<P> The Kid from the Big Apple is the directorial debut of Jess Teong, who had previously worked in the entertainment industry as a singer, model, actress and film producer at various stages in her career . The film was conceived because Teong felt angry about the rampant over-reliance of smartphones and over-commercialization of local cultural practices in Malaysia after returning to Malaysia from an overseas work stint . Thus, the script of the movie was partly influenced by its director's own childhood experience . </P> <P> After almost 2 years of searching for a suitable child actress to portray Sarah, she met Qin Lin, and felt that she was perfectly suited for this role . This was because Qin Lin had both met Teong's criteria such as "not being too technical with her acting" and had the appropriate personality for the role . However, Teong had to spend 2 months training Qin Lin to prepare her for her bilingual role . The role is Qin Lin's first role in a full - length feature film . She had previously made her acting debut on Astro Xiao Tai Yang in 2014 . </P> <P> Most of the scenes in The Kid from the Big Apple were filmed at an apartment block in Taman Yulek, Cheras, Kuala Lumpur . </P> <P> The Kid from the Big Apple made its debut at the 7th Macau International Movie Festival in December 2015, where it won several film awards . The film made its cinematic debut in its home market of Malaysia and Singapore on 10 March 2016 . It was subsequently released internationally in Taiwan and Hong Kong on 11 March 2016 and 21 April 2016 respectively . </P>

The kid from the big apple filming location