The Big Durian

The first Malaysian movie shown at the Sundance Film Festival, Amir Muhammad’s The Big Durian generated controversy and acclaim. A daring docudrama, it unravels the events of the night of 18th October 1987, when a rifle-toting soldier ran amok in Kuala Lumpur causing citywide panic. Ambitious in its scope, it gave Muhammad the opportunity to highlight ethnic, religious, and political divisions in modern Malaysia.