My Perfect Weekend with film-maker Nelicia Low

Who: Nelicia Low, 33, is a Singaporean film-maker and former national fencer who represented Singapore at the 2010 Asian Games. 

After earning her Master of Fine Arts in Film Directing from Columbia University School of the Arts in 2018, she made several acclaimed short films before directing her debut feature Pierce (2024).

The psychological thriller, which follows a young fencer’s complex relationship with his troubled older brother, recently earned Low the Best Director Award at the 58th Karlovy Vary International Film Festival.

“Saturdays always begin with meeting my best friend Amanda Koh, who is a lawyer. We have this special ritual that’s become something of a good luck charm for my film-making. Whenever I have a new film idea, we go to O’ma Spoon, a Korean dessert cafe on Level 5 at 313 Somerset, and sit at our regular table.

We order the injeolmi bingsu, a soya bean powder shaved ice dessert, and I tell her about my latest concept. I did this with Pierce and my upcoming projects – so far, every film idea I have shared over this particular bingsu has come true.

There must be something about the feng shui of that spot. I joke that we might have to buy 313 Somerset if the cafe closes or I will not be able to make films any more. 

Even when I am not pitching new ideas, Amanda and I spend five or six hours over coffee and lunch, just talking. She is a crazy lawyer and I’m a crazy film-maker, so these Saturday catch-ups are our time to relax.

Sundays are dedicated to family time with my parents and older brother. He has autism, a condition that helped inspire me to write the story for Pierce. In the movie, two brothers share a deep relationship which might all be in the younger brother’s head.

We like trying different restaurants each week. Sometimes, it is Western food at Plain Vanilla in Tiong Bahru and, other times, we go for Chinese cuisine like the Cantonese porridge at Mui Kee at Shaw Centre.

After meals, we might take a walk or catch a movie at whichever cinema is convenient. The last film we enjoyed as a family was Everything Everywhere All At Once (2022). We were all impressed by Michelle Yeoh’s performance.

From Mondays to Fridays, I maintain an incredibly strict schedule.

I wake up at the same time every day, eat the same thing for breakfast every day, lunch and dinner. Breakfast is always oatmeal. Lunch is always vegetables and fish. Dinner is whatever my mother cooks.

This rigid schedule helps me write better, especially when I am working on actual pages of the script. I cannot let anything disrupt my body or my schedule – even my exercise timing has to be to the minute and hour.

That is why weekends are so precious to me. You know, especially for writing, it’s important to just take your mind off it. If not, you will just drive yourself insane.”