Gaining steam from international recognition in various film awards, the Malaysian movie ‘The Kid from the Big Apple’ sponsored by Mah Sing Group will be hitting the GSC theatres on March 10, bringing a sweet tale of cultural clash between the East and the West with a generous dose of humour and nostalgia.

A production of Three Production Sdn Bhd, the honourary sponsors of the movie included FINAS, Malaysia Airlines Berhad, DoubleTree KL and McDonalds Malaysia. The profits earned from the movie will be channelled to the Mah Sing Foundation.

The story was based on the classic ‘fish out of water’ premise, in which a 12-year-old girl grew up in New York was sent by her single mother to Malaysia to live with her grandfather who she have never met in her life.

In the interest of avoiding spoilers, it is safe to say that while the film was entirely shot in Malaysia and emphasised on local cultural values, it was not a simple depiction of one-way relationship and communication from the grandfather to the granddaughter. Both the main protagonists ended up learning from each other, and discovered the long lost familial bliss among the three generations.

Filmed entirely in Malaysia, the scenes lingered longingly on the local buildings and scenery, creating a view that will look strangely familiar and yet alien to the Malaysian audiences. The beautiful cinematography had generously depicted beauty in the mundane, which will be a more pleasant surprise for the locals who took it for granted. As with most movies with cultural clashes as the central theme, the director had managed to make the local surroundings as one of the essential elements of the film, and combined it seamlessly with a strong story and relatable characters.

It is worth noting that the movie is full of local talents including director and writer Jess Teong and child actress Tan Qin Lin. Together with well-known Hong Kong veteran actors Tommy Tan (Ti Lung) and Jessica Hester Hsuan, they have net 4 main awards at the 7th Macau International Movie Festival (Golden Lotus Awards). The awards included the best writing, best actor, best supporting actor and the best newcomers.

Release date: Mac 10 2016
Language: Mandarin, English, Cantonese
Genre: Drama, Comedy
Director: Jess Teong
Cast: Tommy Tam, Tan Qin Lin, Jayson Tan, Jessica Hester Hsuan, Ling Tang, Kelvin Leong, Lenna Lim
Classification: U
Running Time: 120 minutes