Career Confessions: The filmmaker who wants you to give local films a chance

Do you like your job? Or wonder what it would be like if you’d gone against your parents’ advice and pursued your dream career? Her World’s Career Confessions column spotlights the professional journeys of its subjects and reveals how each individual’s career path and the choices they have made can have an impact on their personal finances, psychological health, and interpersonal relationships.

Filmmaker Kathleen Bu has only been in the film industry for a few short years — she graduated from Ngee Ann Polytechnic with a Diploma in Film, Sound & Video in 2019 — she has racked up quite the impressive list of accomplishments. Kathleen obtained three awards in three categories at the National Youth Film Awards 2020 and participated in the competitive NYFA Film Facilitation Programme 2021 Edition.

She’s produced several films, some of which have been selected for major film festivals around the world, including the Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival 2022, Final Girls Berlin Film Festival 2023 and the Minikino Film Week 2022.

There’s no doubt that Kathleen has made her mark on the international stage as an up-and-coming filmmaker to watch, but that’s not to say that she hasn’t struggled to gain her footing in the film industry.

Singapore’s film industry is undeniably small, and while we've had a few international hits — Ilo Ilo and Apprentice, works most of us are familiar with, are highly lauded globally —but for most other films, support from fellow Singaporeans remains tepid, with most leaning towards Hollywood films to get their movie fix.

Amidst this landscape, it is unsurprising that Kathleen struggled to look for a job in the film industry when she was fresh out of school, pointing to the long journey our film sector has in supporting our homegrown filmmakers.

This is her career confession.

Name: Kathleen Bu
Highest education level: Diploma in Film, Sound & Video
Job title and industry: Film director, scriptwriter and assistant director, Media
Years of work experience: 3 years
Salary: Prefer not to say

What do you do, and how would you describe your career? Would you describe it as a job, a career, or a calling that you’re extremely passionate about?

I am a filmmaker looking to write and direct my own films. To sustain myself, I am currently working as an assistant director while slowly looking for ways to advance to a full-time director. For some filmmakers, it is simply a job and there is no wrong with that!

But for me, my work is something that is tied to my being. I know no other way to express my joy and sadness other than telling stories and making art. It fuels and calms my being all at the same time. 

Is this the career path that you envisioned for yourself, or do you wish you were doing something else?

Going into film was an accident for me. My mother, someone who always encouraged me to explore my own path, saw from a young age that I wouldn’t fit into the normal education path of going to a junior college. (I was 100% a theatre kid, I was even president of the drama club in my secondary school!) It is more liberal nowadays, but at that time, going to a polytechnic was looked down upon by some. In fact, I’m sure some still hold that mindset, and it’s about time that changed.

She encouraged me to pursue Media Studies and I never looked back since! While film is something that I love deeply and am grateful to be able to do, one of the mantras I live by is always to be a human before you are a filmmaker. We are never tied to one medium, storytelling should be universal and malleable. What should remain the same is the intention and honesty. I would love to explore different mediums in the future, especially theatre as it was my first love.

What were some of the significant challenges that you've faced so far in pursuing your career?

With every project, challenges are promised and almost necessary as a filmmaker. I feel that if you do not feel pressured, it is because you do not care about it enough. But it is tiring. The biggest challenge in my career is facing my own perfectionism. In the scripting stage, I question my merit as a writer. In the pre-production stage, I question my ability as a director. There were points in the past three years when I genuinely felt like giving up.

One of my biggest takeaways from these challenges is that I should believe in myself. I feel a deep sense of gratitude for all the sleepless nights I had, all the times I told myself I’m not good at what I do. You Will See (2022) is a film that I had an opportunity to work on through a mentorship programme under NYFA Film Facilitation Programme, and it was a film that made me believe in myself as a filmmaker.

When I picture locked that film (picture locking is a stage in the editing process), I felt a deep and warm feeling in my heart. And for the first time in a long time, I felt proud of myself. This lesson taught me that not everything has to be perfect, and your growth is more important even if it creeps up on you slowly.

And your proudest achievements?

One of my proudest achievements would be being selected to be part of Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival last year with my film You Will See. It was my first selection in an overseas film festival and the experience was amazing. I networked with so many interesting individuals and watched many wacky films that all held loads of heart. Furthermore, it also gave me the self-confidence to believe in my craft.

Tell us a little about your film Lady E’s Wedding Revenge Plan which gave you your big break with SCAPE’s National Youth Film Awards 2020.

My short film Lady E’s Wedding Revenge Plan was my thesis film following a young girl who decides to ruin her elder sister’s wedding in an effort to keep her in her life. The initial idea stemmed from my childhood. As a kid, I was always with my sister — wherever she went, whatever she did, I would follow suit.

But as we grew up, those times started to fade away. I was starting to grow up too, and had a lot of doubts about myself. This led to a multitude of emotions just crashing down on me all at once. It was difficult to adapt to the changes of life as they came, but what helped the most was having someone there to tell me it will be okay. We had our fair share of teary nights together, and in a way we both helped each other become who we are today.

I think anyone can relate to the painful process of growing up and through this film, I wanted to address our innermost feelings of facing change and ‘growing up’ ourselves, no matter what age or stage of life we are at.

My team and I submitted our film to the National Youth Film Awards on a whim, with the goal of simply not letting our film die in dusty hard drives. We didn’t even expect to get nominated, much less win anything! Because of the belief the jury had in our film, it became the launchpad I needed to start out in the industry. After this win, I found it easier to strike up conversations and receive offers for projects. Of course, hard work was still required. But it gave me a leg-up among my competition, which I am eternally grateful for.

I strongly encourage any young filmmaker to participate in NYFA. You never know what it may lead to, so taking a chance on that is always a good bet.

(Watch the trailer for Lady E's Wedding Revenge Plan here!)

Do you feel pressure to have a successful career, or to earn more money? If you do, is it mainly internal or external pressure?

Of course. The pressure to be successful in Singapore is cripplingly frightening. When starting out, one does not earn nearly enough in the film industry to sustain a normal adult life. I’m fortunate enough to have understanding parents, but even then I’m sure they are worried. It was indeed extremely challenging when I first started out, especially if you need to fund films with your own money. In that case, you probably have to do the jobs you don’t like so you can do what you like.

But I wish to break away from that way of thinking. There will always be something to learn, even within things you do not particularly enjoy. I think the true pressure comes from myself. When you are a freelance filmmaker, you are your own boss and you set your own expectations, hence there’s no breathing space. So, I try to cope by being kinder to myself and understand that everything takes time.

What do you think will take for Singaporeans to appreciate or support local films more?

I don’t think we can force Singaporeans to support local films more, and I don’t think we should. Personally, I don’t want people to watch my films if they are just ‘supporting local’. I appreciate honesty, and I feel that the industry can only grow if everyone is sincere in their actions.

Obviously, it is a big issue to tackle, and I do not have all the answers, not even a quarter of them. My stance is that the solution comes from education, which could mean giving our children the freedom to be creative or taking the initiative to be more curious as adults in other fields. 

As for us in the film industry, we should always work on improving our craft. Personally, I think my writing skills can be sharpened by putting more work into it. As filmmakers, we shouldn’t expect to be handed viewers like charity, but ask ourselves the question — why is the divide between commercial and art house films in Singapore so big? Is there something we can work towards to make film more palatable?

What do you hope to tell your fellow Singaporeans about why they should give local films a chance?

Only watch films you find interesting. It is my job to intrigue you, and if you don't enjoy it, I want to hear your criticism so I know how to improve my craft. If we can create an environment where there are more discussions surrounding art, I think that’s enough for me.