with award-winning filmmaker Yunah Hong

As part of The Korea Society's ongoing lecture & demonstration series, Korean American filmmaker Yunah Hong reveals a glimpse into the lives of Asian American female artists through her documentaries.

Each program includes a lecture with a discussion on the process of filming a documentary, from conceptualization to editing. Lecture/screening resources include film/video and printed materials.

Program 1 - Between the Lines: Asian American Women's Poetry
Program 2 - Becoming an Actress in New York
Program 3 - Anna May Wong
Program 4 - From Concept to Distribution

Program 1 - Between the Lines: Asian American Women's Poetry

(film runs 60 minutes, lecture 30 minutes)

Hong combines interviews with readings by sixteen Asian American women poets to examine the complex convergence of experience, memory and language behind the impulse to write. Encompassing a breathtaking diversity of histories, both public and personal, the sixteen poets include first, second and third generation immigrants and racially mixed Americans of Asian descent from China, India, Japan, Korea, Singapore, Vietnam, Jamaica and Hawaii. The poets featured include Mitsuye Yamada, Mei-Mei Berssenbrugge, Chitra Divakaruni, Le Thi Diem Thuy and Stacy Ann Chin. Ranging in age, aesthetics and background, these women are joined by their passion for writing.

A still from "Between the Lines" by Yunah Hong ©

Program 2 - Becoming an Actress in New York
(film runs 40 minutes, lecture 40 minutes)

This documentary follows the lives of three young Korean American actresses as they pursue their dreams in "the city that never sleeps."  By showing their daily rituals and many candid and revealing moments, the film displays the drive and determination of these actresses, Hong unfolds a rich tapestry of inner strength and inspiration that details the highs and lows of being a minority actress in such an unapologetic and merciless industry.

A still from "Becoming an actress in New York" by Mari Lee ©

Program 3 - Anna May Wong
(film runs 45 minutes, lecture 45 minutes)

Hong will present this work-in-progress documentary, along with a lecture on the life and career of Anna May Wong (1905-1961), a premier Chinese American film star and stage actress who achieved worldwide fame in the 1920s and 1930s.  As an Asian American actress, Wong's career and complex personal life were greatly affected by the racism of her times including the Chinese Exclusion Act (1882-1943), "yellow-faced makeup," typecasting, and a ban on interracial relationships and shows of affection on-screen.  The documentary reveals how an all-American daughter of a Chinese laundryman struggled to eventually become an international star, a member of high society and an activist because, and in spite of, racism and sexism.  The film also explores how Wong's cinematic images have shaped Americans' perceptions of Asian women in America over the past 80 years since Wong first appeared in film. 

A production still from "Anna May Wong'" by Corky Lee ©

Program 4 - From Concept to Distribution

(presentation runs 90 minutes)

In this lecture, Hong shows excerpts from her documentary works, "Memory/all echo"(1990), "Becoming an Actress in New York" (2000), "Between the Lines" (2001), and "Anna May Wong" (work-in-progress) and talks about how her works have evolved over the years from beginning of her career up to today from conception to finish.  She also talks about each aspect of independent documentary filmmaking including fund-raising, proposal writing, project development, production strategy, and distribution. 

About the Presenter:

Yunah Hong was born in Seoul, Korea, and moved to New York in 1985 to pursue her studies in video art. Her latest documentary, "Between the Lines: Asian American Women's Poetry" (2001), received the CINE Golden Eagle Award in Education Category in 2002. Her documentary, "Becoming an Actress in New York" (2000), was named a final nominee for aMedia's 2001 Ammy Awards for Best Documentary. Her other works include "Styles Section"; "Through the Milky Way," which was awarded First Prize in Video Art at the 1992 Tam Tam International Video Festival in Italy; "Here Now," winner of the Special Jury Award at the 2^nd Seoul Short Film Festival; and a feature screenplay, "Monday," which was an official selection of PPP 1998: Pusan International Film Festival Film Market. She received a B.F.A. degree in applied arts from Seoul National University and a M.A. degree in communication arts from New York Institute of Technology. Currently, Hong is a New York based video/filmmaker. Her works are distributed by Women Make Movies in the United States. They include:

Between the Lines: Asian American Women's Poetry (60:00) weaves together autobiographies and readings by 16 artists.  It examines how shifts in the poets' various lingual and cultural heritages are reflected through the use of English.  From origins as diverse as Vietnam, Hawaii and the West Indies, they share exceptional candor and exceptional clarity of mind.  Funding from the New York State Council on the Arts, the New York Foundation for the Arts, the Jerome Foundation and The Korea Society.  Screened at six festivals, three academic symposia and three museums. Cine Golden Eagle. Available from Women Make Movies (www.wmm.com).

Becoming an Actress in New York (40:00) follows three hopefuls as they trek to auditions, work with coaches, strive to be noticed in workshop productions, and labor at day jobs.  All three come from prestige drama schools and have agents.  All three are Korean American, which further complicates their quest for parts. There is no Cinderella ending, which makes the women's energy, professionalism and persistence even more impressive.  Commissioned by The Seoul Net Festival, an internet film fest in Korea.  It was broadcasted in Korea in 2004. 

Here Now (32:00) a 16mm Dramatic film.  Here Now takes the viewer on a journey through a day in the life of an Asian American woman who, at the age of 30, finds herself living in two worlds, fantasy and reality.  Supported by a New York Foundation for the Arts, an Art Matters Fellowship, and a Media Alliance Fellowship.  Won the $10,000 Special Jury Prize at the 1995 Seoul Short Film Festival.  Played at four American festivals including the San Francisco International Asian American Film Festival.  Distributed in Korea by Samsung Entertainment.

 photo credit: Yunah Hong

Through the Milky Way (18:30) an experimental video evoking the experience of Korean women immigrants in Hawaii at the turn of the century.  $2,000 first prize in video art at the Tam Tam International Video Festival, Rome.  Broadcast on WNYC-TV, New York.  Supported by a grant from the Pyramid Arts Center.  Available from Women Make Movies.

  photo credit: Yunah Hong

Memory/all echo (27:30) an experimental video based on Theresa Hak Kyung Cha's autobiographical text Dictée.  Cha is a Korean American conceptual and video artist who died in 1982. Memory/all echo, made in 1990, amplifies Cha's allusions to Korea and Korean history. Dictée has become one of the most widely-taught texts in Asian American studies. A touring exhibition of Cha's work, organized in Berkeley, toured museums in the United States, Austria, and Korea, and is now in Barcelona.  Available from Women Make Movies.

   A still from "Memory/all echo" by Yunah Hong ©

The Korea Society covers the administrative expenses of the program as well as the cost of roundtrip airfare. Presenting institutions are required to cover the costs of one night's lodging in a hotel, meals on the day of the presentation and all local transportation. They also are asked to make a donation of $500 to The Korea Society which will be used to offset the presentation fee. 

For further information or to schedule a program at your institution, please contact Jennifer Kim, program officer for the arts and Korean studies, at (212) 759-7525, ext. 309 or This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it . Correspondence should be addressed to: The Korea Society, 950 Third Avenue, Eighth Floor, New York, NY 10022. For more information, please visit www.koreasociety.org.

• October 25, 2006 at Union College (Schenectady, NY)
• November 20, 2006 at Michigan State University (East Lansing, MI)