Nicole Midori Woodford summarizes the films directed by women who inspired her as a filmmaker

In Last shadow at first lightAmi, 16, embarks on a journey from Singapore to Japan in search of her missing mother, who mysteriously disappeared after returning to her hometown to participate in rescue efforts after the 2011 tsunami. Between hauntings and hallucinations, in a landscape fraught with loss, lies a tender look at healing in the face of lingering trauma and indescribable grief.

It’s a triumph of a debut feature film, seven years in the making, from local writer-director Nicole Midori Woodford. Chosen to be part of the Berlinale Talents and the Asian Film Academy in 2010, and currently a professor of film at the School of Art, Design and Media at Nanyang Technological University, she is one of the most successful independent filmmakers acclaimed Singapore artists of this generation.

“For their first film, most directors tend to look back on their personal experiences or questions they asked themselves growing up. The seed for this film comes from my family and my Japanese grandmother,” shares Woodford. In the 1940s, his grandmother missed her train one day to go to work at home in Kure and thus survived the atomic explosion in Hiroshima. It’s a story she only shared for the first time a few years before her passing.

Last shadow at first light deals with the aftermath of another disaster, but its devastating impacts are no less visceral. Most of the film was shot in Rikuzentakata, a town nearly wiped out by the 2011 tsunami, and its poignancy permeates every moment. “Most of the story came later, after discovering the space and landscape when I began my research in Japan in 2017. I wanted to tell the story of a family facing their own internal and external struggles. So there is a backdrop of disaster, but there is also something that is broken and needs healing among the family members.

“I am drawn to ambiguity, to the gray area of ​​life, to the thought processes behind decisions and to the conflicts that human characters face. »

A day after her film’s theatrical release in Singapore, Woodford sits down to discuss her filmmaking journey and the stories that fascinate her. She also selects six films by female directors who have inspired her throughout her career.

Take us back to the beginning of your career as a filmmaker. How did it start and what has this journey been like for you?
I never thought acting was a possibility for me, but I always had a passion for storytelling and loved watching films. I used to rent films from video stores and the Esplanade library, and I was curious to know how they were made. Initially, what attracted me was the multidisciplinary nature of cinema. I could explore music and I loved writing. But ultimately, I realized that you can’t do everything yourself, so the second key step was discovering that directing came naturally to me. However, I didn’t dare to call myself a director until much later, when I was selected for two fairly prestigious talent development programs: the Berlinale Talents and the Asian Film Academy in Busan. After that, I didn’t look back.

Were there any challenges for you as a filmmaker?
When I started, I had the impression that I had to prove myself first before I would be taken seriously as a director, whereas if a man shows up on the set, we don’t put him back in question even if it is not known. It was strange to me because if I’m doing the work, why does it matter if, for example, I speak more quietly? Now it’s more about how people describe my work. They’ll say the film is feminine, which I don’t think is a bad thing. I see that as a compliment.

Do you think your relationship with cinema has evolved over the years?
It’s a love-hate relationship, without a doubt, because it will always be at odds with my personal life. It requires you to make difficult decisions and sacrifices because it requires a lot of time, energy and resources. I delayed having a baby until after the film because I felt it would be unfair to the child if I couldn’t commit 100 percent, and I couldn’t live with that. At first, I lived my life without compromise. I worked hard on every project and didn’t take care of my health. But as I got older, I realized it wasn’t sustainable because I was burning out all the time, so I had to set limits. Artistically, I feel like I’ve finally found my voice. But it’s funny because now I want to try something else; I feel like I’m able to adopt a different style as a director. This is why cinema is so exciting. It is a profession that is easy to practice, but difficult to master.

What themes and stories fascinate you? What types of stories do you hope to explore?
The only constant is a female protagonist. Not just for representation, but also because I am drawn to ambiguity, to the gray area of ​​life, to the thought processes behind decisions, and to the conflicts that human characters face. I think for women in general, the struggles we face are more ambiguous and harder to pin down. As a storyteller, I want to unravel and discover what lies behind this ambiguity.

Is there an ultimate goal you hope to achieve through your work?
Maybe it’s a bit idealistic to say this, but the ultimate goal for me is to make work that impacts the way people see the world. Cinema is a medium that we share with a group of people, not just with a single individual, and tapping into this collective consciousness is very evocative for me.

1 / 6

“Petite Maman” directed by Céline Sciamma

“A delicate and melancholic vision of time travel, the mysterious power of mother-daughter relationships and the heartbreak of childhood. Little mom is a very different film from his previous film A portrait of a lady on fire but it is not to be missed.“

2 / 6

“The Nightingale” directed by Jennifer Kent

“Most people remember The Babook as Jennifer Kent’s most famous work. His second film, The Nightingale, is a brutal and relentless exploration of colonialism, violence and trauma, in the form of a fragile but powerful revenge film.

3 / 6

“Aftersun” directed by Charlotte Wells

“Most first features are closely tied to the director’s view of deeply personal truths and, more often than not, they deal with parent-child relationships. The ending of Charlotte Wells’ first feature film is devastating and breaks your heart over and over again.

4 / 6

“The Hummingbird House” directed by Bora Kim

“Set in 1994, it is a heartfelt and affectionate portrait of a young girl growing up and facing the trials of female adolescence. Woven with great empathy and care, the film is an honest and yet compelling take on the coming-of-age film.

5 / 6

“Tótem” directed by Lila Avilés

“Totem was one of my favorite films of last year. It has a lot of humanity and takes place over the course of an afternoon in the life of a Mexican family dealing with life and death through the eyes of Sol, the 7-year-old protagonist.

6 / 6

“Saint Maud” directed by Rose Glass

“Another early film featuring a female protagonist, but one in which she descends into madness as she communes with an imagined God. Saint Maud is a film that questions our sense of reality and plumbs the depths between the horrific and the blissful. »

Photography Zantz Han
Styling Nicolas See
Hair and makeup Zhou Aiyi/Makeup Entourage
Wardrobe Massimo Dutti blazer and pants; tank top and shoes, belonging to the stylist

The June “Impact” issue of Vogue Singapore is now available online and in-store.