Jackii Chun of 'Bad Korean' Premieres Film 'FATHER'

Jackii Chun of Bad Korean has premiered her film FATHER at the 34th Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival at the Director's Guild of America. FATHER is an experimental narrative about family legacy and the idea that no matter how much we try to reverse the nuances of our upbringing, we as humans are destined to, in some way, return home.

Based on the LA Times article, "NCAA to NBA millions: UCLA star's father mapped out a dream", FATHER both embraces and subverts the visual language of NBA and Nike commercials. It entangles Kafka with a modern sports story--a confrontational intersection of family, faith, and capitalism.

"Chun has an instinctive gift for cinematic language, creating in FATHER an innovative visual experience that expresses plot, character and theme in every frame. Can't wait to see what she does next," said Lizzy Bentley, producer of Terrence Malick's A HIDDEN LIFE.

"Chun breaks the rules of filmmaking and does it extremely well. She magically blends documentary, drama, religion and poetry with the 'real'. Inspired by an LA Times article and reimagined through Kafka's letter to his father, FATHER brings a fresh new style to storytelling. I look forward to seeing her successful career ahead," said Yaniv Rokah, director of QUEEN MIMI.

Chun, a Korean filmmaker, was born in Seoul, Korea and grew up and down the Pacific Coast. Upon obtaining her BA in Film Studies and Asian American Studies at University of California, Davis, she moved to San Francisco to explore various paths in food and music, training under Chef Dennis Lee of Namu Gaji and promoting electronic music on the side. In 2016, she packed up her knives to pursue an MFA in Film/Video at California Institute of the Arts.

Her film, SPACE ÈTUDE, NO. 1, screened at REDCAT and was an Official Selection of the Blow-Up International Arthouse Filmfest Chicago in 2019. In 2021, she produced LAKE FOREST PARK, which had its European Premiere at IDFA and was nominated for Best First Feature. FATHER, her thesis film, was named a Semi-Finalist at the Flickers' Rhode Island International Film Festival in 2021 and screened at the 34th Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival in 2022.

She is currently producing two feature documentaries: WEEPING ROCKS, which focuses on the critical role small insects play in our fragile ecosystem, and THE NEW ADVENTURES OF GIDON LEV, which follows 87-year-old Holocaust survivor and recent viral TikToker, Gidon Lev, as he works to preserve the memory of the Holocaust for the younger generation.

"Unlike a lot of Asian kids, my parents were thrilled when I told them at age 16 that my dream was to become a film director. They did everything they could to pave the way and support my dreams, like buying me my first DV camera from a small jackpot they won from the slots, sending me to film camps, and literally paying me to read novels," said Chun.

"My father used to tell me that if I wanted to become a filmmaker, I should never be caught without a book in my hands."

Chun's father also has a tremendous story. An orphaned beggar in brutal post-Korean War South Korea, her father, Woong Chun, managed to put himself through school and eventually became a professor of the Department of Political Science at Hongik University. Now retired, he is currently in Korea publishing his autobiography, WHERE DO I REST TONIGHT? Chun will be shooting her next film, FAR FROM THE SKY, based on her father's autobiography, sometime in the fall. For more information, please visit badkorean.co

n, please visit badkorean.co

To post a comment, you must register and login.