Cover Photo: Sunny Goh
Photo: Sunny Goh
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First pitched in 2015 while He Shuming was still in school, this is how a first-time filmmaker brought a gut-wrenching story of motherhood to the big screen
As a child, He Shuming would skip classes in school to go to the movies with his friends. Inspired by the way movies could convey a multitude of ideas and emotions with different shots and angles, he was in awe of the role of a filmmaker and knew this was the path he wanted to take when he was older. Today, the local director successfully experienced his first feature film premiere at the 27th Busan International Film Festival (BIFF) and is celebrating the film being selected as Singapore’s submission to the 2023 Academy Awards.
Ajoomma, a heartwarming Singaporean-South Korean film, follows a middle-aged widow dealing with loneliness as her adult son grows up and begins to make his way into the world, leaving her behind. In a spontaneous move, she decides to go on a solo trip to South Korea, which turns into a wild adventure when she is left behind at a rest stop.
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“The story was actually inspired by my mum and my own relationship with her. I was in Los Angeles doing my Master’s at the American Film Institute Conservatory and we had to do a few feature shorts as projects,” He said in an interview with Tatler Singapore. “The idea actually came from a Zoom call I had with my mother at one point. She had just returned from a trip to South Korea and I knew she was so enamoured with just being in Seoul because she loves Korean dramas and was very happy.”
“But I realised that it was also a sort of reflection of our relationship. Like her going through this new stage in life but also me, trying to forge a new path for myself. It made me consider the sense of guilt that is present in a lot of people in Asia. We know we have this sense of duty to take care of our parents but also, how does it come into play when we have to find our own paths?” He asked rhetorically.
“In Los Angeles, you meet people whose parents have retired and are travelling around and things like that. And you often wonder if this is something my own mum would do. But of course, many Asian mums are thinking about taking care of grandkids and continuing this identity of being a mother,” he shared.
“So I wanted to explore the story of a character who puts aside the identity of a mother for a while and I think that was the genesis of the idea.”
Above Photo: Sunny Goh
Photo: Sunny Goh
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At the heart of it, filmmaking has always run in He’s blood. “It was really me just being exposed to all these different kinds of films when I was young that taught me that cinema could be so varied and exciting. That was what really drew me to filmmaking and what made me want to pursue it,” He said.
He shared that after he was done with National Service, he decided he needed some experience working on film sets and so he worked hard to make contacts and eventually joined fellow homegrown filmmakers Royston Tan and later Boo Junfeng on some of their earlier sets as an art and wardrobe assistant. “These two men eventually became not just very good friends of mine but also mentors, and I think it was just being surrounded by the filmmaking community that made me want to continue with it.”
After graduating with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Film from The Puttnam School of Film, Lasalle College of The Arts, he moved on to the American Film Institute Conservatory where he left with a Master’s of Fine Arts and the beginning seeds of Ajoomma, a seven-year-long film project that would go on to define He’s career.
“It was very clear from the beginning for me that Ajoomma was going to be a feature film instead of a short film,” He shared. “In school, my shorts often centred around female characters and maternal figures. So when I started thinking about what my first feature film as a filmmaker would be, this seemed perfect for me.”
True enough, He took to the project like a moth to a flame and very quickly organised his first research trip to South Korea. “So I specifically went to a tour group and asked to join a group of Singaporean aunties. So we went to Seoul on a five-day trip and I lied and said my mum suddenly couldn’t come along with me which was why I was here alone,” He said with a smile. The anecdote was a nod to the film which sees the main character’s son suddenly having to pull out of his trip to South Korea with his mother to attend a job interview in America.
“It was very interesting because I got to see South Korea through the lens of these Chinese aunties and [witness] the dynamics between them which was crucial for the story,” He said. This was the first of multiple research trips that he would eventually take over the course of the production of the film.
Considering the fact that the film was a labour of love that took place both in Singapore and South Korea, financing it was certainly a challenge.
“The film was quite pricy if I’m being honest. You don’t normally get this kind of price tag for a debut feature film in Singapore especially because I had no proven track record except for the fact that Anthony Chen was producing the film.”
“We had fantastic support both in Singapore and South Korea though. IMDA (Infocomm Media Development Authority) supported me with their New Talent Feature Grant and we also have funding from the Korean Film Council, Singapore Film Commission and Seoul Film Commission. These grants really helped us from development to the eventual completion of the film,” He said.
He added that casting was also a lengthy process especially when it came to finding the right person to play the leading character, Ajoomma.
“I met many actresses from all sorts of backgrounds and experience levels. When Hong Huifang was suggested to me, my initial thought was that she wouldn’t be a good fit for the role. I knew of Huifang from watching her as a kid and of course, her family are all celebrities in their own right. So I wasn’t sure if she would be able to portray this character,“ He admitted.
“But when she came in for the audition, I think she just immediately understood the role because she is a mother and of course, she has had so many years of experience. She brought all that into the audition and that was what really sold me.”
“Casting Kang Hyung Suk was also quite an adventure because it was very hard to find a South Korean actor who could also speak Mandarin. We didn’t have time to train someone to speak Mandarin and to have them be able to speak it phonetically and properly. So when he was suggested and introduced to me, it was almost instant chemistry,” He said.
“The only downside was that I remember thinking, you’re way too good-looking for this role,” He said with a laugh. “Like your nose, every part of your face is so perfect. So we spent a lot of time during the process making sure he was okay with putting on weight and looking a certain way.”
Financing and casting were just some of the many reasons why the film took so long to complete. “I was also very focused on producing a stellar script so that we could continue to get grants and so that took time. And of course, the reality of being an independent filmmaker is that you have to work on the film in your own time and wear many hats. I was teaching, directing and working on other creative projects all at the same time,” said He.
However, once the team received the green light to make the film, things began to happen very fast. “I left for South Korea in November last year to start preparing and then we started shooting in January this year. We finished shooting in March and then did all the post-production work before it finally premiered at the 2022 Busan International Film Festival on October 7,” He shared.
Above Photo: Sunny Goh
Photo: Sunny Goh
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The comedy-drama has been selected as Singapore’s submission to the 2023 Academy Awards in the Best International Feature Film category and has received four nominations at the 59th Golden Horse Awards.
“I was very honoured for the film to be picked for the Oscars. For me, it means having the opportunity to screen the film for the academy voters stateside. It’s going to be eye-opening for me to understand the process of campaigning for a film on such a scale,” He said.
Recently, Ajoomma also premiered in Singapore on October 27 at a glitzy gala night in Capitol Theatre. When asked if his mother, the woman who inspired the entire story, was present, He laughed and said yes.
“My mum enjoyed it but said it felt short. She wanted more. She’s been rallying her friends in her morning exercise group to go watch the film since then.”
He also shared his plans for the near future.
“Right now, I just hope it will do well at the box office in Singapore and that it inspires Singaporeans to go back to the cinemas. We are also preparing for the Golden Horse Awards next. We have cities lined up for film festival screenings and general releases in various territories. We are just getting started,” he concluded with a smile.
Camillia Dass is the digital writer for Tatler Singapore.
