The Screening Section of this year's Beijing International Film Festival has a special feature called "Filmmaker in Focus". It shows three feature films by award-winning Singaporean director, Anthony Chen. Wang Siwen had a chance to sit down with him.

Question: You're one of the most exciting emerging Asian directors. You have cooperated with Chinese actors many times - "The Breaking Ice" being the first film made in China. How does it feel to make a movie in China?

Anthony Chen: It was very very exciting, I think I was the only not non-mainland Chinese onset and I had a very very good crew, I had like the most collaborative actors，I had some of the best head of departments who had worked for like Jia Zhangke and Diao Yinan, I feel like making a film in China is very empowering because everyone is working really hard to fulfill the directors vision,  for the first time I had a bit more space，a bit more budget compared to my Singapore films to execute what I wanted to execute.

Question: How is the film industry across Asia developing? How are Asian films being received around the world?

Anthony Chen: I think the past 5 to 10 years has been a real comeback for Asian cinema. You look at films from not just from China, but if you look at Korea look at Japan from Park Chan-Wook to Bong Jooh-Ho, from Parasite to Decision to Leave to even the new wave of Japanese directors like Hamahuchi, like drive my car. They are really sort of flying, sort of like the flight for the whole of Asia, they are playing all the way to the Oscars, their screen at Top festivals. I think Asian stories would always be able to enjoy a kind of familiar response from a global audience because we are very good about telling stories about family. And when you look at some of the best Asian films that has screened widely in the world，it's always about family.

Question: With all the offline activities resumed, how do you feel about it?

Anthony Chen: It's really good to be back at a beijing International Film Festival because the last time I was here was like 9 years ago and it was the 4th edition of the festival. I was here with my first film Parents are not home and we were in the Tiantan competition and like I was here in my 20s and now I'm almost turning 40, so I feel like the festival has grown and has grown and I myself has grown as a filmmaker as well and I hope to come back again.