Time has been at a premium for Singaporean filmmaker Anthony Chen so far in 2026. He’s been on the road with his latest production, We Are All Strangers, which bowed in competition at Berlin in February before opening both the Hong Kong International Film Festival and Italy’s Far East Film Festival in Udine in April.
The film — a layered family drama — closes out what Chen calls his “Growing Up” trilogy, following his Cannes Camera d’Or-winning debut Ilo Ilo (2013) and 2019’s Wet Season in delving as deeply into the rise and fall of relationships as into life in his home country.
But now comes the Shanghai International Film Festival, and with it time to recharge — and maybe even reflect — as Chen serves as president of the Chinese event’s Asian New Talent jury. Ilo Ilo — and Cannes — kick-started his career and lifted him into the global film industry’s consciousness with the acclaim and awards that followed.
So Chen knows the good that festivals can do. Alongside directors Kamila Andini (Indonesia), Liu Jiayin (China) and Farkhat Sharipov (Kazakhstan), plus Taiwanese actress Wen Qi, he’ll have 12 films from across the region — all from first- or second-time filmmakers — to assess.
As Chen explained on the eve of the festival, the Asian New Talent section wears its legacy proudly, with the likes of Chinese hitmaker Ning Hao (Mongolian Ping Pong) and Japanese anime auteur Makoto Shinkai (The Place Promised in Our Early Days) unearthed via its competition. He knows there might be tough choices ahead — but with plenty of coffee at hand, he’s up for the challenge.
