Anthony Chen. (Teddy Pelaez/InterAksyon)
Anthony Chen admits that he is still overwhelmed by the universal success of his feature film debut, “Ilo Ilo”, and that he already considers it a hard act to follow at this early stage of his filmmaking career.
“It will be very hard to repeat what this film has done,” the Singaporean director told InterAksyon and other select media hours before the Philippine premiere of “Ilo Ilo” at the ongoing Cinema One Originals film festival at Robinsons Galleria. “For starters, it has won the Camera d’Or which is one of the two most prestigious awards in the Cannes film festival. Since this honor is given to first-time directors only, I will never win this award again.”
Chen added that when “Ilo Ilo” won the Camera d’Or, it was a truly big deal for his fellow Singaporeans. “It’s like Singapore has just won the World Cup and Singapore never wins the World Cup!” he exclaimed.
Inspired by his own experiences growing up with a Filipina maid, “Ilo Ilo” is both a coming-of-age feature and a moving drama about a young Singaporean boy and his relationship with the Filipina maid who worked for their family for several years amid the 1997 Asian financial crisis.
Chen said that the film’s Filipina maid’s character, Auntie Terry, is loosely based on his own Auntie Terry, the beloved maid who worked for his family when he was 8 years old and left for the Philippines for good by the time he was already 12.
Asked how he decided on casting theater and independent film actress Angeli Bayani as Terry, Chen said he was able to meet her through his Filipino friend, indie filmmaker Sheron Dayoc, whom he contacted when he was casting for the part.
“Flying in to Manila on a budget airline and staying in a cheap hotel here that I can’t even remember the name now, I asked Sheron to help me find the right actress. About 40 actresses came and Angeli was the last to arrive. She almost didn’t make it because she just acted in a theater play the night before,” he recalled.
Singaporean director Anthony Chen speaks as actress Angeli Bayani during the Philippine premiete of 'Ilo Ilo' at the Robinsons Galleria on Wednesday. (Teddy Pelaez/InterAksyon)
Chen added that it probably helped that Angeli was tired and exhausted so her reading left a lasting impression on the director. At the same time, he both saw the glamorous and ordinary side of the actress which he thought augured well for the characterization that he was looking for.
His instincts ultimately proved him correct. When he found out that Angeli was also a single mother with a young child just like the character, the director knew that he would draw a very effective performance from her as being away for about a month during the film’s shoot would also make Angeli “miss home and miss her child”.
As for the film’s title, Chen admits that it’s one of the things he easily recalled about Auntie Terry.
“It came from a very personal place, so honest, so easy to recall. It was the film’s working title right from my very first draft of the script. We actually thought of about 26 different titles since no one in the world knows where Iloilo is and it was never mentioned in the film. But after debating on the title for three weeks, my and my producer decided to stick with Ilo Ilo,” he revealed.
True enough, Chen said the film’s title is always the first question audiences ask about in just about each of the 40 screenings of “Ilo Ilo” all over the world. As for the decision to split it into two words, Chen said it was a deliberate creative call for the makers mainly to make it easier for viewers to pronounce it and not confuse the lowercase “i” with the lowercase “l”.
As accolades go, the film has also been honored with various recognitions from other international film festivals, including the BFI London Film Festival, Taipei Golden Horse Film Festival, Molodist International Film Festival, Philadelphia Film Festival, 15th Mumbai Film Festival, 11th Pacific Meridian Film, Jameson Cinefest Miskolc International Film Festival and the 9th Eurasia Film Festival.
The fact that Chen’s humble, low-budget feature which he created with only Singaporean viewers in mind is now his country’s official entries to the Best Foreign Language Film category of both the Oscars and the Golden Globes next year makes it even tougher for the 29-year-old director to come up with a worthy follow-up.
“But if that’s all I’m going to think about, then I will never make another film again and just go out on a high note,” he joked.
Not that offers have not been pouring in. Chen, in fact, revealed he already turned down three Hollywood projects starring A-list actors he requested not to be mentioned since he’s not too keen on their screenplays.
“It’s not that I’m not open to direct a film not written by me. In fact, my next film is an English language project to be filmed in the UK where I am now based and written by someone else. But for me to commit to a film, I need to really want to do it that much,” he pointed out.
The last thing he wants to do right now, though, is either a remake or a sequel for “Ilo Ilo”. Chen said Academy-award winning director Bruce Beresford, best known for “Driving Miss Daisy”, told him that the film can be remade in Hollywood, with others suggesting as far as changing the characters to an American family and Mexican maid.
Koh Jia Ler and Angeli Bayani in a scene from 'Ilo Ilo'.
Not happening, says the filmmaker. Chen is also not receptive to the idea of continuing the story either since he’s not a big fan of sequels.
As for the real Auntie Terry herself who now lives in “shabby wooden hut” in Iloilo when Chen personally visited her last July, the director was thrilled when she first saw the film during its Singaporean premiere and told him, “You make me laugh, you make me cry”.
Although he has not been in direct contact with her since she does not know how to use a mobile phone, he found out through an Iloilo contact that Auntie Terry is all right and her house is intact in the aftermath of typhoon Yolanda’s fury.
Auntie Terry is of course, invited to the film’s premiere in Iloilo this December. “I’m not sure if she wants to watch it again, though,” he quipped.
“Iloilo” will open in selected theaters across the Philippines on December 4.
Director Anthony Chen graces PH premiere of ‘Ilo Ilo’, admits film a tough act to follow
Source: InterAksyon.com (November 14, 2013 at 11:02AM)
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