Filmmaker Calleen Koh’s Singapore Is Unhinged — and That’s the Point
Singapore’s creative pulse isn’t waiting for permission. Across studios, stages and unexpected corners of the city, a new wave of young makers is building in real time, guided less by old formulas than by passion, instinct and a genuine curiosity to do things differently. Here, we meet filmmaker and animator Calleen Koh, who’s putting realness back into filmmaking — one chaotic, hyper-local story at a time.
This Bafta‑nominated animator and filmmaker is proof that being hyper‑local is the fastest way to go global. Take her buzzy dark comedy My Wonderful Life, which zooms in on a local office lady who’s so desperate to escape the soul‑crushing grind of her life that she starts intentionally losing her limbs in order to stay hospitalised.
A still from filmmaker Calleen Koh’s award-winning short My Wonderful Life
It made history as the first short by a Singaporean to sweep a Special Jury Award at the star‑minting film festival South by Southwest. Oh, and did we mention that the work is loosely based on her mum? Yep, a Calleen Koh film is always an unhinged watch, but underlying it all are real‑world themes that ground the chaos. While older industry wisdom has often warned that too much locality risks alienating audiences, Koh has proven the opposite: the more rooted the story, the further it travels.
Film queen Calleen Koh
“I truly believe that specificity brings out authenticity, and authenticity connects people no matter where they’re from,” she says. “At the end of the day, we’re all still very human on the inside.”
A still from her film Sexy Sushi
Add her rainbow‑maxed aesthetic and sly sense of humour – check out Koh’s earlier work Sexy Sushi (pictured above), a short about a piece of sushi with an existential crisis – and you get a film‑maker who defines this generation. Her next film, RIP ME, LOL., which features a starry voice cast including Yeo Yann Yann and Benjamin Kheng, is equally relatable: It navigates dating in Singapore. Who’s down for it?
Here, the 27-year-old shares more on her craft:
CALLEEN! Let’s rewind for a bit. You’re known for your animations, but how did you first get into this medium?
“I LOVE animation. It’s such a fun medium that allows you to portray the craziest ideas without the limitations of the physical world. I think my obsession started very early on: I was 11 when I accidentally stumbled into a Pixar exhibition at the Singapore Discovery Centre. Before that, I had no real concept of how animation was made; the characters just kind of existed on screen, and I didn’t think too hard about it.
Seeing all the behind-the-scenes labour blew my mind so much that I went down a YouTube rabbit hole afterwards and binged countless animation process videos. There’s something incredibly satisfying about putting in so much work to create something from scratch and then watching it come alive on screen. Animation is literally a magic trick! It is turning something immovable into an illusion of something alive.”
Animation still seems to suffer from a certain stigma. What’s something people always get wrong about this medium that you’d like to clear up?
“Animation is not just for kids! I think this stigma exists because many people grew up watching cartoons and Disney films that are very child-friendly, and that perception sticks. Animation is also extremely expensive to make, so many studios prefer to create family-friendly content with a wider reach. It’s a safer way to recoup costs and maximise profits. People love spending money on their kids!
A still from Koh’s short film Hot Buns
That said, with the rise of anime and adult animation in recent years, the stigma is slowly disappearing. I really hope it continues to fade, because my films are definitely not for kids — oops, hehe.”
A lot of your work feels deeply local, but it’s also resonating internationally. Why do you think your films travel so well?
“Thank you for saying that! I truly believe that specificity brings out authenticity, and authenticity connects people no matter where they’re from. At the end of the day, we’re all still very human on the inside. I do a lot of soul-searching when I make my recent films and try to pour my raw emotions and lived experiences into my characters. I don’t like hiding behind pretentiousness or style, and I enjoy showing more unfiltered sides of myself in my work. Being vulnerable and honest as a filmmaker is so important. It is what makes people resonate with and feel drawn to your stories.”
What’s the weirdest or most unexpected reaction someone has had to your work?
“My favourite Letterboxd review of My Wonderful Life is a one-star review from a very straight, white-passing man. It reads: ‘Very Asian type of movie, full of sounds, random images and lettering. Weird and completely off.’”
Was there a film, moment, or person that made you think, ‘Okay, I really want to do this’?
“To be honest, I almost wanted to quit filmmaking altogether in 2022. I was completely burnt out and jaded by how tough it is to make animated films in Singapore. It’s incredibly hard to find the right support system for such a crazy dream in a place where the industry is still young, and cynicism around pursuing a career in the arts is constantly looming.
My producer, Tan Si En (the co-founder of boutique production agency Momo Film Co), really saved me from my existential quarter-life crisis. She reached out to me, wanting to collaborate — coincidentally right after I went through a rough patch in the local industry. She was deeply supportive of my voice as a filmmaker and my desire to dream bigger, and she made me believe in making films again.
Together, we created My Wonderful Life, which went on to screen at many Oscar-qualifying festivals, including the main competition at Annecy — the biggest animation festival in the world. The film won several awards, including Best Singapore Short Film at SGIFF 2024, the Gotham Film Award, and SXSW’s Special Jury Award.
I still remember standing on stage at SXSW (South by Southwest, a major film and music festival known for its star-minting prowess) during my acceptance speech and saying, ‘If I’m not wrong… this might be the first SXSW win for a Singaporean film?’ The whole hall gasped, fell silent, and then erupted into applause. I think about that moment a lot.”
What’s one Singapore film everyone should watch, and why?
“Ilo Ilo by Anthony Chen is definitely the classic Singaporean film everyone should watch. By far, it remains one of the most authentic portrayals of Singapore — subtle, attentive, and deeply moving.”
What advice might you have for others who are thinking of going into filmmaking?
“Grow a backbone. Know your worth. At the same time, stay humble and grateful. Work very, very hard on your craft. Live life for the plot. Find the right people for you. Do a lot of soul-searching at 3am, and write every single ‘worthless’ thought down — it might come back to you one day as a grand idea.”
You’re currently finishing up your MFA in Experimental Animation at the California Institute of the Arts, as well as a new short film. What’s it about, and what can audiences expect from it?
“Yes, I am! I’m working on my new animated short film right now called RIP ME, LOL., and I’m super excited about this one. In fact, it’s the most excited I’ve ever been about any of my films.
Without spoiling too much, the film is about Megan Wong, a xiao mei mei with a big dream: to find a hot boyfriend who looks like Cha Eunwoo in Singapore’s dire dating scene. It sounds simple when I put it that way, but the story quickly becomes much more complex and touches on deeply relevant social issues in Singapore that many people can painfully relate to. It’s a genre-bending dark comedy that explodes with city pop/hyperpop energy, so I can promise audiences a very, very good time.
Meet Megan Wong, the heroine of Koh’s upcoming film RIP ME, LOL.,
We also have an extremely stellar voice cast — Iris Li, Benjamin Kheng, Yeo Yann Yann, Sneaky Sushii, and Isaac Chan — and they all did an amazing job bringing the characters to life.”
What other plans might you have for this year?
“Apart from RIP ME, LOL., we’re now developing some very exciting projects together, including an animated TV series titled Down at Motel 629, which won Best Pitch at SXSW’s Pitch-a-thon and an upcoming feature film!
I’m also looking for my future husband, preferably someone that looks like Cha Eunwoo or Sang Heon Lee. If anyone is interested or has someone to recommend, hit me up at calleenkoh@gmail.com <3”