Lights, camera, reaction: How Ajoomma filmmaker’s trip to the Oscars started with grandma

A visit to a film set where his grandmother had a bit part set him on the path to filmmaking. Along the way, Mr He Shuming found wisdom in three teachers, an arts education, and his mum. She was the inspiration for the lead character in Ajoomma, his debut movie nominated for numerous awards.

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Mr He Shuming remembers vividly the day of his A-level English Literature exam 20 years ago – and it has nothing to do with how he fared. As soon as he was released from the exam hall, he rushed to meet his grandmother, who was attending a casting call for a bit role.

This was for the 2005 homegrown horror film, The Maid.

“When she got cast as a ghost, I also followed her to the shoot,” recalls the 38-year-old filmmaker, eyes dreamy at the memory. “It was my first time on a film set, and accompanying my grandmother that day opened my eyes to the filmmaking industry,” he says. Watching the crew work harmoniously to nail down a scene energised him. “It solidified my desire to work in the industry,” he shares.

The diehard cinephile, who used to spend his pocket money on movie tickets and DVD rentals, never wavered in his ambition.

Today, he is best known as the director of the critically acclaimed 2022 film, Ajoomma, which was nominated for four Golden Horse awards. The movie stars veteran local actress Hong Huifang as a K-drama-obsessed widow who goes on a journey of self-discovery in South Korea.

“I’ve always had an interest in unconventional and unique films, like Royston Tan’s 15, which was a very interesting watch when I was in secondary school,” says Mr He, a Maris Stella High School alumnus. “I also loved watching old black and white films when I was in junior college.”

So for someone who wanted to be a filmmaker from Day One, what should he do after his O Levels?

Since Mr He was eyeing a future in film, a polytechnic course specialising in film made the most sense. But his parents were more familiar with the JC-to-university path to success and dissuaded him.

Eventually, he found a happy medium, taking a combination of Art, English Literature and Economics at Serangoon Junior College (now Anderson Serangoon Junior College).

He credits three teachers for playing instrumental roles in his love for the arts. The first was his secondary school art teacher, Ms Charlotte Tan, who emphasised craftsmanship. He recalls bringing bell peppers to class for an entire semester, and drawing them using different media.

Mr He’s secondary school art teacher Charlotte Tan helped him see that dedication to detail is needed in the arts.

The second is his English Literature teacher in JC, the late Ms Rosalind Gurupatham Jeyamoney, whom he called Ms G. She made lessons memorable by getting students to perform. “She made us act out the plays we were reading, instilling in me a love for storytelling,” he recalls.

But it was his JC Art teacher, Mr Larry Wong, who had the greatest influence over him. “Larry was a teacher who strongly supported my path, even supporting my idea of quitting JC and going to poly to pursue film,” reveals Mr He. Though he never acted on the idea, and eventually completed his A-Levels, he appreciated how Mr Wong could understand how serious he was about his filmmaking ambition.

Mr Wong then suggested that he apply to LASALLE College of the Arts after JC, so that he could truly immerse in an arts education. And that was what Mr He did after completing his National Service. In between, he gained work experience by doing stints as a production assistant, by cold-calling directors, including Singapore filmmaker Boo Junfeng.

“I remember emailing him…I told him how I really enjoyed his work, and he allowed me to be his production assistant, handling props.”

At LASALLE, Mr He could further expand on his hands-on experience as well as network in the industry.

“Film is very collaborative. As a filmmaker, I have a vision I want to achieve, so how do I get there? What resources will I need? What ideas do I have to communicate with peers to work well? We really had to rely on one another to succeed,” he notes.

While taking lessons on directing as a LASALLE film student, Mr He could further expand on his hands-on experience as well as network in the industry.

After graduating with a degree in Fine Arts, he worked as a freelance filmmaker for three to four years to hone his skills as a director.

But he soon realised that he needed to broaden his horizons beyond Singapore, applying to the highly competitive and prestigious American Film Institute (AFI) as a postgraduate student. He was accepted into the AFI Conservatory as a Directing Fellow, and set out for Los Angeles (LA) in 2012.

“During my time in LA, which was the ‘mecca’ of filmmaking to me, I learnt that what I knew about filmmaking was only the tip of the iceberg,” he says. “I learnt a lot during those two years and was very busy with work and adulting.”

On the set of Ajoomma. Mr He (in the black mask) had his mother in mind when developing the lead character, an empty-nester who goes on a trip to the land of her K-drama dreams.

Success is: Honouring who you are 

It was also during his time at AFI that he started to develop his first feature film, Ajoomma. The word is Korean for ‘middle-aged woman’.

“The film is about a widow who sets off on her own journey to Korea after her adult son grows his wings and leaves the nest, and the main character is inspired by my mother,” explains Mr He, who has two sisters.

“When I made the decision to move to LA, it meant that my mother and I would be living apart, which I felt a sense of guilt about. However, we were also able to do our own things, live our lives the way we wanted, so it was interesting to explore these nuances in the film.”

After seven years of hard work and several applications for industry grants later, Ajoomma premiered at the 2022 Busan International Film Festival and was well-received. The premiere was a personal highlight for Mr He, who encountered many challenges when filming the Seoul-Singapore joint production, especially during the pandemic. It was also Singapore’s Best International Feature Film entry to the 2023 Academy Awards, and nominated for a number of international film awards.

 

Mr He (left) with his Korean cast members at Ajoomma’s premiere in Seoul in November 2023.

His mother was touched by the movie. “My mother teared up when she watched it and told me she enjoyed it, but felt that the movie was too short. She saw it a few more times with her friends afterwards,” he says, visibly pleased.

The film’s message, which is to honour who you are and do justice to your passions, is a reflection of Mr He’s journey – where there is a dream, there is a way.

This is something that he shares with his students at LASALLE, where he has been an adjunct lecturer since 2016, teaching mostly directing.

“As much as we want to produce as many good projects as we can as filmmakers, we must also pace ourselves and be practical,” says Mr He, who is in the midst of writing his next feature film. “I’m not here to shut down on my students’ dreams, but this is not an easy industry.”

Before work on Ajoomma began, Mr He directed commercials and commissioned works to help pay the bills. He adds, “It can be tough getting to where you want to be. I tell my students that they may need to take on work they don’t really like, so that they can do what they love. Play the long game, take care of yourself, and the results will show.”

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