Poignant Singaporean film on Filipino maids Ilo Ilo will resonate in UAE

The first-time director Anthony Chen says his family drama Ilo Ilo, about the relationship between a boy and his nanny, is inspired by childhood memories.

Angeli Bayani, as Teresa, and Koh Jia Ler, as young Jiale, in Ilo Ilo. Courtesy Fisheye Pictures

Few films are coming to DIFF this year with the momentum of Ilo Ilo. This family drama about the bond between a Singaporean boy and his Filipino nanny, a hugely impressively debut feature from the young director Anthony Chen, already boasts a growing number of awards on its increasingly overcrowded mantelpiece.
Having won the Camera d'Or for first time filmmakers in Cannes (won by Beasts of the Southern Wild last year), it has gone on to take prizes in Russia, Hungary, the UK and most recently in Taiwan, where it picked up four Golden Horse gongs (including Best Feature), considered the most prestigious in Chinese-language cinema.
It's also Singapore's entry to the Oscars, while Chen has just been named one of Variety's 10 Directors To Watch (a list that has previously included Ben Affleck and Christopher Nolan). We caught up with an understandably exhausted Chen before he boarded a flight to Dubai for the film's screening this Saturday.
How are you doing?
Well, I lost my voice two days ago, so I'm still recovering. I was doing a whole day of interviews in Tokyo, and wasn't feeling particularly well.
Were you expecting anything like the sort of success Ilo Ilo has received so far?
I don't think anyone would expect anything like that for a first feature. One year ago, I was still in the edit suite trying to lock the picture with my editors. I didn't think that the film would premiere in Cannes, would win in Cannes, would go on to so many festivals, get so many territories and go on to collect over 20 awards. I don't think we expected that at all. The film has been a very surprising journey.
I understand the film is partially autobiographical. Can you explain more?
It's not entirely autobiographical, but it is inspired by a lot of childhood memories. I think it's very hard to take real life and turn it into a film because real life is quite mundane. But there are elements in there. I had a Filipino helper working in my home for eight years and the film is set in 1997-1998 during the Asian financial crisis. My father lost his job, and that's in the film as well. There are a lot of bits and bobs here and there.
Coming to Dubai, where many people have Filipino maids and nannies, seems rather poignant for Ilo Ilo.
It's very hard for a foreign language film to get any distribution in the Middle East, so I really hope that some of these overseas workers from the Philippines might have the chance to see it during the festival.
You've already opened commercially in France. Where else is Ilo Ilo going?
Yes, it's crossed 82,000 admissions in France so far. We're in our 11th or 12th week there and it's crossed over 600,000 Euros. It's more than doubled the last best performing Singaporean film. It's opened in Singapore and we just heard that it crossed the S$1 million mark, about US$900,000. We've also opened in Thailand, a month and a half ago, last weekend in Hong Kong and this weekend in Taiwan. This week we're opening in the Philippines, and then I think Sweden in Korea in January, followed by the UK and US in February/March.
Has having such a successful debut made things easier or more difficult for your next feature?
Well, I think it's easier in terms of funding and casting. So long as the next film isn't too ridiculous a budget, funding shouldn't be a problem, and I think finding a good cast to come on board should be easier if it's a good project. But the real problem is that it has to be a bloody good film! When the film won the Golden Horse awards, the jury president Ang Lee was saying that to start your career so high was going to be a very, very difficult act to follow. And I have to agree. It's not going to be easy. But I wouldn't say that I actually want to make another film that will live up to the success as the first.
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. Ilo Ilo screens at Mall of the Emirates on Saturday, December 7, 5pm, and on Monday, December 9 at 6.30pm