Vivian Ip is an award-winning filmmaker and recovering lawyer from Singapore. She graduated from the University of Southern California in the Film and Television Production MFA program and is a member of the BAFTA Connect program. 

Her filmmaking practice is centered on exploring the human condition, as well as bringing authentic and underrepresented voices to the forefront. She aspires to capture intimate moments and universal truths with a cinematic edge.

Her directorial debut An Island Drifts was the inaugural grant recipient of the ARRI Support and Education (ARRIse) Program and is available on Omeleto after screening at Urbanworld, Dances with Films, SeriesFest, Catalina, Diversity in Cannes, amongst others. The film won Best Director and Best Drama at the USC First Look Awards, and Best Film at the Cine Gear Expo Film Series.

In addition, she directed At the Water’s Edge which screened at the San Diego International Comic Convention and is available on Film Shortage. She also developed her feature script Ashes of the Summer Heat in the Cine Qua Non Storylines Lab, and produced the Student Academy Award-nominated narrative film Headlock. 

Most recently, her Red Bull documentary The Smart Diver premiered in the Florida Film Festival and Indy Shorts as it continues to travel the festival circuit. She is also in post-production for her narrative short Bobo in Bliss supported by Singapore’s IMDA short-form grant.

Vivian holds a Bachelor of Laws LLB from Durham University. While she is licensed to practice law only in Singapore and California, she hopes to make films anywhere and everywhere.

PRESS
American Cinematographer — Madrid’s CLIMAX Returns: A Compelling Exhibition of Human Resilience

ARRI Asia — Interview with Vivian Ip and Shyan Tan of An Island Drifts

ARRI Asia — An update with ARRIse Alumni Vivian Ip and Jon Keng of Bobo in Bliss

Film Threat — An Island Drifts Review: “brilliantly extracts the emotions and feelings from subtle performances”

Indie Shorts Magazine — An Island Drifts Review: “impossible guilt And relentless isolation in gut-wrenching drama”

Omeleto — An Island Drifts Review: “sensitive, beautifully crafted and yet unflinching in its honesty”

Screen Daily — BAFTA expands Newcomers Initiative

Short Films Matter — An Island Drifts Review: “poignant drama that explores the ripple effect of societal pressure”

Television Business International — SeriesFest unveils shortlist for international independent pilot competition

Variety — Urbanworld Film Festival Announces 25th Anniversary Slate