Soda and Film Movement Acquire Anthony Chen's Ilo Ilo

British distributors Soda Pictures and U.S. distributors Film Movement have acquired the distribution rights to director Anthony Chen's Ilo Ilo, starring Koh Jia Ler, Angeli Bayani, Tian and Wen Chen. Last week, the film won the Camera d'Or Award for Best First Film at the Cannes Film Festival.

Ilo Ilo was also the first Singaporean film to win an award at the prestigious event.

Official synopsis: Set in Singapore, Ilo Ilo chronicles the relationship between a family of three and their newly arrived Filipino maid, Teresa, who has come like many other Filipino women in search of a better life. The entire family needs to adapt to the presence of this stranger, which further threatens their already strained relationship. Still, Teresa and Jiale, the young and troublesome boy she cares for, soon form a bond. Their unique connection continues to develop and soon she becomes an unspoken part of the family. But this is 1997 and the Asian Financial Crisis is starting to be felt in all the region…