Released in 1978, THEY CALL HER… Cleopatra Wong (directed by Bobby A. Suarez) showcases the daring exploits of Interpol agent extraordinaire Cleopatra Wong (Marrie Lee aka Doris Young) as she is tasked by Interpol chiefs from Singapore and the Philippines to break up a counterfeit currency ring. With resolve and conviction, Cleopatra Wong harnesses a defence network of Interpol agents and together they soon discover a shadow organization, seeking to flood ASEAN member countries with counterfeit currency in order to capitalize on the anticipated collapse of the new ASEAN economy. Made with a budget of approximately US$70,000, the film earned global cult status, even counting American filmmaker Quentin Tarantino as a fan (Uhde and Uhde 2010, p. 53).

Despite such popular and global appeal, the film has barely received sustained scholarly interest. Those who have engaged with the work position it as a transnational text (Baumgärtel 2006), a cult object (Baumgärtel 2006; Paul 2007; Yew 2011), a seminal work of exploitation cinema (Paul 2007; Baumgärtel 2006) and a representative of the Asian spy genre (Yew 2011). Yet few of these works, save Yew's essay, have given much critical or sustained attention to the prominent presence of ASEAN within the film's diegesis and dialogue. Yew situates ASEAN within a broader analysis of director Bobby A. Suarez's oeuvre in connection with ‘Cold War cultural studies’ (Yew 2011, p. 289).