Berlin-based sales agent M-Appeal has picked up international distribution for Chris Chong Chan Fui’s Karaoke in this year’s Directors’ Fortnight.

Chong’s feature debut, which was selected for the Berlinale Talent Campus’ Script Clinic in 2007 and the Hong Kong Asian Film Financing Forum in 2008, centres on a young man’s homecoming from Kuala Lumpur to a rural palm oil estate.

Karaoke is the first Malaysian feature film to be invited to the Cannes film festival in 14 years.

M-Appeal will also have market screenings in Cannes of previous acquisitions such as Yu-Chieh Cheng’s Yang Yang, Paulo Pons’ Revenge, Stephan Komanderev’s The World Is Big And Salvation Lurks Around The Corner, Kirill Serebrennikov’s Yuri’s Day and Roberto Cuzzillo’s No End.