Choānn’s guide to Los Angeles: a Singaporean filmmaker’s favourite spots

Singaporean filmmaker Choānn has built his career in Los Angeles, directing global campaigns for leading brands and artists including Billie Eilish and Jisoo. Here, he shares the coffee spots, hidden corners and cinematic landscapes that define his adopted city

For Singaporean filmmaker Choānn, Los Angeles held a certain mythology long before he ever called it home. He had wanted to move to the United States since visiting as a six-year-old, drawn in particular to Hollywood and the blockbuster films and music videos he grew up watching.

“If I was finally going to leave Singapore, I might as well go to the heart of where some of my favourite films and music videos were made,” he says.

By the time he eventually made the move, Choānn had already spent years developing a filmmaking practice spanning short films, music videos, commercials and video art. His interest in visual storytelling began with fine art: as a child, he experimented with oil painting, charcoal and watercolour, and initially dreamed of becoming an animator. Then, in his teenage years, a school video workshop and a Handycam opened up another possibility. Film, he realised, brought together many of the things he already loved: “storytelling, photography, music and fashion”.

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Above On set of Jisoo’s Your Love music video

On set of Jisoo’s Your Love music video

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That same year, his first short film, Dreaming Kester, was named a finalist at the 2009 Singapore International Film Festival. More short films followed, with his work going on to screen at festivals internationally. Among them is Turtle Soup, which was selected for the Short Shorts Film Festival & Asia and the Red Sea International Film Festival in 2022.

His commercial and music work has taken him in another direction. In 2022, Choānn directed Billie Eilish and Finneas performing TV and The 30th at Gardens by the Bay’s Cloud Forest, with the performances filmed live in a single take. More recently, he returned to Singapore from Los Angeles to direct Blackpink’s Jisoo in the music video for Your Love, filmed at Rainforest Wild Asia at the Mandai Wildlife Reserve.

Yet Choānn is reluctant to pinpoint a single turning point in his career. “The evolution always felt very organic to me,” he says. “One thing led to the next, and I simply told myself to keep an open mind to new things.”

Above Walking around Los Angeles

Walking around Los Angeles

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About three years ago, he made Los Angeles his base, while continuing to travel for shoots in Vietnam, Bangkok and China. Working with creatives and film crews in different places, he says, has expanded his perspective and approach to filmmaking. More recently, his attention has been turning towards the film scene in Southeast Asia.

What he didn’t expect was the creative community he would find in Los Angeles. “Growing up, I was constantly told that I was crazy or that my expectations were too unrealistic,” he says. “In LA, I saw those same qualities reflected back at me, except in people from completely different backgrounds and cultures.”

Many, like him, had moved from elsewhere to pursue their ambitions in the city. “There’s a strange beauty in meeting other foreigners who have also uprooted their entire lives, often against the odds, to move to LA,” he says. “You can feel that shared sense of passion and ambition.”

Three years on, Choānn has discovered a Los Angeles beyond the Hollywood he grew up watching. From a Korean-inspired tea house and his go-to Taiwanese restaurant to the city’s eclectic architecture and a secluded sunset spot, these are the places he recommends.

Above The strawberry matcha from DAMO

The strawberry matcha from DAMO

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I always get my morning pick-me-up from…

DAMO. I stumbled across this place initially because I lived nearby, and since then it’s developed its own crowd of Asians in LA. The strawberry matcha latte is amazing.

Skip the tourist trail and discover…

how diverse the city’s architecture and landscapes are. Across LA, you’ll find houses built in completely different styles and from seemingly different eras—a Spanish mansion in Glendale, an American Gothic house in Pasadena…the list goes on. It feels incredibly random, but I later learned that many of these places were originally built for films or television series and eventually sold as functioning homes, which probably helps explain the city’s eclectic mix of architecture.

Above Behind the scenes of a cowboy film shoot

Behind the scenes of a cowboy film shoot

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One of the most memorable places I’ve filmed was in…

Santa Clarita, where I shot a cowboy short film. The ranch came with a pre-existing cabin filled with period-accurate props. Every angle was already camera-ready because the entire cabin had been designed to be filmed. I honestly felt like a kid in a candy shop.

The restaurant I recommend most often is…

Liu’s Cafe. Hands down the best Taiwanese food in LA. The cold Dan Dan noodles, Hainanese chicken rice and pastries are so good. I eat there so often it’s embarrassing.

Above Taiwanese comfort food at Liu’s Cafe

Taiwanese comfort food at Liu’s Cafe

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When I need creative inspiration, I go to…

Hauser & Wirth has some pretty amazing free art exhibitions.

One place tourists rarely discover but should is…

The skyline from Mulholland Drive at sunset is pretty surreal. It's usually quiet and tucked away from the crowds, so there's something really peaceful about just sitting there and taking it all in. Another place I'd definitely recommend—although it's a bit touristy—is the new Academy Museum of Motion Pictures, especially if you're into classic American cinema. They have an incredible collection of film artifacts, from George Lucas to John Waters. I remember completely freaking out when I saw the original Donnie Darko and Hellboy costumes in person.