Hong Hui Fang, a 61-year-old Singaporean actress, confidently shared that she will leave the showbiz industry when the movie, AJOOMMA, fails.
In a movie press conference with Anthony Chen, the director of the film, she stated that if AJOOMMA went the wrong direction, the actress will deactivate all of her social media accounts and will immediately disappear from the film and television industry.
The team behind AJOOMMA said that the results of the film are relevant because they believe that local films have their limits. When a film does not get a good result and does not sell well, it will be really difficult for the industry to continue due to the difficulties in financing and shooting.
Knowing this, the 61-year-old mentioned that she felt the box office pressure, alongside the film’s directors and producers.
“I’m not a big star. In order to attract the audience, I just want to do well. Only when word of mouth is passed on will everyone go and watch the film. I’m really under a lot of pressure on my shoulders” Hong Hui Fang said.
The actress admitted that she played her role in the film with her life. She did not want to let anyone down – from the team and casts of AJOOMMA up to the people who will make time to watch and pay for the film.
“If no one watched the movie, there would be no more Hong Hui Fang” she added.
She really meant it when she said that when the movie fails because of her, she will choose to step out of the limelight and disappear.
When asked about her definition of AJOOMMA’s success, the actress believes that gaining a box office is one of the indicators of a successful film. However, the audience’s reputation about the movie is also of the same importance.
After hearing what the actress declared, the AJOOMMA team assured her that she had played her part well, and that she was successful in spreading the presence of the film through word of mouth so she does not need to disappear.
AJOOMMA has garnered four nominations at the Golden Horse Awards, one of which is Best Actress for Hong Hui Fang. The team remarked that even when the actress will not win the award, she is still the Best Actress for them – in their hearts and minds.
The other nominations of the film for the Golden Horse Awards are: Best New Director and Best Original Screenplay for Singaporean director He Shuming, and Best Supporting Actor for Korean star Jung Dong-Hwan. Winners of this prestigious award will be announced on November 19, 2022.
AJOOMMA is also Singapore’s pick and entry to the 95th Academy Awards (Oscars) in 2023 under the Best International Film category. The final nominations will be announced on January 24, 2023 and the Oscars ceremony will be on March 12, 2023.
The Singaporean-South Korean movie is about a widow who tries to find her life’s meaning on a solo trip in South Korea. It premiered at the 27th Busan International Film Festival last October 2022 and was the third Singaporean movie to be played at the festival.
In Singapore, AJOOMMA was released in cinemas on October 27, 2022 through Golden Village Pictures.