FAST FORWARD WITH JOANNE GOH

Content

Joanne hopes to share her deep passion for life and career through this novel-like autobiography. She hopes to inspire a whole new generation of hardworking young people to seize the opportunities that come their way and create wonderful and meaningful lives ahead.

For entertainment guru and founder of Malaysia International Film Festival, Joanne Goh Poi Leng grew up attracted to the glitz and glamour of the entertainment world, just like any ordinary young girl. Although she had no connections to help forge her path, she held on to this dream with a fierce passion. Then, as she grew up, she put all her focus and strength into making her first success, and first pot of gold, through her premium gifts business. However, this did not quench her thirst. She went on to delve into the entertainment industry, holding and organizing concerts for international artists from Hong Kong, Taiwan, and South Korea, both in and outside of Malaysia. With that, Jazzy Group was born and became one of the leaders in the Malaysian entertainment industry. To date in 2020, the company has successfully organized over a hundred concerts, collecting over USD 100 million in revenue.

In 2016, Joanne met with Wen Tien-Hsiang, the CEO of the Taipei Golden Horse Film Festival Executive Committee, and was deeply affected by his words. Following that conversation, Joanne gave herself the responsibility of bringing the Malaysian film industry to the next level. In 2017, she successfully organized the first edition of Malaysia International Film Fest (MIFFest) and Malaysia Golden Global Awards (MGGA). This helped put the Malaysian film industry on the map and raised the awareness of local audiences to quality films from around the world.

Since then, she has gone on to organize two more editions of MIFFest and MGGA and has even worked together with other filmmakers to produce and distribute great films in the country. All this was possible because Joanne had always understood that there was more value to films than mere entertainment. Towards the end of 2017, she established Jazzy Pictures, which has since taken part in distributing four Hong Kong films, including John Woo’s Manhunt; and co-produced three local and international films, including One Two Jaga, Fly by Night, and Nina Wu. These three films have garnered local and international recognition and awards, and Nina Wu even received its premiere at the Cannes Film Festival. All these achievements show that Jazzy Pictures has successfully made waves in the international film scene.

Recommendation

Joanne is a charming, attractive, and creative lady. She is not only the Chairperson of a film festival but also a film producer and successful entertainment expert.

Joanne and I have become close friends since 2016. I stepped down from BIFF in 2017 and founded Gangneung International Film Festival(GIFF) in 2019. It is another new international film festival in South Korea. I am confident that MIFFest will become bigger and better from year to year under the strong leadership, passion, and creative mind of Joanne. I believe that MIFFest will have great success and will be contributing to not only the Malaysian film industry but also the worldwide film society.

Mr Kim Dong-ho
(Founder of Busan International Film Festival
Founder of Gangneung International Film Festival
Honorary President of Malaysia International Film Festival)

Author Introduction

Story by: Joanne Goh

Joanne started her career in the entertainment industry in 1997, she has managed over a hundred concerts and showcases with combined revenue of almost a hundred million USD in ticket sales.
In more recent times, she has taken up new challenges in the film industry and has since worked on many local and international films as an executive producer or a producer.
Her passion for entertainment and film hasn't stopped, however, and in 2016 she founded the Malaysia International Film Festival (MIFFest) and the Malaysian Golden Global Awards (MGGA).

 

Author: Lim Yi Chiann

I have been in the writing world for more than twenty years, as an editor, reporter, and even a freelance writer, covering a wide range of content. However, this is the first time I have written an autobiography. I am extremely grateful to Joanne Goh for her trust in me. I hope that through the simple and accessible words in this book, I am able to portray Joanne's wonderful life story and experiences.