Director: HARADA Maha

Born in 1984, Anthony Chen is an award-winning writer, director and producer and a pivotal figure in Singapore cinema. His work is recognized for its humanistic storytelling and emotional depth. In 2007, he became the first Singaporean filmmaker to win an award at the Cannes Film Festival for his short film AH MA. In 2013, he gained international attention with his debut feature, ILO ILO, which was awarded the prestigious Caméra d'Or at Cannes and four Golden Horse Awards, among over 40 accolades. His sophomore feature, WET SEASON (2019), premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival. Both films were selected as Singapore's official submissions for the Academy Awards. Chen's recent work demonstrates a dynamic global reach. His English-language feature DRIFT (2023), starring Cynthia Erivo, premiered at Sundance. That same year, THE BREAKING ICE, his first Chinese-language film produced in China, premiered in Un Certain Regard at Cannes and was again Singapore's Oscar submission. His latest film, WE ARE ALL STRANGERS, completes his Singapore "Growing Up" trilogy, reuniting him with actors Yeo Yann Yann and Koh Jia Ler, making history as the first Singaporean film to compete for the Golden Bear award at the Berlin International Film Festival. Beyond directing, Chen is a prolific producer through his company, Giraffe Pictures, championing distinctive voices in Asian cinema. Notable productions include Kirsten Tan's Sundance winner POP AYE (2017), He Shuming's Golden Horse-nominated AJOOMMA (2022), and festival highlights such as Neo Sora's HAPPYEND (Venice 2024), Tumpal Tampubolon's CROCODILE TEARS (Toronto 2024) and Edwin's SLEEP NO MORE (Berlinale 2026).