Ilo Ilo

Ilo Ilo (Chinese: 爸妈不在家; pinyin: Bà mā bù zàijiā; lit. 'Mom and Dad Are Not Home') is a 2013 Singaporean drama film directed and written by Anthony Chen. It is Chen's debut feature film and stars Singaporean actor Chen Tianwen, Malaysian actress Yeo Yann Yann, Filipino actress Angeli Bayani, and first-time child actor Koh Jia Ler. Ilo Ilo revolves around a middle-class Singaporean family who employs a domestic worker from the Philippines at the onset of the 1997 Asian financial crisis. Chen based the film on his personal experiences in living with a Filipino domestic worker from Iloilo, a province in the Philippines. He ideated for the feature film, which was initially an autobiography, after finishing his studies at the National Film and Television School in England and returning to Singapore. Writing began in June 2010, and filming took place from May to June 2012. The film was partially funded by the Singapore Film Commission, Ngee Ann Polytechnic, and an award from Tokyo Filmex. Ilo Ilo premiered at the 2013 Cannes Film Festival as part of the Directors' Fortnight on 19 May 2013. The film was awarded the Caméra d'Or award and became the first Singaporean feature film to receive an award at the Cannes Film Festival. This led to a media campaign to locate the overseas Filipino worker Chen had lived with, whom he could identify only by her nickname and two photographs. The film was released in Singapore on 29 August 2013, and generally received positive reception for its storytelling and cast performances. Ilo Ilo became the first Singaporean film to win the Golden Horse Award for Best Feature Film and was selected as the Singaporean entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 86th Academy Awards.