Cannes 2013 Entry: Singaporean Movie Ilo Ilo 爸媽不在家 Directed by Anthony Chen

Updated: Iloilo has won the award for Caméra d’Or in first feature film at the 2013 Cannes Film Festival.

Last year, the movie industry got a buzz when a Filipina indie actress topbills a Singaporean film. After a "crazy" audition on the film, indie film actress Angeli Bayani snagged the role on the film entitled Ilo Ilo 爸媽不在家, written and directed by Anthony Chen.

Just recently same movie has been selected as an entry to the 2013 Cannes Film Festival's Director's Fortnight and in-competition for the Caméra d’Or. Aside from Angeli Bayani, the movie also stars Yeo Yann Yann, Chen Tianwen and Koh Jia Ler, comprising the picturesque family that Bayani will be working on with as a maid.

You could watch the movie's heart-warming trailer below:

Here's the equally touching poster of Ilo Ilo 爸媽不在家, directed by Anthony Chen:

Plot Synopsis:

Set in Singapore, ILO ILO chronicles the relationship between the Lim family and their newly arrived maid Teresa. Like many other Filipino women, she has come to this city in search of a better life. Her presence in the family worsens their already strained relationship. Jiale, the young and troublesome son, starts to form a unique bond with Teresa, who soon becomes an unspoken part of the family.

But this is 1997 and the Asian Financial Crisis is starting to be felt in the region...

Also we get an official and iconic still from the movie, featuring Jiale and Teresa:

The calligraphy "爸妈不在家" in Chinese means "Dad and Mom are not home." According to trivia "auntie" is how kids address their maids -- or locally known as yayas -- in Singapore. Teresa will be a domestic helper coming from my homecity Iloilo. I do wish Hiligaynon and some Philippine locations will be featured in the movie, should the opportunity arise.

Here is what Director Anthony Chen has to say about the title:

"When I was much younger, my mother hired a Filipino maid to look after the children. Teresa was with us for a long 8 years until I was 12 years old. We called her Auntie Terry. When she left to return home, it was hard to bear, but we got used to her absence and somehow lost contact. I believe the universal experience of children growing up with maids is one of having a 'surrogate' mother, a friend and a confidant. The one thing that has stayed with me after all these years is the name of the place she was from, Iloilo, a province in the Philippines. That is how the title of the film came about."

The movie, which gets a limited release on April 23, 2013, is produced by Ang Hwee Sim, Anthony Chen and Yuni Hadi under Fisheye Pictures and Memento Films studios. Until it gets updated, you can know more about Ilo Ilo 爸媽不在家 by visiting it's official website.