true information about where they’ve originated from and how they’d like to contribute to make their lovely town even better.

Are you looking forward for George Town Festival 2012?Again, capital YeS! hopefully, I will be right in the thick of it.

Farooq ChaudhryAKRAM KhAN COMPANY PRODUCeR

Farooq Chaudhry on George Town Festival 2011Farooq Chaudhry, producer for the famous Akram Khan Company, which brought their magnificent production “Vertical Road” to George Town Festival 2011 shares his experience and impressions about George Town, Malaysia and George Town Festival.

Farooq, what is your impression about Penang? George Town seems to be an eclectic place with an interesting mix of the old and new together with some small smatterings of British colonialism. I sensed it is a place with grand ambitions. That’s so exciting!

You attended George Town Festival 2011 as part of akram Khan Company’s production team, what are your impressions about the Festival?It’s a Festival with ambitions spearheaded by a team of people who are passionately committed to the arts.If it continues this way I can see George Town Festival as one day being one of Asia’s leading arts festivals.

Tell us a funny story from your stay in Penang. At the post show party I met a delightful lady who told me she was an MBA. I told her I also had a master’s degree in Arts management and she burst out laughing explaining that her MBA stood for “married but available!’ I’m pretty sure it was not a pass and soon I was laughing as loud as her. It’s incredible what good quality champagne can do to the mind. I hope I can say this!

MarCus TeoeDITOR W MAGAzINe

Marcus Teo on George Town Festival 2011As a creative director and stylist Marcus Teo has worked with such internationally recognized brands like Calvin Klein, Mont Blanc, Coach, Nautica, hickey Freeman and Brooks Brothers. he worked as an editor in W Magazine and contributes to British GQ, Italy and Japan, esquire, l’uomo Vogue and Black Book. Marcus works and lives in New York, but never forgets his Malaysian roots.

What valuable experience did you bring back from your visit to Penang during George Town Festival?The George Town Festival is definitely a necessary platform to shed light on one of Malaysia’s treasures – the city of George Town and Penang as a whole. It helped educate me through events about the cultural aspects of Penang I was not aware of before.I think it is also valuable to celebrate the festival with Malaysians who have gone and lived abroad. My participation came as the whole Malaysian community living in New York was welcomed home for the event.

as for something interesting impression from the Festival This was the first time zang Toi and Yeohlee, two of Malaysia’s biggest fashion talents living and making it in New York City, have shared the runway together. I used to work for Toi as his PR Director before going to work at W Magazine. Yeohlee is a dear friend. Their aesthetics could not be further apart. For the first time, they managed to share the stage and together with our own supermodel ling Tan, at the same venue with a tight hair and make up change. This was a major feat! I am surprised it went as smoothly as it did with no time in between. I was nervous for them!The ability to pull that off shows how good we are under pressure! It also mostly highlights the diversity of being Malaysian – both Toi and Yeohlee are experts in their own diverse brand of fashion.

eVeNTS IN JUNe

15th SilaT – oUR HERiTaGE FoR THE WoRld 15 July - 16 July

Mirrors Georgetown 15 June - 15 July

Still - Solo exhibition By Jonson Pasaribu 15 June - 15 July

29Th Annual exhibition Of The Penang Water Colour Society 1 June - 24 July

Beautiful Junk: Re-Constructing Culture 15 June - 15 July

Sasaran Art

The heritage home Makeover 15 June - 15 July

Paintings By Malaysian, Singapore & Thailand Artists 15 June - 15 July

16th Mapping An Identity 16 June - 15 July

Art Attack @ Gurney Paragon 16 June - 19 June

YeS Broadway Penang

17th The eurasian Fiesta

Malam Melayu

YeS hip hop Penang

18th Pro Musica International Workshop & Master Class For Opera & Voice Training18 June - 24 June

23rd hand Made Market

Youth Creative Public Service Awareness Short Film Contest

Tikam-Tikam: Malaysia@Random 23 June - 24 June

24th Pro Musica Mini Concert

Malam Melayu

27th Solo exhibition Of Shoko lee 27 June- 7 July

Pro Musica Gala Concert

29th Operafest The Children’s Choir Of Malaysia 29 June - 30 June

German Master Classic

30th Penang Primary & Secondary School Choir Competition

Mak Yong

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eVeNTS IN JUlY1st Wushu Madness II - The Realm Between

George Town - Before & After

esplanade line Dance Jamboree

Kwong Wah Yit Poh (KWYP) Penang hill Climb

Malam Melayu

Islamic Paadal Qawalli

The Philippine Madrigal Singers 1 July - 2 July

4th BlindEd Mind

5th local Oil Painting Artists - 2012 5 July - 15 July

Rasa Sayang 5 July - 7 July

6th THE ManGaniYaR SEdUCTion 6 July - 8 July

7th ReSCUbe

Sbaek Thom

livE HERiTaGE 7July - 9 July

Penang Durians’ Masters 7July - 8 July

Kayu Mu

Australian Youth Band Southern Stars 7 July - 10 July

8th exhibition Of historic & Current Images Of St. George’s Church8 July - 15 July

Malam Melayu ft Desert Rose

Circle Of Sound

10th Sketching George Town 10 July - 15 July

Midsummer Night’s Dream 10 July - 12 July

11th 48th Annual exhibition Of The Penang Teacher’s Art Circle11 July - 19 July

Advanced Visual Storytelling Course 11 July - 14 July

13th Klex 13 July - 14 July

Fine Art, Fine Dining 13 July - 13 August

Penangites’ homecoming Concert

14th Northern Music Festival 14 July - 15 July

15th TroPFesT

JULY

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The majestic martial art of Silat was practiced by Malay warriors from the dawn of Malay civilization some 2000 years ago until the 18th century. Now, a cast of 150 showcase the power of its rituals and combat forms in a spectacular performance commissioned especially for the Gala Opening of GTF2012. helmed by award-winning producer/director Saw Teong hin, the production features a hybrid of theatrics infused with traditional music, contemporary visuals, a thrilling epic battle and a climactic duel. Saw Teong hin, who directed Puteri Gunung ledang, the first Malaysian film entered in to the Academy Awards will be assisted by music director Saidah Rastam, production designer liew Kung-Yu, lighting designer Dorothy P’ng and choreographer Aziwahija Yeop.

15 & 16 JuneFort Cornwallis

Our heRITAGe for The World

6 - 8 JulyDewan sri Pinang

The inventive Indian director Roysten Abel, introduces GTF2012 audiences to the world famous The Manganiyar Seduction, a unique confluence of traditional Rajasthani music and striking contemporary theatre. The formerly nomadic Manganiyar minstrels once performed for Rajasthani kings and worshipped Muslim saints as well as hindu goddesses. Imagine a dark stage coming slowly to life as the conductor gestures and one by one the curtain-lined stacked boxes on stage light up to reveal white-robed musicians. The musical refrain slowly builds as more boxes and more musicians (42 altogether) begin singing, playing lutes, percussion and reed instruments in an increasingly frenzied symphony. An unmissable experience!

BLInded MInd4 July

Dewan sri PinangInternationally acclaimed Finnish choreographer Susanna leinonen and her contemporary dance company present Blinded Mind, a 60-minute performance that premiered in 2011 to celebrate the tenth anniversary of the Susanna leinonen Company. The six dancers express themes of contrast and opposition using powerful visual and sound elements. The dreamlike sensitivity and stark reality of Blinded Mind tells a tale of the unavoidable consequences that ensue when a single individual bravely swims against the prevailing stream.

One of the main accents of the month of culture and heritage is the UNeSCO ANNIVeRSARY CeleBRATION themed “lIVe heRITAGe” held on July 6, 7 & 8, 2012 within the George Town heritage zone. Malaysia’s local performing arts are a complex mosaic of theatre, music and dance forms, and their uniqueness is often execerbated when they meet and blend in time and space. George Town, known over the years as a substantial melting pot of ethnicities, cultures and customs has a definite edge of becoming the centre nation’s and ASeAN’s local performing arts scene to showcase the best of its shared legacy. In conjunction of the UNeSCO WORlD heRITAGe ANNIVeRSARY, George Town Festival 2012 proposes to highlight UNeSCO listed endangered performing arts in the region.

LIVe herITage6, 7 & 8 July

Streets of George Town

FeaTurIngMIrrors george ToWn

Mirrors George Town is a street art project created by international artist ernest zacharevic for George Town Festival 2012. The project consists a set of large scale wall paintings strategically placed within the core heritage zone. The paintings depict figure drawings and portraits celebrating the multiculturalism and diversity of the various inhabitants of the city.

TheFesTIVaL FInaLe

GTF film highlight TROPFeST is the world’s largest short film festival out of Sydney, Australia. It is back for the second year running as integral part of the Festival, putting George Town on the map togther with other TropFest showings in New York, las Vegas, and Abu Dhabi.

The Northern Music Festival 2012 is the next alternative platform for local independent bands to showcase their music. This year, the event will feature more than 25 bands over a period of two days. Music lovers will be in for a treat as they will be able to enjoy a good mix of musical genres from local indie bands hailing from all parts of Malaysia.

MAPPING AN IDeNTITY SKeTChINGGeORGe TOWN STReeT lIFe

exhibition ‘Mapping an Identity’ by David Cheah will launch unique Penang and George Town batik and map-inspired floral motifs. zahir Widadi, head of the Batik Dept. of Universitas Pekalongan and former director of the Pekalongan Batik Museum will give a talk and brief workshop about the uniqueness of Pekalongan batik and his efforts in proposing it in Indonesia’s Batik listing as a UNeSCO Intangible Cultural heritage.

Urban Sketchers is a worldwide network of artists who draw about the cities where they live and visit. In conjunction with George Town Festival 2012, a 3-day onsite sketching will feature invited “Urban Sketchers” from Kuala lumpur, Singapore, Bangkok and Penang. A collection of their sketches will then be exhibited at China house, Penang.

Street life is a film documentary about George Town commissioned by George Town Festival 2012 and curated by resident artist Drew harris. This short film will be shot on the move combining still photography, graphics, music and text… featuring an adorable and comical tour guide named “hostess ham”.

FeSTIVAlFeATUReS

MAlAM MelAYU The PhIlIPPINeMADRIGAl SINGeRS CIRCle OF SOUND

featuring desert Rose & Mak Yong

“Malam Melayu” is a Sunday night cultural performance consisting of traditional dance performance, music and theater celebrating Malay culture. Traditional Malay food and handicrafts will be featured and sold in tandem with performances

One of the world’s most highly acclaimed choral choirs, The PhIlIPPINe MADRIGAl SINGeRS will be performing as one of the musical highlights of the event. having won the top prize in almost all the world’s most prestigious choir competitions, the choir has also been awarded the title of Artists for Peace by UNeSCO, for its efforts in promoting cultural diversity.

Taking audience on a breathtaking journey of discovery through India and europe, Circle of Sound presents two musicians overleaping cultural boundaries to create their own unified musical language. Sarod player Soumik Datta from Bengal (via london) and Austrian drummer Benhard Schimpelsberger live music, spoken word and film as a metaphor for achieving unity and harmony in the modern world.

PRO MUSICA WUShU MADNeSS IIThe ReAlM BeTWeeN YeS hIP-hOP & BROADWAY

One of the highlights of this year’s George Town Festival is the gala operatic concert by Pro Musica featuring four outstanding international opera singers, supported by the Master Class students. The operatic programme includes solo and ensemble works by handel, Mozart, Bellini, Donizetti, Bizet, Delibes and Rossini.

Contemporary dance and the traditional martial art of Wushu represent two different art forms with different philosophies and approaches.

lee Swee Song and his lee Wushu Theatre Arts company bridge the two distinct forms to create a unique stage performance. Their newest work taps into the wisdom and adaptability of Wushu and develops a new art form using simple and abstract elements. The piece explores the beauty and power of the human spirit.

George Town Festival is collaborating with US embassy to bring Yes Academy: BROADWAY MASTeRClASSeS & GAlA PeRFORMANCe and hIP hOP WORKShOPS & ShOWDOWN to Penang to practise knowledge transfer to local youth with an aim of increasing their creative capacity. Workshops will culminate in the gala performance and the showdown.

FeSTIVAlFeATUReS

RASA SAYANG

This interdisciplinary dance performance combines eastern spiritual themes with contemporary visual architecture. Rasa Sayang is the latest in a series of dance productions developed by longtime collaborators Tony Yap, Tim humphrey, Madeleine Flynn, Naomi Ota and Ben Rogan, which premiered in Melbourne in 2010 to critical acclaim and sold-out houses. Sayang, meaning ‘love’ in Tony’s native Malaysian, is also the name of his mother who inspired the performance.

ARMeNIAN STReeT FeATURING hMM

hand Made Market in Armenian street will showcase the best and most interesting local craftsmen and designers promoting creative hand made products from Penang.

ReSCUBe

ResCube is a site-specific exhibition by 6 young and up-coming artists staged in a breath-taking and mysterious historic warehouse in Beach Street, George Town.

Rescube’s concept is based on the structure of a cube: one entity – six sides; one cube – six walls. The six ResCube artists will showcase six different visions of George Town created especially for this occasion.

FeSTIVAlFAVOURITeS: ReSTAURANTS

Suffolk house is a stunning example of an Anglo-Saxon Indian garden house. A Winner of the Award of Distinction in the 2008 UNeSCO Asia-Pacific heritage Awards for Culture heritage Conservation, Suffolk house is a must visit restaurant in Penang where visitors can indulge in a meal in a historic setting.

250, Jalan Air Itam, 10460 Penang Tel: +604 228 1109Restaurant : +604 228 3930email: [email protected]

China house is the trendiest place to be in Penang. This beautifully restored warehouse fits in a café, gallery, restaurant, wine bar, courtyard dining space and a bar. No matter what time of the day China house is buzzing with stylish locals. This is a great place to come for an afternoon tea with a slice of state-of-art cake or swing by for a gin & tonic and some live music during the evenings.

153 - 155 lebuh Pantai Tel: + 604 263 7299www.straitscollection.com.my

PIKNIK is a hip place where all the cool kids from Penang hang out. Run by local filmmaker and blogger Wei Ming, Piknik is vibrating with creative energy. It is a wonderful place to get a drink, enjoy Penang’s famous French fries with wasabi mayo and just relax.

Tel: +604 226 0562Mob: +6016 452 9250www.facebook.com/PIKNIKeVeRYDAY/page_map

SUFFOlK hOUSe ChINA hOUSe PIKNIK

MUNTRI MeWS ClOVe hAlle & O

Muntri Mews is a delightful two-storey building formerly used as stables converted into 9 elegant and modern suites. Restored and run by Christopher Ong, Muntri Mews is an affordable boutique accommodation in the heart of heritage George Town.

77 Muntri StreetTel: +604 263 5125 /+604 263 6125email: [email protected]

Clove hall is a privately-owned edwardian Anglo-Malay bungalow set in an oasis of tropical gardens. The sensitive conservation and restoration, inspired by Peranakan heritage, of this once dilapidated bungalow has captured the spirit of this mercantile city and its fusion of Chinese, Malay, Indian and english heritage. Clove hall was listed on Trip Advisor as the ‘Travellers’ Choice® 2012 Winner’ and Conde Nast Travellers hot new places to stay and the luxe list in 2010.

11, Clove hall RoadTel :+604 229 0818email: [email protected]

For well over a century, this remarkable hotel - known simply as `The e&O’ to generations of travelers - has stood as a testament to the grand elegance of the British colonial era. It is the ultimate place to stay if one wishes to experience the historic magic of an island once known as Pearl of The Orient.

100 + 139 suites at Victory Annexe, 10 lebuh FarquharTel: +604 222 2000email: [email protected]

FeSTIVAlFAVOURITeS: hOTelS

MeDIACONTACTSJoE SidEK

[email protected]

alEX onGfestivalassistant

[email protected]

liSa CaSEpartnerships

[email protected]

CaTHERinE WanGprogrammemanager

[email protected]

Wanida RaZalipr&media

[email protected]

MElaniE inBaRaJpr&media

[email protected]

ACKNOWleDGeMeNT

A soft copy of this media kit can be downloaded here.www.georgetownfestival.com/dlc/mediakit.zip

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