The Korean American Film Festival NY (KAFFNY) is a one-day New York City showcase for emerging and established Korean filmmakers. KAFFNY 2009 is accepting short film submissions from filmmakers of ethnic Korean descent of any nationality around the world. All genres are welcome: narrative, animation, music video, documentary, experimental, etc. There is no entry fee. Submission deadline is November 30, 2008.

Please send DVD submissions, NTSC Region 0 or 1, to:
KAFFNY
c/o Barrel
23 W 36th Street, Suite 401
New York, NY 10018
USA

Dae Hoon Kim is one of the founders of the Korean American Film Festival New York (KAFFNY). Dae Hoon just wrapped up promoting his film “It Strikes Twice” at Pusan International Film Festival. He’ll be coming back to New York for KAFFNY in February 2009. We were able to catch up with him while he travels through Asia this month.

Ningin: Let’s start off with Pusan, I heard you just had one of your shorts screen this year?
DHK: Yes, I just screened “It Strikes Twice” at PIFF this October, also alongside Liz Chae’s “The Last Mermaids.” It was special to be the only American film at Pusan this year, and in the same program! However, it was a little weird that we were in the foreign section, considering all our actors were Korean, half or more of both of our films had Korean dialogue and that we are both Korean. I was also born in Korea and just became a US citizen a few years ago. Also ironically, the Korean audience wished there were Korean subtitles in Liz’s film because the Korean in it was an indecipherable country dialect!

Ningin: You’ll be coming back to New York City for KAFFNY. What’s the brief history of KAFFNY up to today?
DHK: KAFFNY helps emerging Gyopo and Korean filmmakers obtain a mainstream audience. This year we will bring “Dirty Hands” about a graffiti artist at the top of his game, who he is and how got there. Last year, we thought B-Boying (”Planet B-Boy”), and the gangster genre (”Baby”) would have broad appeal to a mainstream audience. This year, we think graffiti art will be eye-opening to a wide variety of viewers.

Ningin: What are KAFFNY’s goals for 2009?
DHK: We hope to strengthen our ability to effectively push and promote Gyopo (e.g., Korean-American, Korean-European, etc.) and Korean filmmakers to a mainstream audience, in order to demonstrate the dimension and diversity of the Korean perspective and show how it fits with the rest of the world. Our goal is getting effective distribution for our spotlight feature. In addition, we hope to deepen the Gyopo/Korean filmmaking community here in NY as well as networking out to Gyopo/Korean filmmakers across the world. Finally, we hope to improve dialogue between the filmmakers and the audience.

Ningin: Can you see any clear distinctions between Korean and Korean American filmmakers?
DHK: I think Korean American filmmakers can learn a lot about the filmmaking craft from Korean filmmakers, which would improve the production and entertainment value of their films. Korean filmmakers can learn a lot about global perspectives from Korean American filmmakers which will improve their ability to create projects that are sustainably relevant on an international stage.

Ningin: After screening your film at Pusan, what do you see in the future as a filmmaker?
DHK: In the future as a filmmaker, I want to go right for the jugular and make big movies about big stories, for big audiences, starring people who look like me.

For more information, visit http://www.kaffny.com

Photo: still image from Dae Hoon Kim’s “It Strikes Twice”

Tags: Dae Hoon Kim, film, filmmaking, KAFFNY, korea, Korean American, movies, new york, Pusan