She Shoots To Conquer

Award-winning Director Nicole Midori Woodford Is Grooming The Next Generation Of Filmmakers.

- Cara Van Miriah

Some didn’t think she would cut it as a film director, even though her work proved otherwise. Nicole Midori Woodford responded to her detractors with a spectacular comeback: a shiny credit roll of commercials and narratives, and even more accolades for her work.

This year, the gifted storyteller took home the Youth Inspiration Award at the annual National Youth Film Awards (NYFA) 2019. Organised by the Singapore International Film Festival and presented by *Scape, the NYFA recognises and honours young professionals who have made exemplary contributions in Singapore’s filmmaking industry.

Looked upon as a mentor by aspiring filmmakers, the 33-year-old is also a film lecturer at the School of Art, Design and Media at the National Technology University (NTU).

The impact Nicole has made on her students also saw her receiving the NTU’s Koh Boon Hwee award, with her student, Shoki Lin, whom she mentored. And Nicole’s cinematic body of work speaks for itself.

After directing five short films, Nicole is now working on her debut full-length feature, You Are There, which is in pre-production. Produced by Singaporean producer Jeremy Chua and veteran Japanese producer Shozo Ichiyama, the film is set against the backdrop of the 2011 Tohoku earthquake and tsunami in Japan. It pays tribute to those who lost their families, and those who survived the disaster.

A ROCKY START

Despite displaying talent in filmmaking, it was never easy right from the start. Nicole recalls: “I faced a lack of belief from some of my peers while I was deciding on directing as a career more than a decade ago. I also think women get assessed for their appearance or personality in the film industry here.”