Weblog

Wednesday, May 14, 2008

Tuesday, May 13, 2008

  • CASTING CALL

    I just got this from my friend Tze Chun. It looks like a good opportunity for the right kid. I remember how hard it was trying to find kids to audition for "The Motel." If you have any nieces, nephews, etc., encourage them to try out. It's an educational experience that can't be found anywhere else. I also remember how much trouble I had convincing Chinese parents that this was actually a good thing for them to do instead of sending their kids to math camp. I think this could be a major feature film in the Indie world. Support Asian American film!

    “THE KIDS ARE ALRIGHT”

    INDEPENDENT FEATURE FILM
    SAG ULTRA-LOW BUDGET AGREEMENT
    SEEING SAG AND NON-UNION
    RATE: $100/day + deferred

    Audition Dates: May and June 2008
    Shoot: July / August 2008
    Location: New York City (and Boston for 3 leads)

    Writer-Director: Tze Chun
    Producer: Mynette Louie

    SYNOPSIS: Two young children are left to fend for themselves when their mother is arrested for unwittingly taking part in an illegal pyramid scheme.  Based on Tze Chun’s own award-winning short film, “Windowbreaker,” which premiered at the 2007 Sundance Film Festival, “The Kids Are Alright” is a drama about the influence of an adult world on children, the immigrant mentality, and shortcuts to the American dream.  For more info, visit www.tkaa-movie.com.

    HOW TO SUBMIT: Electronic submissions only.  Email headshot and resume to tkaa.casting@gmail.com.

    CHARACTER BREAKDOWN:

    ** CHINESE ROLES: **

    [RAYMOND CHENG]  Boy, 6-12, Chinese American: Thoughtful, imaginative, verbal. Speaks fluent English.

    [TINA CHENG]  Girl, 5-9, Chinese American: Looks up to her brother. Very talkative around people she knows, shy around people she doesn’t. Speaks fluent English.

    [ELAINE CHENG]  Female, 30-35, Chinese: A determined single mother. Tenacious. Won’t take no for an answer. Immigrated 12 years ago from Hong Kong. Speaks with a slight Chinese accent. Speaks fluent Cantonese with no accent. Is hard on her kids at times, but does everything for them. A survivor.

    [MICHAEL LEE]  Male, 40s-50s, Chinese: A sweet businessman. He’s active in the community and always trying to find ways to help people. Probably immigrated from Hong Kong, China, or Taiwan in his twenties. He’s the kind of guy who started with nothing and built his business brick-by-brick.

    [CHARLES CHENG]  Male, 30s, Chinese: Raymond and Tina’s absentee father. He lives in Hong Kong, and communicates with the kids long-distance. He’s got a temper. Speaks fluent Cantonese with no accent.

    [DORIS]  Female, 50s, Chinese: Elaine’s mother-in-law. Used to a comfortable life. Is protective of her grandchildren, and doesn’t think Elaine’s a good influence. Speaks fluent Cantonese with no accent.

    [GREAT GRANDPA]  Male, 70s, Chinese: Raymond and Tina’s great-grandpa.  He’s thin, kind, and has Alzheimer’s.  He speaks very little English.  He spends most of his life in his tiny Chinatown apartment, living in the past.  Ability to speak Taishan or Fukian dialect a plus.

    [LINDA GAU]  Female, 50s, Chinese:  Linda is down-to-earth and pragmatic.  She wants what’s best for her kids, but sometimes has trouble saying no.  She’s seen a lot in her life, and she always approaches personal and business interactions with a healthy bit of distrust.
     
    [SUSAN GAU]  Female, mid-late 20s, Chinese American:  Susan and her mother live in Castle Square, the Chinatown projects.  She went to local college, got married, and has a young child.  She has bills to pay and wants to make money very very quickly.  She’s a bit more naïve about the way the world works.

    [NANCY]  Female, late 30s-40s, Chinese: One of Elaine’s co-workers in the pyramid scheme.  High-strung.  Competitive. 

    [ROSEMARY]  Female, 40s, Chinese:  One of Elaine’s co-workers in the pyramid scheme.  A smart, savvy, businesswoman.  Dresses and acts very Chinese, but able to work with Americans. 

    [MRS. CHOW]  Female, 50s, Chinese: New immigrant to the US.  Came over to be with her son, who works in finance.  Not happy with the weather and lifestyle in the US.  Constantly bickering with her husband.  Speaks fluent Mandarin or Cantonese with a Mandarin accent.

    [MR. CHOW]  Male, 50s, Chinese: New immigrant to the US.  More reasonable than his wife.  Speaks fluent Mandarin or Cantonese with a Mandarin accent.

    [FELICIA]  Female, 20s-40s, Chinese: Works as a real estate broker.  The kind that is constantly showing houses but never selling or renting anything.  We get the feeling she’s just trying to get out of the house.  (We are looking for a character actor here, someone compelling and quirky, who we can get to know in just one short scene.  We are less concerned with a specific physical ‘type.’)

     ** NON-ASIAN ROLES: **

    [BETTY CARDELLINI]  Female, 30s-40s, Caucasian: Betty’s a warm housewife-type who does some pyramid scheme businesses on the side.  Her overall demeanor is down-to-earth, confident, and very maternal.

    [DAN KRAUSE]  Male, 30s, Caucasian: Good-looking, likeable.  Always trying to do the right thing, but has an opportunistic side.  He’s overworked at his desk job at the Department of Social Services. 

    [ROB THE SALESMAN]  Male, late 30s-40s, Caucasian: Rob is charismatic, quick-thinking.  He can pour his heart into a presentation.  He’s good one-on-one or in front of an audience.  Slight Boston accent.

    [STAN TORRES]  Male, 20s-30s, Latino: The police officer who plays bad cop to McCarthy’s good cop routine. 

    [MRS. CUTTER]  Female, early 30s, Caucasian: A sweet suburban wife who has two kids, a loving husband. 

    [LUCY WHITE]  Female, late 20s-early 40s, Caucasian: A housewife who’s just starting to get into pyramid schemes.  She’s sixth-generation American.  Very nice, but somewhat naïve seeming.  (We are looking for a character actor here, someone compelling and quirky, who we can get to know in just one short scene.  We are less concerned with a specific physical ‘type.’)

    [MCCARTHY]  Male, 40s-early 50s, Caucasian: A seasoned police officer used to working in plainclothes.  He’s street smart.  His rough-and-tumble appearance is tempered by a paternal side.  He’s the family man who happens to have a tough job that’s made him tough.  Boston accent.

    [BRUCE WILSON]  Male, 40, Caucasian: A tough survivor.  He’s participated, promoted, and been burnt by dozens and dozens of business opportunities, but he’s always up for the next one. 

    [TONYA FIELDING]  Female, 30s-50s, any ethnicity: A very intelligent public defender.  Not easily intimidated.  Wears power-suits.  At home she could be a mom, a single woman, we don’t know.  At work, she’s all business. 

    [CORNIGAN]  Male, 30s, African American: A social worker.  Nice, with a great smile.

    [WOMAN]  Female, 30s, Caucasian:  A pretty brunette with a short haircut.  She usually works behind a desk at the federal trade commission.

    [POLICE WOMAN]  Female, 30s-40s: A tough-looking police officer.  She’s got short hair, a square jaw, and broad shoulders.

    [GIRL #1 and #2]  Girls, 7-11, Caucasian: These two are best friends or sisters. 

    [BLOND KID]  Boy, 6-10, Caucasian: A cute, confident kid.  

    [STORE MANAGER]  Male, 20s, any ethnicity:  A not-too-nice store manager who berates Elaine for leaving her kids at a toy store for a couple hours.  Ability to do a Boston accent a plus.

    [TELLER]  Female, 20s-30s, any ethnicity: A bank teller.

    [WAITRESS]  Female, 20s-50s, Caucasian: A waitress.

    ** ADDITIONAL SPEAKING ROLES (unpaid): **

    NYC:
    Male Teacher
    Hotel Receptionist
    Operator (voice only)
    Deli Guy
    Teen Stockboy (drugstore)
    Checkout Lady (drugstore)

    BOSTON:
    Conductor
    Information Lady
    Young Woman Jogging
    Hot Dog Guy

     ** EXTRAS (unpaid): **

    NYC:
    Desperate Americans
    Hotel patrons
    Tony, 22, Asian
    Black, white, hispanic, Asian kids
    Kyle, 6, white
    Tania, 7, white
    2 electricians
    Kyle Cardellini, 50, white
    Cardellini partygoers
    Boys, ages 8-10, white
    Old Chinese couple
    Young Chinese man
    Indian couple
    Young black man in suit
    Young hispanic couple
    Phil, 40, white
    Hotel manager
    4 social service employees

    BOSTON:
    Female sheriff, white
    2-3 movers, male, Asian
    Sketchy guy
    Mother/father + 10-yr-old son, white
    2 black kids, 7-11
    Commuters
    Transit employee
    Young couple
    Drunk
    Pedestrians at Fanueil Hall
    Punks, hoodlums, bums in Boston sts

    Use bystanders present on shoot day

    ABOUT THE FILM:

    LOGLINE: Two young children are left to fend for themselves when their mother is arrested for unwittingly taking part in an illegal pyramid scheme.

    SYNOPSIS: After being evicted from their home, the Cheng family finds that times are tighter than ever.  Hardworking single mom and recent Boston transplant ELAINE (35) tries desperately to find the means to support her young children, RAYMOND (10) and TINA (6).  They move illegally into a model apartment in an unfinished building, but try to maintain a normal life.  While Elaine juggles a number of jobs, Raymond and Tina become latch-key kids, taking care of themselves and finding amusement in building childish inventions.  When Elaine is arrested for unwittingly taking part in an illegal pyramid scheme, things take a turn for the worse.  Nobody knows the kids are home alone, and they are left to fend for themselves.  Without any communication from their mother, little Raymond hatches a plan -- to take the long trek from the suburbs to downtown Boston, withdraw his family’s life savings from the bank, start a business selling his inventions, and take care of his sister.

    Based on Tze Chun’s own award-winning short film, Windowbreaker, which screened at the 2007 Sundance Film Festival, The Kids Are Alright is a drama about the influence of an adult world on children, the immigrant mentality, and shortcuts to the American dream.

    LOCATIONS: New York, Boston
    SHOOT DATES: July /August 2008
    FORMAT: HD
    RUNTIME: 100 min.

Wednesday, May 07, 2008

  • Korean American Survey

    Just got this in the email box:

    (한국어 안내문은 아래 있습니다 -- 꼭 읽어 주시기 바랍니다)

    Dear Community Leader:

    We ask for your assistance in participating and distributing the Korean American National Survey. The online and Korean language media outlet campaign officially launched May 1, 2008 and runs until the end of the month. The goal of the Korean American National Survey (KANS 2008) is to create the first and largest-scale comprehensive portrait of the Korean-American community across the nation with approximately 10,000 respondents!

    The survey is completely bilingual and takes approximately 15 minutes to complete. The resulting database of information will be the largest-ever for Korean Americans and will be made available as open source, impacting scholars, community leaders, non-profit agencies as well as U.S. and Korean government agencies trying to better understand and serve Korean Americans.

    To participate in the survey, please go to: www.koreanamericannationalsurvey.org or www.kansurvey.org .

    To encourage participation we have prepared some raffle prizes. One must complete the survey to be eligible and prizes include:
     
    - 2 Free Roundtrip Tickets to Seoul, Korea (1st prize - 1 winner)
    - 1 Big Screen Television (2nd prize - 1 winner)
    - 1 iPod (3rd prize - 5 winners)

    Korean-Americans have traditionally been UNDER-counted in most surveys, including the comprehensive US National Census. Having a large-scale database for our community, such as this, will go a long way towards increasing our community’s power to advocate for more federal and state services as well as corporate marketing dollars!

    Please assist us by reaching out to your networks and organizations in distributing and encouraging participation in this survey! The most easily distributed format will be online – but we are more than happy to provide hard copies to those who request them. Thank you again for your assistance and let us know if you have any questions.

    Below is language about the survey in Korean.

    2008년 5월1일자로 론칭이된 “재미한인전국조사” (Korean American National Survey: KANS 2008)는 한달간 집중적으로 미국전역에 있는 한인계를 대상으로 진행됩니다. 종합적인 이번 설문조사는 최소한 1만명의 설문응답을 목표로 하고 있어 – 최대 규모의 재미한인 조사가 되며 이에따라 앞으로 정부, 사회, 교육기관에게도 크게 영향을 미치게 됩니다.

    주요 설문방식은 온라인에 응답하는 형태 로 www.koreanamericannationalsurvey.org 또는  www.kansurvey.org 에 접속하시면 됩니다. 설문을 완성하시는 데에는 약 15-20분정도의 시간이 소요되고 한글과 영어가 병용되었습니다. 인쇄된 설문지를 따로 원하시면 저희 사무실로 연락을 주시기 바랍니다.

    설문을 완성하시는 분들에게는 경품을 얻으실 기회가 있으니 적극 권합니다! (조사에 참여하여 재미한인에대한 이해도 높이고 경품도 타고!~)
    - 한국왕복항공권 2장 (1등 1명)
    - 대형 스크린 TV 1대 (2등 1명)
    - 애플 아이파드 1개 (3등 5명)

    역사적으로 재미한인들은 이러한 조사에 협조하는 비율이 저조해 통상 정보를 중요시하는 미국정부 또는 기업들의 관심 밖에 남게 됩니다. 이번 설문조사에 응하시고 주위에 있는 여러분들에게 많이 알려주셔서 한인사회의 목소리를 높이는데 기여해 주시기 바랍니다! 감사합니다.

    이 제훈

    Je Hoon Lee, Ph. D.
    Director
    Center for Asian Pacific Leadership and Research Associate Professor
    School of Social Work
    University of Southern California
    Tel. 213-743-2059 Fax: 213-743-2050 Cell: 213-268-5564
    Email: jelee@usc.edu leejehoo@hanmail.net spartanlee1@gmail.com

    http://uscsocialwork.qualtrics.com/SE?SSID=SS_a3nXVVXlgTVv90E&SVID=Prod

Sunday, April 20, 2008

  • Ten Things You Should Know About McCain

    From MoveOn.org:

    For all the coverage this week of Senator John McCain's background, there are some important things you won't learn about him from the TV networks. His carefully crafted positive image relies on people not knowing this stuff—and you might be surprised by some of it.

    Please check out the list below, and then forward it to your friends, family, and coworkers. We can't rely on the media to tell folks about the real John McCain—but if we all pass this along, we can reach as many people as CNN Headline News does on a good night.

    Click here to tell us how many people you can pass it on to—and to see our progress nationally:

    http://pol.moveon.org/mccain10/

    10 things you should know about John McCain (but probably don't):

    1. John McCain voted against establishing a national holiday in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Now he says his position has "evolved," yet he's continued to oppose key civil rights laws.1
    2. According to Bloomberg News, McCain is more hawkish than Bush on Iraq, Russia and China. Conservative columnist Pat Buchanan says McCain "will make Cheney look like Gandhi."2
    3. His reputation is built on his opposition to torture, but McCain voted against a bill to ban waterboarding, and then applauded President Bush for vetoing that ban.3
    4. McCain opposes a woman's right to choose. He said, "I do not support Roe versus Wade. It should be overturned."4
    5. The Children's Defense Fund rated McCain as the worst senator in Congress for children. He voted against the children's health care bill last year, then defended Bush's veto of the bill.5
    6. He's one of the richest people in a Senate filled with millionaires. The Associated Press reports he and his wife own at least eight homes! Yet McCain says the solution to the housing crisis is for people facing foreclosure to get a "second job" and skip their vacations.6
    7. Many of McCain's fellow Republican senators say he's too reckless to be commander in chief. One Republican senator said: "The thought of his being president sends a cold chill down my spine. He's erratic. He's hotheaded. He loses his temper and he worries me."7
    8. McCain talks a lot about taking on special interests, but his campaign manager and top advisers are actually lobbyists. The government watchdog group Public Citizen says McCain has 59 lobbyists raising money for his campaign, more than any of the other presidential candidates.8
    9. McCain has sought closer ties to the extreme religious right in recent years. The pastor McCain calls his "spiritual guide," Rod Parsley, believes America's founding mission is to destroy Islam, which he calls a "false religion." McCain sought the political support of right-wing preacher John Hagee, who believes Hurricane Katrina was God's punishment for gay rights and called the Catholic Church "the Antichrist" and a "false cult."9
    10. He positions himself as pro-environment, but he scored a 0—yes, zero—from the League of Conservation Voters last year.10

    John McCain is not who the Washington press corps make him out to be. Please help get the word out—forward this email to your personal network. And if you want us to keep you posted on MoveOn's work to get the truth out about John McCain, sign up here:

    http://pol.moveon.org/mccaintruth/

    Sources:
    1. "The Complicated History of John McCain and MLK Day," ABC News, April 3, 2008
    http://blogs.abcnews.com/politicalpunch/2008/04/the-complicated.html

    "McCain Facts," ColorOfChange.org, April 4, 2008
    http://colorofchange.org/mccain_facts/

    2. "McCain More Hawkish Than Bush on Russia, China, Iraq," Bloomberg News, March 12, 2008
    http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601103&sid=aF28rSCtk0ZM&refer=us

    "Buchanan: John McCain 'Will Make Cheney Look Like Gandhi,'" ThinkProgress, February 6, 2008
    http://thinkprogress.org/2008/02/06/buchanan-gandhi-mccain/

    3. "McCain Sides With Bush On Torture Again, Supports Veto Of Anti-Waterboarding Bill," ThinkProgress, February 20, 2008
    http://thinkprogress.org/2008/02/20/mccain-torture-veto/

    4. "McCain says Roe v. Wade should be overturned," MSNBC, February 18, 2007
    http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/17222147/

    5. "2007 Children's Defense Fund Action Council® Nonpartisan Congressional Scorecard," February 2008
    http://www.childrensdefense.org/site/PageServer?pagename=act_learn_scorecard2007

    "McCain: Bush right to veto kids health insurance expansion," CNN, October 3, 2007
    http://www.cnn.com/2007/POLITICS/10/03/mccain.interview/

    6. "Beer Executive Could Be Next First Lady," Associated Press, April 3, 2008
    http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5h-S1sWHm0tchtdMP5LcLywg5ZtMgD8VQ86M80

    "McCain Says Bank Bailout Should End `Systemic Risk,'" Bloomberg News, March 25, 2008
    http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=aHMiDVYaXZFM&refer=home

    7. "Will McCain's Temper Be a Liability?," Associated Press, February 16, 2008
    http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/wireStory?id=4301022

    "Famed McCain temper is tamed," Boston Globe, January 27, 2008
    http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2008/01/27/famed_mccain_temper_is_tamed/

    8. "Black Claims McCain's Campaign Is Above Lobbyist Influence: 'I Don't Know What The Criticism Is,'" ThinkProgress, April 2, 2008
    http://thinkprogress.org/2008/04/02/mccain-black-lobbyist/

    "McCain's Lobbyist Friends Rally 'Round Their Man," ABC News, January 29, 2008
    http://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/story?id=4210251

    9. "McCain's Spiritual Guide: Destroy Islam," Mother Jones Magazine, March 12, 2008
    http://www.motherjones.com/washington_dispatch/2008/03/john-mccain-rod-parsley-spiritual-guide.html

    "Will McCain Specifically 'Repudiate' Hagee's Anti-Gay Comments?," ThinkProgress, March 12, 2008
    http://thinkprogress.org/2008/03/12/mccain-hagee-anti-gay/

    "McCain 'Very Honored' By Support Of Pastor Preaching 'End-Time Confrontation With Iran,'" ThinkProgress, February 28, 2008
    http://thinkprogress.org/2008/02/28/hagee-mccain-endorsement/

    10. "John McCain Gets a Zero Rating for His Environmental Record," Sierra Club, February 28, 2008
    http://www.alternet.org/blogs/environment/77913/

    Support our member-driven organization: MoveOn.org Political Action is entirely funded by our 3.2 million members. We have no corporate contributors, no foundation grants, no money from unions. Our tiny staff ensures that small contributions go a long way. If you'd like to support our work, you can give now at:

    http://political.moveon.org/donate/email.html

    PAID FOR BY MOVEON.ORG POLITICAL ACTION, http://pol.moveon.org/
    Not authorized by any candidate or candidate's committee.

Thursday, April 17, 2008

  • The Best Korean United States of American Narrative Feature Filmmakers Of All Time!

    STILL UNDER REVIEW BY THE HIGH COUNCIL OF THE A.U.S.o.A.N.F.F: Chris Jun "The Main Character" I can't figure out if this guy was born here or not. He has no biographical data on his site. If you have information, please let me know.

    UPDATED (08.04.17) We have yet another inductee to the K.U.S.o.A.N.F.F. list. I pleased to present John Kwon aka Kwon Wootaak who directed "Always Be Boyz." The film won the Special Jury Award at The San Francisco International Asian American Film Festival last month and is playing at the Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival. I am not 100% sure if he is actually 1.5 or 2nd generation Korean American, but according to his bio he "hails from Burbank" which means he grew up there. I will take it at face value. Welcome Kwon Kam-dokk!

    Yes, it is time once again for an update on the pioneers of Korean American Cinema. This list is a work in progress. Please help me update it if you have additions. The rules are that the filmmaker must be of Korean descent, be 1.5 or 2nd+ generation American and have made a feature narrative film.

    Below are reasons for and against why if we ever had to elect one of them to represent us at the United Nations, they should be considered THE representative of the KUSoANFF's.

    (FYI this list is in alphabetical order)

    1.   Narhee Ahn "Purity"

    FOR: She kicked ass getting her own DIY digital film Purity put together in Delaware (which in and of itself, spending an extended period of time in Delaware is a feat).

    AGAINST: She's from Delaware.

    2.   James Bai "Puzzlehead"

    FOR: Film premiered at Tribeca Film Festival. Really impressive debut -- a film ten years in the making. And it was worth the wait.

    AGAINST: No Asian characters. Also, despite inspiring me to put this list together, he hates the whole idea of it.

    3.  Isaac Chung "Munyurangabo" (thanks dorfie)

    FOR: Film premiered at Cannes. (I don't think anyone else on the list has achieved that!)

    AGAINST: The film is in the Kinyarwanda language (which though sounds like it may be Asian, is actually African)

    4. Juwan Chung "Baby"

    FOR: His film is a hyper-violent gangster movie.

    AGAINST: Despite being a hyper-violent gangster film, the film is not about Koreans.

    5. Joy Dietrich "Tie A Yellow Ribbon"

    FOR: Film revolves around a cross-section of young Asian American women including the main character an adoptee which is a unique experience not often seen in AA film.

    AGAINST: She is an adoptee.

    6. Cecilia and Sara Hyoun "Score!"

    FOR: Sister team is cool. Two for the price of one. they also have an extensive resume working in Hollywood as assistant editors, so they have definitely paid their dues.

    AGAINST: I never heard of the film. (Okay, this is an outdated statement. I actually know Sara now but I still haven't seen the film).

    7. Joseph Kahn "Torque"

    FOR: Easily most commercially successful. He's made some of the best music videos in the business. And he has a really cool website.

    AGAINST: Movie bombed. (Obviously, not enough shirtless Wil Yun Lee in the movie)

    8. Michael Kang "The Motel"

    FOR: Film premiered at Sundance. Lots of accolades from the AA film fest circuit as well as Humanitas Foundation, NYFA, Nat'l Endowment for the Arts, Indie Spirit Awards, etc.

    AGAINST: He's running the survey and will probably cheat himself into the post by name-dropping too many awards.

    9. So Yong Kim "In Between Days"

    FOR: Also a Sundance darling. Very cool woman who sublet my apartment and got her deposit returned in full because no damage was done to the property.

    AGAINST: She is on the very border of the requirements for this list. She came here during high school, so she is 1.5 but just barely.

    10.   Sung H. Kim "Book of Rules"

    FOR: Played most of the major Asian American Film Festivals. Looks like a DIY project. Also, he does have easily the most Korean name in the group. *EDIT* Best Narrative Feature (Jury Award) San Diego Asian Film Festival 2003. (courtesy of stealinghome)

    AGAINST: This isn't really fair because I have no info on this guy at all. I never heard of the film. And there's no info about him online. Hmmm.

    11.   John Kwon aka Kwon Wootaak "Always Be Boyz"

    FOR: According to his bio, he licensed Thai Yoga instructor, he's won Poetry Slams, went to Yale School of Drama and is bi-lingual.

    AGAINST: I don't have an against... Ivy League, Spiritual, Bi-Lingual, Poet?  OH MY GOD! I think we found THE ONE. John Kwon is THE Korean United States of American Narrative Feature Filmmaker. Hopefully, he's not a jerk.

    12.   Benson Lee "Miss Monday"

    FOR: First feature by a Korean American to premiere at Sundance. The film also got a Best Actress Award that year at the festival.

    AGAINST: No Asian characters in the movie. Also, the film was shot in England, so it may not technically be an American film. Also, he is now a hotshot documentarian with his new film Planet B-Boy, so we can't be sure of where his alliances lie.

    12.   Chris Chan Lee "Yellow"

    FOR: The daddy of Korean American film -- him and Benson Lee's "Miss Monday" came out the same year, but this film directly deals with being Korean American in L.A.

    AGAINST: Mixed reactions to the film. Also unsure of where his last name begins (Chan? Lee?) hence making confusion for me in alphabetizing this list.

    13.  Dennis Lee "Fireflies In The Garden"

    FOR: He is a supernova first-time filmmaker with his movie premiering at the Berlinale International Film Festival and having a cast that includes Julia Roberts, Ryon Reynolds, Willem Dafoe, Emily Watson and Carrie-Anne Moss.

    AGAINST: Like many on this list, his film does not feature any Asians.

    14. Grace Lee "American Zombie"

    FOR: She kicked ass with her documentary "The Grace Lee Project" and premiered her new film at Slamdance.

    AGAINST: First off she is a documentarian (see Benson Lee). In addition, she might easily get lost with all the other Grace Lee's out there.

    15. Jieho Lee "The Air I Breathe"

    FOR: Huge all-star cast in his debut feature film which includes Forrest Whitaker, Andy Garcia and Sarah Michelle Gellar.

    AGAINST: Cast Asians in tiny roles in the film including John Cho adn Kelly Hu.

    16. John H. Lee "The Cut Runs Deep" 

     FOR: Probably the first hybrid Korean/American production (though I can't confirm the production company right now). Film went on to win Best Film at the 1999 Pusan International Film Festival. He also discovered David McGuinness who would later go on to be a popular model and actor in Korea (Typhoon, Never Forever).

    AGAINST: Since this film, John Lee aka Lee Jae-Han (이재한) has gone on to work exclusively in Korea.

    17. Abraham Lim "Roads and Bridges"

    FOR: Worked with Robert Altman editing "Cookie's Fortune." Also a good friend of my producer Karin Chien.

    AGAINST: Never saw the movie. And his name sounds Chinese so made me have to do extra work figuring out whether he actually was Korean. (I thought only the Chinese named their kids after US Presidents).

    18. Greg Pak "Robot Stories"

    FOR: The mack daddy of self-distribution. Proved that DIY is an option. Also won over 30 festival awards with this film.

    AGAINST: Some would argue that this is not a feature film, but rather a collection of shorts. He's also happa so he would need to find another happa to help pick up the slack (see Mora Stephens)

    19.   Sunmin Park "Too Pure"

    FOR: Is now officially the first female narrative feature filmmaker on the list (sorry, sisster's Hyoun)

    AGAINST: Can't think of any...

    20. Gene Rhee "Trouble With Romance"

    FOR: Made a great short about Asian men's penis length featuring Roger Fan.

    AGAINST: Haven't seen his feature, so I don't know if size actually does matter.

    21. Phillip Rhee "Best of the Best 3: No Turning Back"

    (PROS/CONS courtesy of Chris Tashima)

    FOR: He worked his way up through the ranks, from martial arts competitor to actor to producer to writer to director, with an awareness of the uphill battle he faced as an Asian American actor (in a genre where only White dudes were allowed to be the heroes).

    AGAINST: Despite the titles, not sure either film approaches even best of the... anything.

    22.  Mora Stephens "Conventioneers"

    FOR: Together with Greg Pak, she could possibly be a good choice because together they make one KUSoANFF. In terms of her film, she premiered her film at the Tribeca Film Festival. Is also putting together her next feature with Billy Bob Thornton and Yoonjin Kim.

    AGAINST: Though the film is great. It had no Asian characters.

    23. Samson Yi "Cats and Mice"

    FOR: He was an actor who was in "Gilmore Girls."

    AGAINST: He shares the directing credit with a non-Korean. I also never heard of this film... And he was an actor on "Gilmore Girls."


    These are other folks you should know about:

    TOP TWO CANADIAN KOREAN FILMMAKERS
    1. Helen Lee "The Art of Woo"
    2. Daniel Yoon "Post Concussion"
      HONORABLE MENTION:
    • Clifford Son "Helium" who shot this unfinished symphony a while ago but never released it.
    • Wonsuk Chin "Too Tired To Die" who came to the U.S. in his 20's.
    • Another Korean ex-pat / Young Man Kang "Cupid's Mistake"
    • Jimmy Lee "Close Call" (courtesy of eileenhchoi) who cast his daughter Annie Lee in the lead role as a drug addled wild child that has lots of sex... uh, Electra complex?
    • Gina Kim "Invisible Light" and "Never Forever" She also came here during her college years.
    • Daisil Kim-Gibson "Sa-I-Gu" does documentaries (good ones at that).
    • Christine Choy "Who Killed Vincent Chin" also does documentaries.
    • And I'll mention my friend Johanna Lee who has been in pre-pre-production for her film "Jersey Seoul" but has not done any principal photography yet.
    • And on that note, I'll have to include Grace Rowe who has been trying to get "American Seoul" off the ground for a while. (Maybe they should think about not using the word Seoul like Soul in the title. It might be a curse.)
    • And I can't leave out one of my best friends, Anna Kang who has been developing her project "The Lost Tribe of Long Island."
    • And I'll include Steven Hahn who co-directed the documentary "Party" and with whom I got to party in Rotterdam. Nothing like a coffee shop in Rotterdam and then zoning out to Dancehall to earn your way onto an honorable mention list in my book.
    OTHER MENTIONABLES, OTHER PROFESSIONS:

Mike2Cents

  • Visit Mike2Cents's Xanga Site
    • Name: Mike
    • Country: United States
    • State: California
    • Metro: Los Angeles
    • Gender: Male
    • Member Since: 9/21/2002

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