When he was a volunteer programmer at the Singapore International Festival in 2017, the head programmer readily introduced Mr Cheong, then a junior college student, to other filmmakers as both a colleague and peer.
“Through her, I felt this sense that there was an effort at building a community — something the casual film viewer doesn’t experience. It showed just how close, democratic and warm people are in the industry.”
It was a small gesture but one that he continually pays forward through his contributions to the film community here.
“There are very few resources and even fewer grants; we are all competing for the same thing,” he said.
“That’s what got me into community-building activities so that we don’t see each other as competitors, but as collaborators and to have fun.”
In addition to his role at the NTU Film Society, he curates screenings at The Coup, a bar and restaurant, as part of his programming work.
As you might expect from a film aficionado, he is also a part-time producer at a Singapore film company, honing his film-making chops and building his network.
To top off his love for the silver screen, Mr Cheong rents and manages the shared space in the Chinatown area for film buffs.
He funded the monthly rent through a small nest egg he built up while working as a tutor after National Service.
“Art doesn’t really pay,” he quipped.
Two weeks after our first meeting at NTU, I met Mr Cheong at the rental unit. Posters adorned the walls of the cosy room — they were from indie cinema operator The Projector, saved for him by a cleaner there he knows well.
As I was led towards another corner of the room, he said that the film projector was another gift, this time from Ms Nicole Midori Woodford, a filmmaker here who teaches at the School of Art, Design and Media at NTU.
When Ms Woodford came to the apartment to teach a film masterclass and saw Mr Cheong’s “really bad” S$200 projector, she said: “I can give you a better projector.”
Her gift was worth S$1,500.
“She just gave it for free,” he said. “I think things come (to this space) because of other people’s kindness and they come together quite beautifully.”
MAKING THINGS WORK
Mr Cheong has much to do for a 25-year-old, but he sees his many activities as building the foundation for his filmmaking career in Singapore, where the industry is small, resources are scarce and the strength of your relationships can provide a significant advantage.
“I think even though that sounds selfless, it’s a very selfish thing. If I want to make films, I can’t do it in an ecosystem that is unfriendly and competitive,” he said with a guffaw.
Surely, all these community-building activities and the course load at school have taken a toll?
Yes, he answers candidly and almost too good-naturedly. “The one thing I sacrificed was my health. I wasn’t like this before university; I gained 40kg to 50kg (because of all the stress).”
He recalled how things came to a head last year when his mother was diagnosed with stage-four ovarian cancer and his family had to move across the border as a way to cope with the cost of living and expenses.
He even thought about whether he should continue with his degree course or stop entirely. He ultimately chose to continue.
“It was difficult … because I know that a university education is not important to my pursuits, (but) my parents were against (a break or dropping out) because I’d be the first in the family to graduate with a university degree.”
Amid the chaos of moving and caring for his mother, the overdue payments for the Pearl’s Hill Terrace flat were piling up as well.
Thankfully, the landlords were understanding about the late payments, he said.
I joked that I felt a sense of vicarious pressure just from listening to his ordeal last year and he promptly apologised — for my stress.
Explaining what kept him going, he said: “I know that eventually, there will come a time when either I make it easier for myself, or people will help me to make it easier.”
He added that he has “a lot of faith” in people helping one another out within a community.
Now that his mother has gone through two rounds of chemotherapy, she is doing better and she has even started to return to work.
Mr Cheong now has “more control” over what is on his plate and can fit in a weekly swim as exercise and a way to unwind.
Even now, he is still slightly behind on his rental payment for the Pearl’s Hill Terrace flat. “Let me just do what I have to do, and I’ll figure it out eventually.”
