Filmmakers generally hate shooting on water. It’s up there with children and animals — if you can, avoid working with them.

In fact, Steven Spielberg, who almost lost his mind on Jaws, likened making films at sea to “baptism by water”. Anthony Chen, too, has a similar aquatic encounter on his new film Wet Season, except his happened on land. (For the record, he’d worked with children on his 2013 debut Ilo Ilo, and animals on Kirsten Tan’s Pop Aye, which he executive-produced.)

In Wet Season, which opened the 30th Singapore International Film Festival on Thursday (Nov 21) , Ilo Ilo’s Yeo Yann Yann plays a Chinese language teacher who forms an unlikely friendship with one of her students (Koh Jia Ler, another Ilo Ilo alum). The cast also includes Christopher Lee as Yeo’s husband and stage veteran Yang Shi Bing as her bed-ridden father-in-law.

Water, too, has a big role in the film, which is vying in six categories — Best Narrative Feature, Best Director, Best Actress (Yeo), Best Supporting Actor (for Koh and Yang) and Best Original Screenplay — at the 56th Golden Horse Awards, taking place tonight (Nov 23) in Taipei.

It was a pain to work with water. “Eighty per cent of the film features rain,” Chen, 35, says at the press conference held at The Fullerton Hotel. Also present are actors Yeo Yann Yann, Yang Shi Bing and Koh Jia Ler. “And we shot the film in May, which is the hottest period in Singapore when rain is scarce.

Chen recreated all the downpour with a rain machine. But not everything can be man-made. To sell the illusion of heavy rain, you need the right lighting conditions as well. But for one critical sequence, Chen recalls, “It was sunny and there was no clouds. And we couldn’t wait too long because we only had a one-day permit to shoot outdoors.”

Eventually, Chen got the shot, which is now prominently featured on the poster. “On screen, it’s a romantic scene, but off-screen, the scene was chaotic,” Yeo adds. Because the rain machine was making so much noise (“it’s like standing next to a waterfall”), everyone was shouting at one another.

When asked about the film’s chances at the Golden Horse Awards, Chen says he’ll be rooting for his actors because “he’d really put them wringer and they deserve to be honoured for their sacrifices.”

Later, in a group interview, Chen reveals that Wet Season and Ilo Ilo are part of a trilogy. “I’ve only decided this recently, so look out for Part 3.” He hopes to work with Yeo, 42, and Koh, who just turned 19, again.

“I shot Jia Ler when he was in primary school, and Wet Season when he was in secondary school and, obviously, I need to shoot him as an adult, right? So I’ve decided to finish this ‘Growing Up trilogy.”

Do we have to wait six years for it?

“I don’t think you’re going to wait six years for it,” says Chen. “I had this discussion with my producers. Jia Ler is going to serve his NS in January, so he’s going to disappear for two years. The idea is that, after two years when he’s [done with NS], we’ll make a film together. Hopefully.”

He continues, “I made Ilo Ilo in my 20s, Wet Season in my 30s, and if I wait six years to make my third film, I’ll be 41 then. That means I will be making one film every decade. I’m not sure if I myself can wait six years. I just have to write faster.”

Red alert: Director Anthony Chen, producer Tan Si En (second from right) with actors Yeo Yann Yann, Koh Jia Ler and Yang Shi Bin at the premiere of 'Wet Season', the opening film of the 30th Singapore International Film Festival on Nov 21, 2019.

Wet Season opens in cinemas Nov 28; sneaked on Nov 23-24. Catch the 56th Golden Horse Awards ‘live’ tonight (Nov 23), Hub E City (StarHub Channel 825),7pm; red carpet starts at 5.30pm. Look out for our in-depth interview with Koh Jia Ler next week.

Photos: Giraffe Pictures, Singapore International Film Festival