Hawaii Film Blog: Korean Filmmakers Development Lab Fellows Announced

Wednesday, August 23, 2006

Korean Filmmakers Development Lab Fellows Announced

Philip W. Chung's "The Golden Hour," Abraham Lim's, "Fly," Jinoh Park's "Slowly Silently,"
and Mora Mi-ok Stephens' "Conventioneers"

Five filmmakers of Korean descent were just selected as screenwriting fellows for the first-ever KOFIC Filmmakers Development Lab. They were chosen based on their submitted projects' potential audience appeal in Korea and North America.

A joint program launched by the Korean Film Council (KOFIC) and the University of Hawaii’s Academy for Creative Media (ACM), the Lab will take place Sept. 4-10 in Hawaii. The fellows will then go to the Pusan International Film Festival in Korea in October to market their scripts. During their week in Hawaii, fellows will be be mentored by Korean and American film luminaries including:

Jonathan Kim - Chair, Korean Film Producer's Assocation; President, Hanmac Films (“Silmido”)
Chul Shin - President, Shincine Production Company ("Gingko Bed," "My Sassy Girl")
Wimal Dissanayake - Leading Asian film scholar and ACM lecturer
Barry Sabath - Senior Lecturer, American Film Institute; Former film development head at Twentieth Century Fox, Columbia Pictures, and Robin William’s Blue Wolf Productions
Adam Novak - Story Dept. Head, William Morris Agency
Henry Kim - Director, KOFIC

These Lab mentors will also talk about the Korean film industy in a public symposium hosted by ACM and co-sponsored by the Center and KBFD-TV on Friday, Sept. 8, 4-5:30 pm at the Center for Korean Studies on UH Manoa campus.

Without further ado, here are the five chosen fellows as described in ACM's 8/21/06 news release (incidentally, 3 of them are NYU film school grads):

Philip W. Chung, a playwright and screenwriter, artistic director of the Asian American Lodestone Theater, and columnist for Asianweek newspaper. He has written and directed the acclaimed play “The Golden Hour.” His Lab entry “The Crimson Flower" is a noir-inflected thriller.
Kim Young-Il is a screenwriter and filmmaker whose work has been recognized by the Film Independent and Austin Screenwriting competitions. His Lab entry "Hyung's Overture" is a passionate family drama of the sacrifice that one brother makes for the musical career of the other.
Abraham Lim, a filmmaker and writer whose films "Fly," "Roads and Bridges" and "MVP" were well received at various film festivals. Lim also edited Robert Altman's "Cookie's Fortune." His Lab entry "Orientation" follows one woman's tragic journey into Alzheimer's disease.
Jinoh Park has made several internationally acclaimed short films "Lunch," "Request" and "Slowly Silently" that have screened at Cannes and Sundance. He was also chosen for the Cinefondation and Residence du Festival de Cannes. His Lab entry "Proposal" follows a filmmaker who makes a mysterious deal with a man to finance his film.
Mora Mi-ok Stephens' debut feature film "Conventioneers" won the 2006 Independent Spirit John Cassavetes Award for Best Feature, and following many festival screenings including Tribeca, Pusan, New York and Hawaii, will be theatrically released later this year. She is preparing her second feature with Billy Bob Thornton and Kim Yunjin. Her Lab entry "The 38th Parallel" is an action thriller set in Korea.

Said ACM director Chris Lee, “Our strong partnership with Korean Film Council reflects both our international reach, and the recognition that the Academy for Creative Media is a center for excellence in filmmaking and film study. We appreciate the efforts of KOFIC chairwoman Ahn Cheong-sook and Lab organizer Roger Garcia in creating this intercultural bridge of story-telling.”

Don't forget to go to the PUBLIC symposium on the Korean film industry on 9/8!

>> UH Academy for Creative Media and Korean filmmaker partners select first screenwriting fellows [UH News Release, 8/21/06]