Anthony Chen

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In this Chinese name, the family name is Chen.
Anthony Chen
Chen in November 2019
Born (1984-04-18) 18 April 1984 (age 40)
Singapore
Other namesChen Zheyi
Alma materNational Film and Television School[1]
Occupations
  • Film director
  • screenwriter
  • film producer
Years active2005—present
Spouse
Rachel Yan
​
(m. 2009)​
Children1
Chinese name
Traditional Chinese陳哲藝
Simplified Chinese陈哲艺
Hanyu PinyinChén Zhéyì

Anthony Chen (born 18 April 1984) is a Singaporean film director, screenwriter and film producer. He is known for directing the feature films Ilo Ilo (2013) and Wet Season (2019).

His debut feature film, Ilo Ilo, won the Camera d'Or at the 2013 Cannes Film Festival, making him the first and only Singaporean to have been awarded at Cannes.[2] The film also earned him the Achievement in Directing award at the 2013 Asia Pacific Screen Awards,[3] and the Golden Horse Award for Best Feature Film, Best New Director and Best Original Screenplay.

Early life[edit]

Chen was born 18 April 1984, to Bernard and Joan Tai. Interested in film from a young age, Chen attended Nan Hua Primary School and The Chinese High School.[4] He then attended the School of Film and Media Studies at Ngee Ann Polytechnic.[4] His graduating film from Ngee Ann Polytechnic, G-23 (2005), was screened in various international film festivals and won awards in France, Korea and Belgium.[5]

Career[edit]

Short films[edit]

In 2007 and 2008, Chen went on to direct Ah Ma and Haze respectively. Both attracted favourable criticism.[6] Ah Ma was awarded a Special Mention in the short film competition at the prestigious Cannes Film Festival, making it the first Singaporean film to win an award at the festival.

Following his mandatory conscription in the army, Chen was admitted to the National Film and Television School (NFTS) in the United Kingdom. Graduating in 2010, two of his short films, Distance and Lighthouse, were released that year. These were followed up with Karang Guni (2012) and Homesick (2013).[6] The Break Away (2021) is Chen's short film contribution to the anthology The Year Of The Everlasting Storm, selected at the 2021 Cannes Film Festival.[7]

Feature films[edit]

Chen in 2013

Ilo Ilo, Chen's first feature film, was released on 29 August 2013 in Singapore theatres.[8] Chen served as director, producer, and writer.[9] According to Chen, the film was inspired by a real life maid who worked for Chen's family when he was a child.[10] After its world debut at the 2013 Cannes Film Festival, Ilo Ilo received a 15-minute long "standing ovation" and earned Chen the coveted Camera d'Or.[11] Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong noted Chen's achievement, and congratulated him and the film's cast on Facebook.[12]

On 19 October 2013, Ilo Ilo went on to win the Sutherland Trophy for the Best First Film at the London Film Festival. (The same night, one of Chen's tutors at NFTS, Pawel Pawlikowski, won the Best Film Award for Ida).[13]

With Ilo Ilo, Anthony Chen also made history by becoming the first Singaporean to win Best Narrative Feature and Best Original Screenplay at the 50th Golden Horse Awards, while Yeo Yann Yann won Best Supporting Actress for her role in the film.[14][15] For Ilo Ilo, Chen was named as one of Variety magazine's annual "10 Directors to Watch".[16]

In September 2015, it was announced that Distance, an "omnibus film" for which Chen served as executive producer and writer, will open the 2015 Golden Horse Film Festival in Taiwan. Distance consists of segments by the three directors Xin Yukun, Tan Shijie and Sivaroj Kongsakul, from China, Singapore and Thailand respectively.[17]

In spring 2018, Chen began production on his second feature film, Wet Season, which reunites him with Ilo Ilo stars Yeo Yann Yann and Koh Jia Ler.[18] The film premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival and went on to be nominated for 6 Golden Horse Awards, with Yeo Yann Yann winning her second Golden Horse, for Best Actress.

In February 2022, Chen completed his first Chinese feature film, The Breaking Ice. The Breaking Ice was written and directed by Chen, and stars Zhou Dongyu, Liu Haoran, and Qu Chuxiao. According to Variety, this film follows the blossoming relationship among three young adults in their twenties, set over a short few days in the winter snow.[19]

In March 2022, Chen is set to direct Secret Daughter starring Priyanka Chopra Jonas and Sienna Miller.[20]

Chen's first English-language feature, Drift, premiered at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival.[21] It was shot in Greece and stars Cynthia Erivo and Alia Shawkat.[22]

Personal life[edit]

In 2009, Chen married Rachel Yan, whom he met while staying in London in 2007.[6] Their son was born in August 2018.[23]

Chen and his family have been based in Hong Kong since August 2022.[24][25]

Favourite films[edit]

In 2022, Chen participated in the Sight & Sound film polls of that year. It is held every ten years to select the greatest films of all time, by asking contemporary directors to select ten films of their choice.[26]

Chen selections were:

Filmography[edit]

As director[edit]

Year Title Notes
2005 G-23 Short film, won the Brussels International Film Festival Emile Cantilon Award
2007 Ah Ma Short film, nominated for the Short Film Palme d'Or
2008 Haze Short film, nominated for Best Short at Berlin International Film Festival
2009 Hotel 66 Short film
2010 Lighthouse Short film
2011 The Reunion Dinner Short film
2012 Karang Guni Short film
2013 Ilo Ilo Winner of Cannes Film Festival Caméra d'Or
2019 Wet Season Nominated for Toronto International Film Festival Platform Prize
2021 The Break Away Part of anthology The Year of the Everlasting Storm;
Nominated for Cannes Film Festival L'Œil d'or
2023 Drift English-language debut
The Breaking Ice Nominated for Cannes Film Festival Un Certain Regard
The Cigarette Short film; as part of anthology 2×25 for Film Fest Ghent's 50th anniversary[27]
TBA Secret Daughter [20]
TBA We Are All Strangers [28]
TBA Sunset Park [29]

As producer[edit]

Year Title Notes
2010 Distance Anthology; executive producer and co-writer
2017 Pop Aye Executive producer[30]
2022 Arnold is a Model Student [31]
Ajoomma [32]
2024 This City is a Battlefield [33]
TBA Some Nights I Feel Like Walking [34]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Anthony Chen - Infocomm Media Development Authority". Base. Retrieved 28 April 2019.
  2. ^ Loh, Genevieve Sarah (27 May 2013). "Singapore film Ilo Ilo wins historic Cannes prize". TODAY.
  3. ^ "APSA Nominees & Winners".
  4. ^ a b "Singaporean director Anthony Chen says human relationships inspire him". sg.style.yahoo.com. 15 August 2013. Retrieved 19 January 2023.
  5. ^ "Anthony Chen". The Substation. Archived from the original on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 19 September 2015.
  6. ^ a b c LUI, JOHN (16 August 2013). "Sensitive perfectionist". The Straits Times. Retrieved 19 September 2015.
  7. ^ hermes (5 June 2021). "Anthony Chen's short film to show at Cannes". The Straits Times. Retrieved 25 July 2021.
  8. ^ "Anthony Chen's Ilo Ilo is as real as it gets". Her World. 4 June 2013.
  9. ^ "Ilo Ilo: Cannes Review". The Hollywood Reporter. 19 May 2013. Retrieved 12 August 2013.
  10. ^ King, Susan (11 April 2014). "'Ilo Ilo' filmmaker Anthony Chen recalls the film's inspiration: Aunt Terry". Los Angeles Times. ISSN 0458-3035. Retrieved 19 September 2015.
  11. ^ "S'pore film gets standing ovation at Cannes". AsiaOne. 27 May 2013. Archived from the original on 5 October 2013. Retrieved 12 August 2013.
  12. ^ Lim, Karen (28 May 2013). "Film-maker could have been a chef". AsiaOne. Archived from the original on 7 March 2014. Retrieved 13 August 2013.
  13. ^ "Master and Pupil honoured by LFF on the same night". UK Screen. 20 October 2013.
  14. ^ "Anthony Chen wins Best New Director, Original Screenplay at 50th Golden Horse Awards". 23 November 2013.
  15. ^ "Three films split honours at Taiwan's Golden Horse awards". 23 November 2013.
  16. ^ Simon, Alissa (18 December 2013). "10 Directors to Watch: Singaporean Auteur Anthony Chen Won Camera d'Or". Retrieved 19 September 2015.
  17. ^ Frater, Patrick (19 September 2015). "Anthony Chen's 'Distance' To Open Golden Horse Festival". Retrieved 19 September 2015.
  18. ^ "Cannes 2019 Wish List: 50 Movies We Hope Will Make the Cut, From Quentin Tarantino to Kelly Reichardt". IndieWire. 21 March 2019. Retrieved 28 April 2019.
  19. ^ Ramachandran, Naman (9 February 2022). "Singapore's Anthony Chen Finishes Shooting his First Mainland Chinese Movie 'The Breaking Ice'". Variety. Retrieved 19 September 2022.
  20. ^ a b Fleming, Mike Jr. (21 March 2022). "Amazon Acquires 'Secret Daughter' Package; Anthony Chen Attached To Direct Priyanka Chopra Jonas & Sienna Miller". Deadline Hollywood.
  21. ^ Allen, Nick (7 December 2022). "2023 Sundance Film Festival Announces Competition Films, Premiere Titles, Midnight Selections, and More". RogerEbert.com. Retrieved 8 December 2022.
  22. ^ Sng, Suzanne (8 December 2022). "Director Anthony Chen's first English-language feature film Drift to premiere at Sundance in January". The Straits Times. Retrieved 8 December 2022.
  23. ^ "Film-maker Anthony Chen has been busy with 'two babies'". The Straits Times. 26 December 2018. Retrieved 28 April 2019.
  24. ^ "为了爱妻 陈哲艺举家搬到香港 | 联合早报". www.zaobao.com.sg (in Simplified Chinese). 13 August 2022. Retrieved 9 October 2023.
  25. ^ Ravindran, Manori (21 May 2023). "Anthony Chen Breaks the Ice With a Tale of Disillusioned Youth in China". Variety. Retrieved 4 September 2023.
  26. ^ "Anthony Chen | BFI".
  27. ^ 林, 家豪 (13 October 2023). "比利时根特电影节50周年纪念 陈哲艺联手作曲家打造短片". 8world Entertainment Lifestyle (in Chinese (Singapore)). Retrieved 13 October 2023.
  28. ^ "Anthony Chen Just Completed Shooting His First Mainland Chinese Feature Starring Zhou Dongyu, Liu Haoran And Qu Chuxiao". 8 Days. Retrieved 13 December 2022.
  29. ^ "Singaporean director Anthony Chen partnering with company behind Parasite and Strong Girl Nam-soon on new film". CNA Lifestyle. 4 October 2023. Retrieved 9 October 2023.
  30. ^ Lui, John (25 January 2023). "Anthony Chen's first English-language movie makes world debut at Sundance Film Festival". The Straits Times. Retrieved 13 October 2023.
  31. ^ Kil, Sonia (26 November 2019). "Anthony Chen's 'Wet Season' Team to Co-Produce Thai Film 'Model Student'". Variety. Retrieved 13 October 2023.
  32. ^ Lo, Zabrina. "Defying Expectations and Ageism, Anthony Chen's New Film 'Ajoomma' Reveals an Unlikely Star". Tatler Asia. Retrieved 13 October 2023.
  33. ^ "Cinesurya Will Collaborate with a Singapore Producer in the Film 'PERANG KOTA'". En.KapanLagi.com. Retrieved 13 October 2023.
  34. ^ Shackleton, Liz (25 May 2023). "'Some Nights I Feel Like Walking' First Look Revealed; Filipino Indie Feature Explores Manila's Disaffected Youth". Deadline. Retrieved 13 October 2023.

External links[edit]

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