If you’re an aspiring filmmaker and really want to meet a man with a vision and an eye, come out to hear Soopum Sohn who hails from South Korea.  He will be sharing insights into his film “Make Yourself at Home (AKA Fetish)” at NYU on November 5th at 6:30pm.  It stars one of South Korea’s biggest actresses, Song Hye Kyo, and it’s a story about a Korean woman who marries a Korean-American man. It’s a story of culture clashes (Kyopo vs. Korean & Korea vs. America) as Song Hye Kyo tries to understand and absorb her new life in New Jersey.

We first met Mr. Sohn at the Korean American Film Festival of New York earlier this year, and he was an incredibly insightful gentleman.  He really is an “artist.”  For more details, go to Facebook.

Someone you should watch out for is director Soopum Sohn.  We had done numerous interviews with directors but Soopum was someone who really stood out in the interview room.  He’s a man of intensity and has an eye that other directors would love.  He is acutely aware of his surroundings and knows how to capture the moment.  He’s a true artist and we know that we probably came across someone who’s name will be known for a long time.

Mr. Soopum Sohn studied film in the U.S. but was originally a photographer.  He has a wonderful track record as the director of photography (see his DP reel below) on numerous films, but Make Yourself at Home is his directorial debut.  It features one of the most famous actresses in South Korea, Song Hye-Kyo, who plays her role brilliantly as a South Korean woman who marries a Korean-American man who barely speaks any Korean, and lives under the scrutiny of her new mother-in-law in New Jersey.  As Song Hye-Kyo’s character adjusts to life in the U.S., she becomes increasingly obsessed with finding an American name.  Mr. Sohn raises the question in the movie, why do Korean-Americans have two names:  Korean and English.  After I watched a little bit of the movie, I came to wonder, why do many Korean-Americans have two names?  If you haven’t seen it, go see Make Yourself at Home by Mr. Soopum Sohn.

Korean Beacon was in attendance last night for the 3rd annual Korean American Film Festival of New York.  It was a great success because it showcased some incredible talent.  What I found interesting was how each director had different starting points to their careers and pursued making films because of a single purpose, and that was to pursue a passion that many Korean parents wouldn’t fully support.  Thomas Ko was in the US military reserves and had no formal film training, but we saw his raw talent on display in “Monsters.”  Then you have Gene Rhee who finished at the top of his class at the world renowned USC film school and he’s probably one on a path to many feature films.  His latest work, “The Trouble with Romance,” was released to the public on Friday and an excerpt was shown last night.  Over the course of the night we discovered some great film gems that we hope will get some quick attention.  My personal favs and films that intrigued me include the aforementioned films but also Grandma and Wrestling, Ultimate Christian Wrestling and Make Yourself at Home.  I’ll be sure to watch the full screening of all the films I mentioned.  We were very fortunate to interview and talk with several of the directors and we’ll have those interview videos posted in March. The funniest interaction I had was with Soopum Sohn who made the film Make Yourself at Home with famed Korean actress Song Hye Kyo.  This was his first feature film as a director and when I said the film was very well made, his humble response was that he had more budget than most other filmmakers.  Wait till you see his interview.  Let’s just say the whole film crew that interviewed him enjoyed interviewing him.  He is a true “artist.”  Congratulations to David Kim, Susie Lim and Peter Kang for putting on a special program.