Anthony Chen gets signed on by American agency UTA

SINGAPORE — Is this the start of world domination for our homegrown auteur Anthony Chen? The Cannes Film Fest-winning director has just signed on with United Talent Agency (UTA), one of the largest talent agencies in the world.

Chen is in very good company, seeing as key clients include A-listers Johnny Depp, Harrison Ford, Owen Wilson, Gwyneth Paltrow, Anthony Hopkins, Barbra Streisand, Seth Rogen, James McAvoy, Ewan McGregor, Benedict Cumberbatch and Uma Thurman, just to name a few.

UTA also represents notable film-makers such as Joel and Ethan Coen, Judd Apatow and Wes Anderson.

“Yes, I got signed to UTA and the deal was done with my UK agent Camille McCurry at United Agents (a British talent and literary agency) after a series of meetings with various agents at the Toronto Film Festival back in September,” Chen told TODAY over the phone from London, where Ilo Ilo is showing at the BFI London Film Festival’s First Feature Competition.

The 29 year-old was humble as usual, telling us that the signing “is nothing much really. Just means it opens up more possibilities”.

Does he mean that elusive break into Hollywood?

“I don’t think I will make a big Hollywood film just yet,” he said. “I will take things step by step and slowly grow my ambitions and upscale my projects. But of course, this means opening up the network to access more material and more talent, especially American actors.”

But Chen was careful to reiterate. “I always believe in honesty and integrity in all my projects, so my concern for the human condition will always be key.”

Chen and Ilo Ilo are still riding an unprecedented successful cinematic wave.

Ilo ilo has made more than €479,000 (S$800,000) at the French box office and counting, with 73,711 admissions so far. This makes it the most successful Singaporean movie ever in France. And with the intimate family drama is still running in cinemas, this is by no means the final count. It opened in France on Sept 4 in 80 cinemas and has made it to No. 5 at the Paris box office.

In Singapore, Chen is just short of his dream box-office target of S$1million. Upon last check with Golden Village, Ilo Ilo has chalked up S$856,000 at the box office.

Impressively, the movie, which opened on Aug 29, is still playing in cinemas for almost two months, albeit on fewer screens. Ilo Ilo is expected to wrap up its run by the last week of October, which leaves Singapore just two weeks to go catch what everyone’s been talking about before it’s too late.