Born in 1984 in Singapore, Anthony Chen enrolled in Ngee Ann Polytechnic’s School of Film and Media Studies at an early age of 17 to pursue his passion for filmmaking. He graduated from film school with his graduation film, G-23 which screened at multiple festivals worldwide and won awards in Europe and Asia. His second short film, Ah Ma (Grandma), was nominated for the Palme d’Or for Short Film at the 60th Cannes Film Festival, and was awarded a Special Mention. Haze (2008), his next short screened in competition at the 58th Berlin International Film Festival.
Collectively, his shorts have screened at numerous prestigious film festivals such as Cannes, Berlin, Rotterdam, Pusan, London, Sao Paulo, Stockholm, Sydney, Montreal, Melbourne, Chicago, Hawaii, etc. In 2009, he was accorded the Young Artist Award by the National Arts Council of Singapore. In 2010, he completed his Masters in Film Directing at the National Film and Television School, UK with a scholarship from the Media Development Authority of Singapore. Anthony now works between London and Singapore. His debut feature, Ilo Ilo, was selected for the Directors’ Fortnight at the 2013 Cannes Film Festival and was awarded the Camera d’Or, the first award for a Singapore feature film at Cannes. It picked up a further 7 awards at festivals in Russia, Kazakhstan and Hungary. Ilo Ilo is also nominated for six Golden Horse Awards for the upcoming 50th Golden Horse Awards.
In this public lecture, Anthony Chen will share his 10-year journey as a filmmaker in Singapore, from finding his calling to attending film school to making a mark on the global film stage.
