Chen Film 'We Are All Strangers' Named Singapore's 99th Oscars Entry — SkimNews
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- Singapore's Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA) selected Anthony Chen's "We Are All Strangers" as the country's official entry for the international feature category at the 99th Academy Awards, chosen by a Selection Committee drawn from eligible members of the Singapore Film Commission Advisory Committee (SFCAC).
- "We Are All Strangers" became the first Singaporean film ever selected for the main competition at the Berlin Film Festival in the festival's 76-year history earlier this year, competing against 21 other international films for the Golden Bear.
- The film completes Chen's Growing Up trilogy, following "Ilo Ilo" (2013) and "Wet Season" (2019); both prior installments also served as Singapore's Oscar entries at the 86th and 93rd Academy Awards and collectively won more than 50 international accolades, including "Ilo Ilo"'s Caméra d'Or at Cannes.
- Yeo Yann Yann and Koh Jia Ler star alongside Andi Lim and Regene Lim in the contemporary Singapore-set family drama, produced by Chen's Giraffe Pictures with IMDA support.
- Paradise City Sales handles world sales while Film Movement holds North American distribution rights; the film opened in Singapore cinemas in August and is currently making its North American debut at the Toronto Film Festival.
- IMDA assistant chief executive Yvonne Tang called the selection a milestone celebrating Chen's "talent, dedication, and belief" over the trilogy's 10-year span, while Chen said presenting "the final chapter" on the global stage was "a privilege."
Why it matters: The selection bookends a trilogy in which every single installment has now represented Singapore at the Oscars — an unmatched track record for a Singaporean filmmaker. Combined with the Berlin main-competition first and locked-in North American distribution via Film Movement ahead of TIFF, IMDA has positioned "We Are All Strangers" as arguably the country's strongest-ever Oscar submission.
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