Daniel Hui

Directing

Daniel Hui

Born November 5, 1986 · Singapore (age 39)

Daniel Hui studied at the California Institute of the Arts. He collaborates with the Network for the Promotion of Asian Culture and writes articles for their website. He is one of the founding members of 13 Little Pictures, an independent film collective whose films have been screened with acclaim in several festivals around the world. He made his debut as a filmmaker and writer in 2007 with the s…

Known For

Some Nights I Feel Like WalkingSome Nights I Feel Like Walking · 2025
Some Nights I Feel Like Walking
★ 5.72025
MovieDrama
In the seedy underbelly of Manila, teenage runaway Zion links up with a group of queer street hustlers who lead him on a heated journey of self-discovery in the tempting and dangerous nocturnal city.
Sleep No MoreSleep No More · 2026
Sleep No More
★ 7.22026
MovieHorrorFantasy
As two sisters clash over whether their mother’s sudden death at a wig factory was suicide or demonic possession, their brother's supernatural body-regenerative gift attracts a wandering ghost searching for a human host.
9 Temples to Heaven9 Temples to Heaven · 2026
9 Temples to Heaven
★ 9.02026
MovieDramaComedy
A man takes his sick mother and nine family members on a single-day temple pilgrimage after his boss predicts she may die soon.
Talking LeavesTalking Leaves · 2022
Talking Leaves
2022
Movie
Both a prescient and timely artistic documentary. Filmed solo, it spans multiple sites across the world to form a polyvocal, mythopoetic film about the censorship of books, destruction of libraries, assaults on knowledge and free press, and the loss of languages in embattled communities. Like leaves of an enduring tree, the voices of multiple people and their actions demonstrate the persistent value and power of books, archives, shadow and pirate libraries as vehicles of resistance.
A Land ImaginedA Land Imagined · 2019
A Land Imagined
★ 5.92019
MovieMysteryDrama
A cop in Singapore investigates the disappearance of a Chinese migrant construction worker who spent sleepless nights playing a mysterious video game.
The Burning GiantsThe Burning Giants · 2026
The Burning Giants
2026
MovieDrama
Follows an environmental and Indigenous rights activist from the Karen group who is killed after protesting the forced eviction of his village from a protected forest.
An Invocation to the EarthAn Invocation to the Earth · 2020
An Invocation to the Earth
2020
Movie
Deep in the tropical rainforest of Southeast Asia, a series of incantations invoke the spirits of yore, including those of the nimble, tricksy Kancil (mouse-deer) and the ferocious Buaya (crocodile). The ancient animals enact their folkloric vendetta in a furious dance of dominance, yet long-overdue vengeance is shrouded in smoke. Meanwhile, an effigy of a tree is burning, summoning a whole other host of spectres and ancestors. Conceived during the month of the Hungry Ghost Festival in 2019, while large-scale fires were consuming the forests of Indonesia, Yeo Siew Hua’s An Invocation to the Earth confronts climate collapse through the lens of pre-colonial folktales and animistic rituals. Through spoken spells and bodily entanglements, the video conjures up the fallen environmental defenders of a region ridden with ecological threats in the hope that their spirits will be reborn once again.
Don’t Cry, ButterflyDon’t Cry, Butterfly · 2025
Don’t Cry, Butterfly
★ 6.62025
MovieFantasyDrama
Tam, a diligent wedding venue staffer, discovers her husband’s affair on live TV. Rather than confronting him, she enlists a powerful spell master to win back his love. Tam’s daughter, Ha, pours her frustration into vivid fantasies of a brighter future abroad. Meanwhile, a mysterious House Spirit, visible only to the women, lurks beneath their cracked, leaky ceiling.

Filmography

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An Invocation to the EarthAn Invocation to the Earth · 2020
An Invocation to the Earth
2020
Movie
Deep in the tropical rainforest of Southeast Asia, a series of incantations invoke the spirits of yore, including those of the nimble, tricksy Kancil (mouse-deer) and the ferocious Buaya (crocodile). The ancient animals enact their folkloric vendetta in a furious dance of dominance, yet long-overdue vengeance is shrouded in smoke. Meanwhile, an effigy of a tree is burning, summoning a whole other host of spectres and ancestors. Conceived during the month of the Hungry Ghost Festival in 2019, while large-scale fires were consuming the forests of Indonesia, Yeo Siew Hua’s An Invocation to the Earth confronts climate collapse through the lens of pre-colonial folktales and animistic rituals. Through spoken spells and bodily entanglements, the video conjures up the fallen environmental defenders of a region ridden with ecological threats in the hope that their spirits will be reborn once again.

Editor