Jen by Asian American Film Lab
Oct. 22nd's Unfinished Works was a joint venture between Asian American Film Lab and the Korean Society. Unfinished Works has staged reading of screenplays. The program is coordinated by Unfinished Works coordinator Lorna Nowve and presented by Asian American Film President Jennifer Betit Yen. After the screenplays are read, the audience gets to critique the screenplays. The main characters in the stories were either Korean or Korean American or the films are written and/or directed by a Korean or Korean American.. For this particularly Unfinished Works, the audience also viewed excerpt of a documentary film.
Amy by Asian American Film Lab
Filmmaker Aimiende Negbenebor Sela's screenplay, A Day in the Life of Who, was the first to be read. It was a touching performance about a Korean American photojournalist documenting the last day of a homeless woman's life. A Day in the Life of Who also dealt with issues common among new arrivals in this country, such as conflicts between the collective/family interests and individual interests. Other issues that were dealt with were the foster care system, the role of ACS, and how young troubled kids often fall through the cracks.
The second project shown was documentary Ultimate Christian Wrestling done by filmmaker Jae -Ho Chang. The protagonist of this film is the son of an Ultimate Christan Wrestler. Justin, the son, contemplates joining the military as a way to help pay for college and get out of working dead end retail jobs. Both Justin and his father participate heavily in the Ultimate Christian World of the South.
Chelsea by Asian American Film Lab
The third project was about three friends who argued over a bag of money they found. In the end the owner came to reclaim the money. It was written by Chelsea Kwon.
The audience eagerly asked questions to the filmmakers. Of particular interest where the multicultural themes. Jae-Ho's Ultimate Christian Wrestling documentary took place in rural Georgia, and dealt with Wasp (white anglo saxon protestant) wrestlers, while Aimiende is Nigerian American (despite writing about a North Korean protagonist). Aimiende's film enters pre production early next year, while Jae-Ho's film awaits broader distribution. Chelsea Kwon may use her project as a stage play as she started out in theatre, but she has screenplays in the works as well.
