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(2005), which screened at multiple festivals worldwide and won awards in Europe and Asia. His second short film, Ah Ma (Grandma) (2007), 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, Busan, London, Sao Paulo, Stockholm, Sydney, Montreal, Melbourne, Chicago and Hawaii. 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. Anthony is currently based in London.

His debut feature, Ilo Ilo (2013), was selected for the Directors’ Fortnight at the 2013 Cannes Film Festival and was awarded the Camera d’Or for Best Debut Feature, the first award for a Singapore feature film at Cannes. It picked up over 30 other awards at festivals worldwide including four Golden Horse Awards (Best Feature Film, Best New Director, Best Original Screenplay, Best Supporting Actress) at the 50th Golden Horse Awards in Taiwan, the equivalent of the Oscars for Chinese-speaking people worldwide. Ilo Ilo was Singapore’s official entry into the 2014 Academy Awards. Anthony has also been recently named as Variety’s Ten Directors to Watch.

Accolades

Neo Sora and Albert Tholen and Aiko Masubuchi and Eric Nyari and Alex C Lo and Anthony Chen
Best Film, 2024

Neo Sora and Albert Tholen and Aiko Masubuchi and Eric Nyari and Alex C Lo and Anthony Chen

Best Film, 2024

Neo Sora and Albert Tholen and Aiko Masubuchi and Eric Nyari and Alex C Lo and Anthony Chen

Happyend

In a near-future Tokyo where the threat of a catastrophic earthquake pervades daily life, two rabble-rousing best friends are about to graduate from high school.…

More Details
Anthony Chen
Achievement in Directing, 2013

Anthony Chen

Achievement in Directing, 2013

Anthony Chen

Ilo Ilo

Winner, Achievement in Directing, 2013 Born in 1984 in Singapore, Anthony Chen enrolled in Ngee Ann Polytechnic’s School of Film and Media Studies at the…

More Details

Films

Happyend

Happyend

Japan, United States of America

Happyend

In a near-future Tokyo where the threat of a catastrophic earthquake pervades daily life, two rabble-rousing best friends are about to graduate from high school.…

More Details
Ilo Ilo
2013

Ilo Ilo

Singapore
2013

Ilo Ilo

Winner, Achievement in Directing, 2013 In 1997 in the midst of a looming financial crisis, Teresa arrives in Singapore from the Philippines with hopes of…

More Details

The Asia Pacific Screen Academy expresses its respect for and acknowledgement of the South East Queensland Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities. We pay our respects to the Traditional Owners of country, including the custodial communities on whose land works are created and celebrated by the Asia Pacific Screen Awards. We acknowledge the continuing connection to land, waters and communities. We also pay our respects to Elders, past and present. We recognise the integral role Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander and First Nations peoples continue to play in storytelling and celebration spaces.

  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.