Anthony Chen’s film ‘We Are All Strangers,’ which competed in the main section of the Berlin International Film Festival, has obtained significant worldwide distribution agreements through Paradise City Sales, based in Paris. This film marks a milestone as the first Singaporean title to be featured in the festival’s main competition.
The distribution deals cover a range of countries, including ARP Selection for France, Curzon for the United Kingdom and Ireland, Elastica Films for Spain, and Trigon Film for Switzerland. Additional partners include A-One Films covering the Baltic region, Ama Films for Greece, Golden Scene in Hong Kong, Movicloud for Taiwan, Challan in South Korea, PT Falcon for Indonesia, and Moving Turtle representing the Middle East and North Africa. Negotiations for further deals remain ongoing.
‘We Are All Strangers’ completes what Chen refers to as his “Growing Up” trilogy, which began with ‘Ilo Ilo’—a film awarded the Caméra d’Or at Cannes—and continued with ‘Wet Season.’ The new project is also set in present-day Singapore and stars Yeo Yann Yann and Koh Jia Ler, actors familiar from the previous films in the trilogy.
Paradise City Sales has represented Chen’s works internationally across these three films, as well as the title ‘Drift,’ collectively showcasing at major film festivals such as Cannes, Toronto, Sundance, and Berlin.
The film is both written and directed by Anthony Chen, with production credits including Teoh Yi Peng, Huang Wenhong, and Chen for Giraffe Pictures. Executive producers Joe Tsai, Arthur Wang, and KH Kuok also contributed. Funding sources include 127 Wall Productions, Jasper Productions, and the Singapore Film Commission, supplemented by the Red Sea Fund and the Motion Picture Association’s Asia Pacific Screen Awards Academy Film Fund.
Critics have noted the film’s exploration of themes like survival and love within domestic settings. In a review, Guy Lodge described it as a “gentle, perceptive domestic saga” that becomes “involving and finally moving,” highlighting Yeo Yann Yann’s performance portraying an immigrant navigating familial and societal challenges.
Curzon’s managing director Louisa Dent expressed enthusiasm for the collaboration, noting the film’s ability to create intimacy with its characters while reflecting the nation’s core. Similarly, Enrique Costa of Elastica Films praised the film as a powerful and emotionally resonant portrait, emphasizing Chen’s status as a distinct contemporary filmmaker.
Apart from ‘We Are All Strangers,’ Paradise City Sales’ current slate features Moshe Rosenthal’s ‘Tell Me Everything’ competing in Sundance’s World Cinema Competition, Warwick Thornton’s ‘Wolfram’ at Berlinale, and Mees Peijnenburg’s ‘A Family,’ which received a Special Mention in the Berlinale Generation section.
The international distribution agreements signal strong confidence in Chen’s latest work as it prepares for broader audience exposure around the world.
