Ilo Ilo wins its 10th... and 11th award

Team Ilo Ilo was hoping for a perfect 10 but ended up doing one better.

Director Anthony Chen’s highly decorated film took home not one but two prizes at the 15th Mumbai International Film Festival, bringing its total awards haul to 11.

Chen won for Best Director while Yeo Yann Yann clinched the Best Actress award, under the International Competition for First Feature Films of Directors. This is a new section on experimental titles and works by artists from other sectors.

The jury, which was presided by Oscar nominated Australian film director Bruce Beresford, awarded Ilo Ilo over other contenders including Joseph Gordon-Levitt’s directorial debut Don Jon, starring Julianne Moore and Scarlett Johansson.

“What can be a better virgin trip to India? It’s my first time here!” Chen told TODAY on his way to the airport, directly after the awards ceremony .

He was on his way to board a plane to Ukraine, where Ilo Ilo is in competition in Kiev at the Molodist International Film Festival.

“We were told that Ilo Ilo was the longest queue at the festival this year. And at the premiere screening yesterday, audiences had to wait 40 minutes for the film to start due to over-crowding! What a response!” he exclaimed.

More than 200 films from over 65 countries were screened at this year’s Mumbai Film Festival.

Ilo Ilo is in Singapore cinemas for one last week.