Fairhope Film Festival to Open With U.S. Premiere of Singaporean Mahjong Comedy ‘Luck My Life’

FAIRHOPE, Ala. — The 14th annual Fairhope Film Festival will open with a winning hand. Organizers have chosen “Luck My Life,” a Singaporean comedy about a mahjong player whose good fortune runs out, as the festival’s Opening Night film, and the Fairhope screening will be the movie’s United States premiere.

The film screens Thursday, Nov. 12, at Giddens Auditorium in Centennial Hall on the Fairhope campus of Coastal Alabama Community College, launching four days of programming that runs through Sunday, Nov. 15. An encore screening is set for Sunday, Nov. 15.

A comedy about luck, loss and humility

Directed by Eric Wong, “Luck My Life” stars Richie Koh, Tay Ping Hui and Cynthia Li. Koh plays Zhuo Tian Cai, a man blessed with extraordinary luck at the mahjong table. The streak brings him a fortune, until he disrespects the game and loses everything.

To win it back, Zhuo has to start over. With help from four mahjong masters and the woman he loves, he relearns the game and finds some humility along the way before a final showdown against the reigning champion, Gu Lei.

The 103-minute film is billed as Singapore’s first feature built around mahjong. It premiered Feb. 17, 2026, as one of the country’s major Lunar New Year releases, a holiday season when family-friendly comedies traditionally crowd Singapore’s cinemas.

“Luck My Life” will be shown in Mandarin with English subtitles.

Director and producer coming to Fairhope

Audiences will get a chance to hear the story behind the film from the people who made it. Wong and producer Careen Tham will travel from Singapore to attend the festival and take part in a question-and-answer session with the audience.

Stephen Savage, CEO of the Fairhope Film Festival, said the film’s message made it a natural choice to open the festival.

“Luck My Life is a story of falling down, fighting back, and finding a way forward, set against the vibrant world of mahjong. We’re excited to host the film’s U.S. premiere,” Savage said.

Landing a U.S. premiere is a notable get for a small-town festival. It means Fairhope audiences will see the film before viewers anywhere else in the country, with the filmmakers in the room.

Opening Night at a glance

• Film: “Luck My Life” (Singapore, 103 minutes), directed by Eric Wong
• Cast: Richie Koh, Tay Ping Hui and Cynthia Li
• Language: Mandarin with English subtitles
• When: Thursday, Nov. 12, Opening Night; encore screening Sunday, Nov. 15
• Where: Giddens Auditorium, Centennial Hall, Coastal Alabama Community College, Fairhope
• Special guests: Director Eric Wong and producer Careen Tham, with an audience Q&A
• Festival dates: Nov. 12-15

Perfect timing for a mahjong movie

The film arrives in the middle of a nationwide mahjong revival. Social clubs, leagues and tournament nights are introducing the tile game to a new generation of players, and the Gulf Coast has been no exception.

Mahjong traces its roots to 19th-century China and became an American craze in the 1920s. The American version, played with its own tiles and an annual card of winning hands published each April by the National Mah Jongg League, has seen a surge of new players in recent years, fueled in part by social media.

Locally, Fairhope’s Mahjong Magnolias offer introductory classes and open play on the Eastern Shore, and the Mobile Mahjong Facebook group has grown to more than 1,200 members since it was created in August 2025. Games now pop up regularly in breweries, restaurants, clubhouses and living rooms across Mobile and Baldwin counties, and a recent overnight mahjong retreat in Fairhope drew players from around the country.

That makes “Luck My Life” an easy sell for a local audience. Even moviegoers who have never touched a tile will recognize the story of a gifted player who has to learn humility the hard way, and the growing community of local players may well turn Opening Night into a social event.

About the Fairhope Film Festival

The Fairhope Film Festival was founded by Mary Riser and has grown into one of the signature cultural events on the Eastern Shore. Each November, it brings a diverse slate of independent and international films, visiting filmmakers and special events to downtown Fairhope, turning the city’s walkable center into a multi-venue cinema for a long weekend.

The festival has long promoted itself with the tagline “four days, forty films,” spreading screenings among venues around town, including the Coastal Alabama Community College campus. Between festivals, the organization runs a Monthly Movies series of independent films at its office theater at 122 Fairhope Ave. from January through May.

The 2026 edition, the festival’s 14th, runs Thursday, Nov. 12, through Sunday, Nov. 15, and will again bring films, filmmakers and special events to downtown Fairhope.

Lineup, schedule and tickets

Organizers said the full 2026 lineup, schedule and ticket information would be released Oct. 15. Film fans planning their weekend should check the Fairhope Film Festival’s official website for screening times, venue details and pass options.

A few tips for festivalgoers:

• Plan for Opening Night. As the festival’s kickoff and a U.S. premiere with the filmmakers in attendance, “Luck My Life” is likely to be one of the most popular screenings of the weekend.
• Remember the encore. Anyone who misses Thursday can catch the film again on Sunday, Nov. 15.
• Stay for the Q&A. Hearing directly from director Eric Wong and producer Careen Tham is part of what makes a festival screening different from a night at the multiplex.
• Make a day of it. Screenings are spread around downtown Fairhope, so there is time between films for meals, shopping and a walk to the bluff overlooking Mobile Bay.

A global film, a local stage

For one long weekend in November, Fairhope will once again play host to filmmakers from around the world. This year’s opener brings a slice of Singapore’s popular cinema to the Eastern Shore, and with it a game that has quietly taken over tables from Fairhope to Mobile.

Whether audiences come for the mahjong, the comedy or the chance to see a film before anyone else in the country, Opening Night on Nov. 12 promises a lucky start to the 2026 Fairhope Film Festival.