Inspirator @Global Inspiration Day, 28 October, Session Four

Founder & Executive Director at Joe Sidek Productions Sdn Bhd

Best known as director of the George Town Festival (GTF) 2010-2018, Joe Sidek has established himself as one of Malaysia’s strong advocates for the arts. GTF is an annual month-long festival that turns the town into a brilliant canvas for local and international performances, visual arts, culture and community-infused activities.

Before taking up the position of festival director, Joe Sidek played major roles in various forms of art expression – from event management, art curatorship, restaurant ownership and even costume design. A lesser known fact about Mr Sidek is that he still runs his family-owned textile chemical factory. With his industrialist background, entrepreneurial nature and his visionary passion for the arts, it is no surprise that 8 years after his appointment as Festival Director of GTF in 2010, the festival has grown incrementally ever since.

Joe also directed the 3rd Rainforest Fringe Festival Kuching, which he founded four (4) years ago. He has also helmed the Butterworth Fringe Festival for 3 years (2015-2017) and earlier in 2014, he brought Tropfest, the world’s largest short film festival to Southeast Asia and showcased the inaugural Tropfest South East Asia in Penang. Latest festival under his wing was the Putrajaya LIFT Festival in Dec 2019.

Elsewhere, he has been invited to speak regionally and in cities like Brisbane, Taipei, Seoul and Yokohama about his role in the creation and continued growth of GTF. He also sits on the Industry Advisory Panel of CENDANA (Cultural Economy Development Agency), which was initiated in June 2017.

Current Portfolios

Executive Director | Joe Sidek Productions Sdn Bhd

Managing Director | Chemdyes Sdn Bhd

Chairman | Federation for Asian Cultural Promotion (FACP)

Member | Penang State Museum Board

Member | Industry Advisory Panel, Cultural Economy Development Agency (CENDANA)

Previous portfolios:

Festival Director | George Town Festival 2010-2018

Managing Director | Tropfest South East Asia 2014 & 2015

Festival Director | Butterworth Fringe Festival 2015 – 2017

Festival Director | Rainforest Fringe Festival 2017 – 2019

Festival Director | Putrajaya LIFT Festival