25 Sep – Malaysian film, "Rain Town" is set to represent the country at the 10th Silk Road International Film Festival 2023. The news was announced by director Tunku Mona Riza on social media, writing, "Alhamdulillah!! Super excited to let u all know that my new feature film title Rain Town will have its World Premier on the 25/9/23 in Fuzhou, 10th Silk Road Int Film Featival 2023." Sharing her happiness with the media, the director of "Redha" stated that the entry is an honour to the entire production team.
"Of course, this is an opportunity for the outside community to get to know the various cultures in Malaysia more closely. In addition, SRIFF is one of the biggest festivals in China and I hope Rain Town can attract audiences in that country," she said.
Speaking about her intention in making the film, Tunku Mona stated that she wants every Malaysian to realise that they have various cultural stories that can be highlighted internationally, being a harmonious multiracial country. "Rain Town" is a poignant family drama set in "rain town" Taiping, Perak. Taiping has the rain town moniker as it is the wettest town in West Malaysia, and this Cantonese-dialect film shows the past practice of "rain-betting", whereby Taiping folks would place bets over when the downpour of the day would begin. "It's a heartwarming story about Mr Choo, his Eurasian wife and their three children. The father has plans for his children's future, but his sons have dreams of their own which he does not approve of," said Tunku Mona. "The Choo family goes through a lot of challenges which emerge as frequently as the thunderstorms over their hometown." The film features a cast of great actors such as Chew Kin Wah, Susan Lankester, Fabian Loo, Wilson Lee, and Pauline Tan. The film will be released in Malaysian cinemas on Feb 8 next year in conjunction with Chinese New Year.