Goh Eng Wah, film distributor, died at 92

  Dead Famous

Goh Eng Wah, born in 1923 in Muar, in Johor, Malaya, and died on September 5, 2015.

He was a film distributor, and one of the pioneers in Singapore’s cinema industry.

He founded Eng Wah Global Pte Ltd, a cinema operator specialising in Chinese movies imported from Hong Kong and Taiwan.

Eng Wah career started in 1945, when he opened together with a friend a cinema at Victory Theatre in Gay World Amusement Park at Geylang.

The cinema became locally popular, even though its program consisted only of Japanese propaganda films.

Subsequently, Goh and his friend bought it neighbouring theatre called the Happy Theatre.

Two years later,Goh became sole owner, and began acquiring other theatres.

In 1968, Eng Wah Theatres Organization Pte Ltd was established.

He also financed several movies. He acquired Jubilee Theater (now part of the Raffles Hotel) and King’s Theatre at Tiong Bahru in 1966.

In the 1970s, Eng Wah opened several cinemas in new HDB towns and the first cinema opened is at Toa Payoh and opened others in Clementi,Ang Mo Kio and Kallang Bahru.

Under his leadership,the firm became the leading film distributor in 1980s and became the first cinema operator to be listed in 4 July 1994 to the SGX.

He also engaged in other entertainment enterprises, opening a branch of the Crazy Horse Paris Cabaret in December 2005.

Eng Wah organization eventually owned 26 theatres halls,; he subsequent bought them back personally together with his daughter, Goh Min Yen,

The company went through a reverse takeover with Transcu in 2008 but Goh is still engaged in entertainment enterprises.

Goh Eng Wah died on September 5, 2015 at age 92.