Amazon Prime Video releases first MY Original paying tribute to director's childhood

Amazon Prime Video is releasing its first Malaysian Amazon Original, Budak Flat, as it reportedly pays tribute to Malaysian director Eugene Lim's childhood.

The film pays homage to and is a reflection of Lim's personal childhood memories being raised by his grandmother in a flat along with six other family members, according to Malay Mail. 

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Budak Flat is a first full length feature film debut for Lim and centres on the brotherhood of gang life at the public housing area in Kuala Lumpur. It follows two brothers Aman and Riz who find themselves pitted against each other. 

It is made by Skop Productions and stars Zahiril Adzim, Pablo Amirul, Nabila Huda and Datuk Aaron Aziz. 

In a statement, Lim reportedly said he wanted to highlight the notoriety of the flats in Budak Flat and feature the multicultural life there. 

He said that growing up, he would hear and smell things in the flats and listen to people who spoke a variety of languages. Living on the seventh floor, Lim reportedly said that each floor would have its own personality. 

For example, he said, if one walked thorough a floor where mainly Malays resided, they would be able to smell sambal belacan being cooked while the floor with a majority of Indians would be privy to prayers and the bells.

He said that the wanted to share these experiences with viewers and to celebrate the different blend of flavors he grew up with.

Budak Flat is just one of Amazon Prime Video's efforts to increase investment in local Malaysian content and the creative community across Southeast Asia.

The streaming service announced in May this year that it intends to elevate the localised user experience for customers in Malaysia. Under the initiative, Prime Video customers can stream, download and watch content in Bahasa Melayu and opt to switch the language of their user interface. 

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