"The Kid from the Big Apple" is representing Malaysia at a film festival in Australia.

26 Jan – "The Kid from the Big Apple" (2016) is heading to the Land Down Under next, as it has been shortlisted for the 8th Golden Koala Chinese Film Festival (GKCFF).

It is the only movie representing Malaysia at the film festival; the other titles hail from Taiwan, Hong Kong and Mainland China.

Taiwan's representatives are "Black Sheep", "Pakeriran" and "Cloudy", while Hong Kong will be represented by "Heaven in the Dark" and "Mad World".

Mainland China's shortlisted titles are "Interval", "Seventy-seven Days", "Fist & Faith", "Funeral Wake" and "The Strangers".

The movies will be screened in six Australian cities, namely Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, Adelaide, Perth and Canberra, starting from 15 February 2018.

The GKCFF, started in 2011, is the first Chinese film festival not established in China. Professor Xie Fei from the Director Department of Beijing Film Academy acts as art director for the film festival.

Previously, "The Kid from the Big Apple" has also screened and won awards from festivals such as the 2017 PROFIMA International Film Festival and Awards, the 7th Macau International Movie Festival and the 28th Malaysian Film Festival.

The movie was followed up with a sequel last November, "The Kid from the Big Apple 2: Before We Forget", also helmed by director Jess Teong.

Writer: Florey DM