NEWS: Singaporean Film Director Nicole Midori Woodford Wins NYFA Youth Inspiration Award4 min read

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SINGAPORE, 11 June 2019 – The National Youth Film Awards (NYFA) is a beacon for aspiring youth filmmakers since its inception in 2015. For the last four years, NYFA has provided youths with recognition, validation, and industry network, in addition to a platform to showcase their talents in film.

In the 5th edition of the NYFA, *SCAPE and SGIFF is introducing a new special award– the NYFA Youth Inspiration Award, to recognise and honour young industry professionals who have made exemplary contributions towards the filmmaking industry in Singapore. Nicole Midori Woodford, an independent filmmaker, is the very first recipient of this award, in recognition for her work in film and her contributions towards growing the next generation of filmmakers.

Goh Kok Wee, Executive Director at *SCAPE says, “We’re looking for someone who has struck a balance in her commitments to both film and nurturing young talents.Nicole really set herself apart as someone who prioritises both and we’re very glad to have her as our inaugural winner.”

Nicole’s body of work and accolades really speak for themselves. She has won multiple awards including the SEAFIC-Torino Film Lab Award and the Open SEA Fund Award at the 2017 Southeast Asia Film Lab (SEAFIC) with her debut feature film project You Are There. Her films are regularly screened at international film festivals such as her short film For We Are Strangers, which made its world premiere at the 20th Busan International Film Festival and competed in the Wide Angle Short Film Competition. Permanent Resident, her latest short film, was selected to compete in the Clermont-Ferrand International Short Film Festival 2018.

Nicole has also been directing notable commercial and narrative works for Zhao Wei Films including Ordinary (2015), a short film for the 28th SEA Games. In addition to making her mark in Singapore’s film industry, Nicole also grooms the next generation of filmmakers as a lecturer at her alma mater, NTU School of Art, Design and Media, where she has taught for the last eight years. She believes so strongly in young talent that after six years of part-time lecturing, she converted to a full time role, while still remaining committed to her film projects. As Faculty Supervisor, she was instrumental in guiding the student team behind ADAM, which was selected for the Cinefondation section of the Cannes Film Festival 2019.

BAFTA-winner Low Ser En, who was her former student, says, “Nicole deserves to be recognised for her dedication in creating outstanding work and also in nurturing aspiring filmmakers. She is an inspiring figure in my career as a filmmaker and has given me invaluable industry advice over the years. Furthermore, every time I meet a young person in the industry who has been taught by Nicole, only good things are said about her.”

Nicole will be presented with the award at the NYFA 2019 Awards Ceremony, which will be held at *SCAPE on the 31st of August 2019.

About Nicole Midori Woodford

Nicole Midori Woodford is a Singaporean film director, writer and editor. She is an alumna of Berlinale Talents, Asian Film Academy, Torino Film Lab and Talents Tokyo. She has written, directed and edited several short films such as Permanent Resident (2017), which has been selected in many festivals including Clermont-Ferrand International Short Film Festival and Busan International Film Festival; Tenebrae (2018), which was produced with Astro Malaysia in conjunction with producer Fran Borgia as part of an Astro Omnibus focusing on upcoming Southeast Asian directors; Waiting Room (2018), part of the 15 Shorts initiative; and For We Are Strangers (2015), which was in competition at Busan and Singapore International Film Festivals. Nicole has also been directing notable commercial and narrative works for Zhao Wei Films including Ordinary (2015), a short film for the 28th SEA Games.

Her debut feature film project, You Are There, was selected in the first edition of SEAFIC lab (Southeast Asian Fiction Lab), where it won the Open SEA Fund award and the SEAFIC-TFL award; and has participated in SEA Lab at the Singapore International Film Festival and Talents Tokyo. The project was also selected at the FeatureLab programme at Torino Film Lab in 2018 and won the Co-Production Award by the jury headed by Toronto International Film Festival’s Artistic Director Cameron Bailey. In addition to filmmaking, Nicole is a film lecturer at the School of Art, Design & Media at Nanyang Technological University in Singapore.