21 September 2017
Rejection is never an easy experience to stomach. Multiply this 10 times, over the span of 14 years, and it is understandable for anyone to throw in the towel by then. But this is not the case for LASALLE College of the Arts, Diploma in Broadcast Media lecturer, filmmaker, and writer Wesley Leon Aroozoo.
Since he was 19, he had been submitting short films to the prestigious Busan International Film Festival (BIFF). On 31 August 2017, when the announcement came that his first full‐length documentary I Want To Go Home was accepted, he was on cloud nine. “It’s truly a dream come true to have a film competing in BIFF.”
I Want To Go Home is one out of 10 documentaries competing in BIFF’s Wide Angle category that aims to showcase works with broad cinematic viewpoints and a distinct vision. Making its world premiere at BIFF, Wesley’s documentary is a story of loss, recovery, and determination that tracks the journey of one man on a seemingly impossible mission.
“Are you ok? I want to go home” was the last text message Yasuo Takamatsu received from this wife, Yuko, before the tsunami hit Onagawa, Japan, in 2011. She was never safely evacuated, and her body is believed to be lost at sea. In his earnest wish to fulfill his wife’s last request, Mr Takamatsu decided to learn how to dive. Since then, he has never stopped searching the ocean for her despite naysayers labelling his undertaking a lost cause.
Mr Takamatsu preparing for his weekly dives.
Upon hearing Mr Takamatsu’s story, Wesley felt an immediate affinity to the man. As a teenager, Wesley nearly failed English at the O‐Level examinations, and many thus did not believe he could make a profession out of writing. Today, however, he is a published playwright and author. His credits include the play Bedok Reservoir (2012), several internationally screened short films such as Kissing Faces (2009), Peep (2010), and Fragment (2015), and a book of the same title as his documentary I Want To Go Home (2017).
Mr Takamatsu preparing for his weekly dives.
The process of filming I Want To Go Home was no straightforward path. With a team comprising translator Miki Hawkinson and cinematographer Jonathan Chan, a current BA(Hons) Film student at LASALLE, it was only two years on since meeting Mr Takamatsu in 2015 that their project is finally complete.
“I am very proud of the work we’ve done, and especially of Jon because his work ethic inspires me. Teaching was something I’d never thought of doing, but now I find it extremely satisfying. Not only do I enjoy sharing my experiences with students, I’d also look forward to engaging them in discussion and discovering things from their perspective,” shared Wesley.
When asked about what he has planned next, Wesley lets on that he is currently penning his third novel, set in 18th century Singapore. Meanwhile, I Want To Go Home is in contention for the BIFF Mecenat Award, and the winner will be announced at the closing ceremony of Asia’s largest and most significant film festival on 21 October 2017.
LASALLE congratulates Wesley on his achievement and wishes him all the best in Busan!
