A Singapore filmmaker has transformed painful childhood memories and years of family struggles into a deeply personal movie that is now attracting international recognition, earning major awards and securing three nominations at Taiwan’s prestigious Golden Horse Awards.
Director Ang Geck Geck Priscilla, 38, revealed that making her debut feature film, Ah Girl, unexpectedly brought her closer to her estranged father after she contacted him for help finding a filming location.
The filmmaker, who grew up with divorced parents, said her father had little understanding of her career until she needed to use his home for scenes involving the character Mummy’s one-room flat.
What began as a practical production decision eventually became an opportunity for father and daughter to reconnect.
The experience is particularly meaningful because Ah Girl draws heavily from Ang’s own childhood, exploring parental separation, emotional neglect and the complicated feelings children experience when their families fall apart.
The film is scheduled to open in Singapore cinemas on November 19, 2026, following an impressive international festival journey that has already established it as one of the country’s most talked-about local productions this year. AsiaOne+2
A Call to Her Estranged Father Changed Their Relationship
Ang’s relationship with her father was not particularly close while she was growing up.
She told AsiaOne that her parents did not really understand what she did for a living. That changed during the production of Ah Girl in 2024, when she needed a location for scenes involving a one-room flat.
The original plan was to film those scenes in Malaysia, but production difficulties forced the team to reconsider.
Ang eventually approached her father and proposed using his home as the filming location, offering to pay him for the arrangement.
However, transforming the property into a suitable filming set proved more difficult and expensive than expected.
Despite the challenges, the experience gave her father a chance to see what she actually did as a filmmaker.
After filming, they finally had a conversation about her work. Ang said his curiosity about her filmmaking passion represented a step forward in their communication.
She also revealed that she had lost contact with her mother after her mother remarried.
Rather than expecting the film to repair every family relationship, Ang said she simply wanted her parents to understand some of the thoughts and emotions she had carried since childhood. AsiaOne
Ah Girl Is Based on a Childhood That Ang Never Forgot
Set in 1994 Singapore, Ah Girl follows seven-year-old Ang Swee Swee, affectionately known as Ah Girl, as she tries to understand her parents’ separation.
Played by newcomer Ong Xuan Jing, the young protagonist finds herself caught between her mother, Mummy, portrayed by Carrie Wong, and her father, Ah Pa, played by James Seah.
She also feels responsible for protecting her younger sister, Ah Tian, portrayed by Sydney Wong.
The story explores how children experience family conflict without necessarily having the words to explain their emotions.
While adults may understand divorce as a difficult relationship decision, children can experience it as confusion, insecurity, fear and the possibility of losing the people they love.
Ang wanted audiences to consider children’s feelings more seriously instead of assuming that young people cannot understand what is happening around them.
The film is deeply autobiographical, although it is presented as a fictional story rather than a direct documentary of the director’s life.
International Film Festival Rotterdam previously highlighted how Ang incorporated memories from her childhood into the screenplay, including familiar experiences of growing up in Singapore during the 1990s. CNA Lifestyle+1
More Than 10 Years of Writing and Two Years of Therapy
The journey to completing Ah Girl was far from straightforward.
Ang revealed that the screenplay took more than a decade to develop. The project required years of writing, reflection and reconsideration before it finally became a feature film.
During that process, she also underwent approximately two years of therapy.
The experience helped her understand the emotions behind the story and reconsider why she wanted to make the film in the first place.
She initially believed she was writing it for her father, mother and grandmother. Eventually, she realised that the story was also an attempt to understand what she herself needed as a child.
In an earlier interview with the International Film Festival Rotterdam, Ang explained that she did not want the film to suggest that people are permanently defined by their childhood experiences.
Her message was that people may not be able to choose the circumstances into which they are born, but they can eventually decide what they want to carry into adulthood and what they want to leave behind.
The director has described the project as a calling, saying she believed strongly enough in the story to continue despite the difficulties involved in bringing it to the screen. AsiaOne+1
Ong Xuan Jing’s Performance Is Winning International Attention
One of the film’s biggest talking points is the performance of young actress Ong Xuan Jing.
She was only seven years old when she filmed the role of Swee Swee in 2024. Now 10, she has become one of the most recognisable young faces in Singapore’s emerging cinema scene.
Ang said she selected Xuan Jing because of her natural sensitivity, emotional awareness and ability to understand the character without relying heavily on conventional acting techniques.
The director initially shortlisted around 13 children from an audition and workshop process.
Rather than simply instructing the young performers how to act, Ang spent time building trust with them through conversations, games and outdoor activities.
The International Film Festival Rotterdam reported that the director spent almost two months developing a relationship with the two young actresses, using activities connected to scenes in the screenplay to help them understand their characters.
The approach allowed the children to bring more of their natural personalities into their performances. IFFR EN+1
The Real Haircut That Made Xuan Jing Upset
One of the most memorable details from filming involved Xuan Jing’s hair.
For a particular scene, the young actress had to undergo a real bowl haircut.
She had previously kept long hair and admitted that she felt upset when it was cut short because she thought her new appearance looked boyish.
The change was especially difficult because she still had to return to school and face her classmates.
Ang said the decision was discussed with Xuan Jing and her mother beforehand, and the young actress eventually agreed to the transformation for the role.
The haircut was filmed in a single take, making it a particularly memorable production moment.
According to The Straits Times, Xuan Jing’s performance has already earned her two international Best Actress awards and a nomination at the upcoming Golden Horse Awards.
Her experience demonstrates how much commitment went into portraying a character whose emotional world was very different from the ordinary experiences of a child her age. The Straits Times+1
Carrie Wong Found It Difficult to Play a Manipulative Mother
Another major performance in Ah Girl comes from local actress Carrie Wong, who portrays Mummy, a mother whose behaviour deeply affects her young daughter.
Wong revealed that some scenes were emotionally difficult because she struggled to separate herself from the actions of her character.
In one particularly painful scene, Mummy manipulates Swee Swee into apologising for something that was not her fault.
Wong recalled that Xuan Jing stared at her and began tearing up during filming. The young actress’s reaction made Wong emotional as well, forcing her to step away and take a breather.
The actress said she found it heartbreaking to portray an adult who treated a child in such a manner.
The experience also made her reflect on the importance of listening to children and recognising their emotional needs.
WWC ONE MEDIA previously reported on Wong’s emotional experience in Carrie Wong Breaks Down While Playing Abusive Mother in Singapore Film Ah Girl — The Real Story Behind Her Heartbreaking Role.
Wong has described working with Xuan Jing and Sydney as a learning experience, saying their natural reactions reminded her of the emotional honesty that can sometimes become harder to maintain after years in the entertainment industry. AsiaOne+1
Ah Girl Wins Major International Awards and Earns Three Golden Horse Nominations
The film’s emotional story has already received significant recognition beyond Singapore.
At the 2026 International Film Festival Rotterdam, Ah Girl won the Youth Jury Award.
It subsequently won Best Asian Feature Film at the 37th Singapore International Film Festival’s Silver Screen Awards on October 31.
The film has also secured three nominations at the 63rd Golden Horse Awards:
- Best New Director — Ang Geck Geck Priscilla
- Best Adapted Screenplay — Ang Geck Geck Priscilla
- Best New Performer — Ong Xuan Jing
The awards ceremony is scheduled for November 22, 2026, in Taipei.
Ang said she has no particular expectations about winning. After spending more than 10 years developing the project, she already feels relieved that the film has finally reached audiences.
However, she acknowledged that international recognition could help attract investors for her next production.
Her upcoming project is a psychological horror film, for which she is currently developing the screenplay. AsiaOne+2
The Film Could Become a Trilogy
Ang’s plans for Ah Girl do not end with the first movie.
The director has revealed that she intends to develop the story into a trilogy, following the central character through different stages of life.
The second film is planned for when Xuan Jing reaches approximately 17 years old.
This approach would allow the actress to grow alongside the character, creating a longer cinematic journey from childhood into adolescence and eventually adulthood.
It is an ambitious plan, particularly for a filmmaker making her feature debut, but the international response to the first instalment could help create opportunities for future productions.
For now, the immediate priority is bringing the first film to local audiences and allowing Singapore moviegoers to experience the story that Ang has spent more than a decade developing.
Singapore Cinema Is Having a Strong International Year
Ah Girl’s success comes during a particularly active period for Singapore filmmaking.
Several local productions have gained international attention through major film festivals and awards.
WWC ONE MEDIA previously reported on Singapore’s wider cinema achievements in Aamir Khan, Anthony Wong and Park Sung-hoon Head Star-Studded SGIFF 2026 Lineup.
Another major local production, The Violinist Won Annecy’s Top Feature Prize — But Its Boldest Move Is Refusing to Explain Singapore Away, also demonstrated how distinctly Singaporean stories can connect with international audiences.
Meanwhile, Anthony Chen’s We Are All Strangers was selected as Singapore’s official submission for the 99th Academy Awards, adding to the country’s growing international film presence.
These developments reflect the increasing visibility of Singaporean filmmakers, actors and production companies beyond the domestic market.
When Will Ah Girl Open in Singapore Cinemas?
Ah Girl is scheduled for its Singapore theatrical release on November 19, 2026.
The 99-minute film features:
- Ong Xuan Jing as Ang Swee Swee, or Ah Girl
- Sydney Wong as Ah Tian
- Carrie Wong as Mummy
- James Seah as Ah Pa
- Doreen Toh as the grandmother
The movie is set in 1994 Singapore and features Mandarin, English and Hokkien. It carries a PG13 rating for some coarse language and sexual references.
For Ang, the release represents the culmination of a deeply personal journey involving childhood memories, difficult family relationships and years of creative work.
For Xuan Jing, it marks the arrival of a young actress whose first major film performance has already attracted international recognition.
And for audiences, Ah Girl offers a reminder that children are not simply observers of family problems. They experience those problems, carry their emotional consequences and deserve to have their feelings taken seriously.
The film’s biggest achievement may not be its awards or nominations, but its ability to make adults reconsider how they treat the children growing up around them.
