"OUR SISTER MAMBO" BEGINS PRODUCTION
As Singapore gears up to celebrate its landmark 50th year of independence in 2015, Cathay Organisation; whose legacy and heritage are weaved into the storied history of Singapore, will also welcome its 80th anniversary in July 2015. Cathay will commemorate this important milestone with the feature film, Our Sister Mambo, a romantic comedy that will be both a modern tribute to and reinvention of iconic Cathay classic films Our Sister Hedy (四千金, 1957) and The Greatest Civil War on Earth (南北和, 1961).
After months of planning and preparation, Our Sister Mambo got off to a roaring start this morning with a media conference and lensing ceremony at The Cathay to flag off the production journey. Fittingly, the film commenced production with the first scene being shot at The Cathay Cineplex, the site of the first Cathay cinema in Singapore, which opened in 1939.
Ms Choo Meileen, Producer of Our Sister Mambo and Managing Director of Cathay Organisation, shared her hopes and aspirations of the film during the media conference; “Cathay Organisation has come a long way since it was first established in 1935, and generations of cinema audiences and film lovers in Singapore and Malaysia have grown up with us over the years. I am proud to produce Our Sister Mambo to celebrate our 80th anniversary in 2015. With the talented and capable cast and production team on board, I am confident that audiences on both sides of the Causeway can look forward to a quality film for all to enjoy when it screens in July 2015. Hopefully Our Sister Mambo will enjoy the same popularity and longevity of Cathay Classic films such as The Wild Wild Rose (野玫瑰之恋, 1960), Mambo Girl (曼波女郎, 1957), Our Sister Hedy (四千金, 1957), Satay (1958), Sun, Moon and Star (星星、月亮、太阳, 1961), Dang Anom (1962) and the Pontianak series (1957 - 1964).”
A Cathay classic in the making
Our Sister Mambo will be Cathay’s first production since comedy That One No Enough in 2000. Drawing inspiration from one of Cathay’s most iconic classic films Our Sister Hedy ? a 1957 production about a middle-class family with four unmarried daughters; Our Sister Mambo will be a modern-day Singaporean take on the themes of family, love and cross-cultural neighbourly ties. The film will be presented in English with a smattering of Mandarin, Cantonese, Malay, Korean and Tamil.
Multi-talented and multi-racial cast and crew
The film will star Singaporean favourites Moses Lim and Michelle Chong as a father-daughter pair. Moses Lim, actor, comedian, entertainer and food connoisseur whose last movie appearance is 2007’s Just Follow Law, will be making his big-screen comeback as the patriarch of the Wong family and long-time employee at Cathay Organisation. Popular host, actress and director Michelle Chong will portray the titular role of Mambo, the sassy second sister in the quartet of Wong daughters.
The rest of the Wong family will comprise stage thespians Audrey Luo and Ethel Yap as the fiery Mrs Wong and elegant big sister Grace respectively, local actress-host Oon Shu An as sultry third sister Rose and baby-faced Malaysian actress-singer Joey Leong as the innocent youngest sister June. Rounding up the cast are actresses Siti Khalijah and Rani Singam; as well as actors Muhammad Mahfuz Mazlan, Nelson Chia, Shankara Ebi and Jonathan Leong. Celebrity blogger Xiaxue (aka Wendy Cheng) and Chef Willin Low will also feature as special guest stars. Many of the cast will be gracing the big screen for the first time. There will also be surprise cameo roles by two veteran Cathay actors. Helmed by Taiwan-based Malaysian director Ho Wi Ding, popular local playwright Michael Chiang and producer Ms Choo Meileen, Our Sister Mambo will also feature a range of production talents from the region; including Hong Kong-based director of photography Ho Yoke Weng, Malaysian art director Soon Yong Chow and music director Hardesh Singh as well as Singaporean stylist Theresa Chan and hair and make-up studio Makeup Entourage.
Production of Our Sister Mambo is due to be completed in mid-September 2014. The film will be released in theatres in July 2015, for Cathay Organisation’s 80th anniversary on 18 July 2015. Cathay Organisation intends to donate SGD 1 for every ticket sold in all cinemas, as well as all profits, if any, after the recoupment of production costs to its adopted charities. This Cathay Asia Films production will be undertaken in association with Oak3 Films.
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CELEBRITY BLOGGER XIAXUE JOINS THE CAST OF CATHAY'S "OUR SISTER MAMBO"
Celebrity blogger Wendy Cheng, also known by her online moniker Xiaxue, is the latest member to join the cast of Our Sister Mambo, Cathay Organisation’s commemorative feature film for its 80th anniversary in 2015. This will be Cheng’s first big-screen appearance since she burst onto the scene with her blog in 2003.
In a role specially written for the popular social media personality, Cheng will star as herself opposite popular Singaporean host, actress and director Michelle Chong, who will be playing the titular role of Mambo.
Famed for having a direct, provocative and humorous voice, Cheng is enthused about her first experience on a film set: “I feel very honoured to be part of Our Sister Mambo. The film will not only be a huge milestone for Cathay Organisation, which is celebrating its landmark 80th anniversary in 2015, but for myself too; as it is the first time ever that I am appearing on the big screen! Although I will be acting as myself, I still consider it an exciting challenge. I look forward to working with the talented production team and cast – I’m sure it will be a fun and memorable experience!”
Prolific social media celebrity with a worldwide fan base
Cheng, 30, shot to fame with her blog (www.xiaxue.blogspot.com) and has garnered multiple regional and international blogging accolades and awards at the Weblog Awards and Asia-Pacific Blog Awards since 2003. As one of Singapore’s most prolific online personalities, Cheng has 510,000, 260,000 and 180,000 followers on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter respectively. Her online series, Xiaxue’s Guide to Life hosted on clicknetwork.tv, also enjoys massive popularity; with the most popular episode being viewed more than 660,000 times.
Married to an American engineer, Cheng’s 1-year-old son Dashiel Sayre – who often appears in her posts on various social media platforms – is a social media star in his own right, further boosting Cheng’s popularity among her worldwide fan base.
Ms Choo Meileen, Executive Director of Cathay Organisation and Producer of Our Sister Mambo, said, “We are really glad to have the multi-talented Wendy on board for this production because as a blogger, she adds a very contemporary aspect to the film. Whilst the film harks back to the old Cathay Classics, I want it to reflect the current trends too. Wendy’s vivacious and larger-than-life personality will definitely spice up the scenes in Our Sister Mambo. Being a familiar name in Singapore, particularly amongst the youth, we hope that by having Wendy in the cast, we will be able to reach out to a wider audience.”
Xiaxue’s Guide To Life will also feature an episode on Cheng’s behind-the-scenes footage during the filming of Our Sister Mambo.
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Cathay to Produce New Film "Our Sister Mambo" for 80th Anniversary in 2015
As Singapore celebrates its landmark 50th year of independence in 2015, Cathay Organisation; whose legacy and heritage are weaved into the storied history of Singapore, will also be celebrating its 80th anniversary in July 2015.
To commemorate this important milestone, Cathay Asia Films, a subsidiary of Cathay Organisation, will be producing the feature film Our Sister Mambo, a romantic comedy inspired by iconic Cathay classic films Our Sister Hedy (四千金, 1957) and The Greatest Civil War on Earth (南北和, 1961).
Our Sister Mambo will be Cathay’s first big-screen production in 15 years and Cathay Organisation intends to donate all profits if any from the film, after the recoupment of production costs, to charity. Our Sister Mambo will be helmed by director Ho Wi Ding, screenwriter Michael Chiang and producer Choo Meileen.
Multi-talented and multi-racial cast
The film will star Singaporean favourites Moses Lim and Michelle Chong as a father-daughter pair. Moses Lim, actor, comedian, entertainer and food connoisseur whose last movie appearance is 2007’s Just Follow Law, will be making his big-screen comeback as the patriarch of the Wong family and long-time employee at Cathay Organisation.
Popular host, actress and director Michelle Chong will portray the titular role of Mambo, the sassy third sister in the quartet of Wong daughters. This will be Chong’s first big-screen appearance since appearing in her directorial debut, Already Famous in 2011.
Actress and comedienne Siti Khalijah Zainal will also be part of the cast. She has performed predominantly on the stage in productions such as Army Daze and Broadway Beng, and recently revealed that she will be joining the new season of MediaCorp Channel 5’s The Noose. Our Sister Mambo will be Siti’s first motion picture role.
Jazz vocalist Rani Singam, one of the most sought-after and accomplished contemporary jazz vocalists in Singapore today, will also be making her film debut as an actress in Our Sister Mambo. Other cast members include actors Muhammad Mahfuz Mazlan, Nelson Chia and Shankara Ebi, and actresses Audrey Luo and Judee Tan ? all of whom are gracing the big screen for the first time.
A Cathay classic in the making
Our Sister Mambo will be Cathay’s first production since That One No Enough in 2000. This feature is a tribute to the Cathay film classics that have entertained generations of audiences; including The Wild Wild Rose (野玫瑰之恋, 1960), Mambo Girl (曼波女郎, 1957), Our Sister Hedy (四千金, 1957), Satay (1958), The Greatest Civil War on Earth (南北和, 1961), Sun, Moon and Star (星星、月亮、太阳, 1961), Dang Anom (1962), and the Pontianak series (1957 ? 1964).
Drawing inspiration from one of Cathay’s most iconic classic films Our Sister Hedy ? a 1957 production about a middle-class family with four unmarried daughters; Our Sister Mambo will be a modern-day Singaporean take on this romantic comedy. The plot will revolve around the Wong household where the father acts as the glue that holds everyone together while Mambo, the protagonist, tries to get her three sisters hitched.
Our Sister Mambo will also include elements from another well-loved Cathay classic The Greatest Civil War on Earth. The film tells the story of the cross-cultural interactions between two neighbouring families ? one from the northern part of China and another from the south. Similar plot points will be showcased in the depiction of Singapore’s multi-racial society in Our Sister Mambo. The film will be presented in English with a smattering of Mandarin, Cantonese, Malay and Tamil.
Award-winning director and acclaimed playwright take charge
The film will be directed by Ho Wi Ding, a Malaysian film director currently based in Taipei. He is the winner of the Best New Director Award at the prestigious Taipei Golden Horse Film Festival for his light-hearted comedy Pinoy Sunday in 2008.
Ho shared his thoughts on directing Our Sister Mambo, “It is a once-in-a-lifetime honour to direct Our Sister Mambo for Cathay’s 80th anniversary. It gives me pride to be associated with this prestigious movie heritage. As a Malaysian who grew up in a small town with a handful of cinema theatres in the heydays, the cinemas nurtured most of my growing up memories ? and Cathay was definitely one of them.”
Michael Chiang, one of Singapore’s most popular playwrights who has created a succession of sell-out shows such as Beauty World, Mixed Signals and Private Parts, will be on board as screenwriter for Our Sister Mambo. This is the second time that Chiang has worked with Cathay and Ms Choo Meileen on a feature film. The first collaboration was Army Daze: The Movie (1996), the first local English language film to collect more than $1 million at the box office.
Chiang shared his joy on working on this film, “I am very thrilled to be working with Cathay and Meileen again. It’s been nearly two decades since we did Army Daze together! While this new film is meant to be an affectionate tribute to two of Cathay’s most beloved classics, the challenge for me will be to find a way to reinvent the story and make it more relevant to today’s audiences. Hopefully, this new version will retain the soul of the old but contain the spirit of the new!”
Our Sister Mambo will be produced by Choo Meileen, Executive Director of Cathay Organisation. Ms Choo shared her thoughts on the commemorative film, “Cathay Organisation has come a long way since it was first established in 1935. I’m proud to produce Our Sister Mambo to celebrate our 80th anniversary in 2015 and look forward to a quality film for all audiences to enjoy when it screens in July 2015. I’m also excited to share that as a gesture of goodwill to the Singapore society who have grown up with Cathay over the years, we will donate all profits made from the film, after recoupment of production costs, to charities adopted by Cathay Organisation.
Our Sister Mambo will be released in theatres in July 2015, to celebrate Cathay Organisation’s 80th anniversary milestone.
