| Beef Palace |
 by Michael Kim | RT: 18'35" John and Catherine are a typical vegan couple. But when the lies and deception grow, they'll have more than just beef between them. Filmmaker Biography: Born in Seoul, Korea and raised in Los Angeles since the age of 6, Michael Kim has surrounded himself around the Korean American community all his life. From the age of 10, Michael began making 8mm films documenting his life in Los Angeles. At that time, he developed a strong calling in assisting the Korean American community. As an adult, Michael held a variety of jobs at LA's KYCC to working on the carnival circuit to being a park ranger at Mono Lake in the Eastern Sierras. Early in 2006, Michael landed a gig at ITK, a local Comcast channel in the LA market, that broadcasted 1st Gen Korean programming directly from Korea. This is where Michael met up with UKAN TV founder, Joseph H. Shim, and the pair began producing original programming for 2nd Generation Korean American audiences. Unfortunately, after a few months of producing, the station was financially unsound and went dark shortly thereafter. UKAN was responsible, however, for producing the 1st Korean American comedy night shot on location at a Korean American venue and audience and continues to find an avenue to distribute its content. It's through these experiences that helped shape Michael's perspective on life. A visual story teller, Michael enjoys writing stories that are atypical of the Asian American experience. After ITK's closing, Michael was given the opportunity to make his directorial debut with a film titled "Mouse, a love story". Produced by Daydreamer Pictures, "Mouse" is an Asian American "urban comedy" that takes place one night in a Los Angeles Koreatown café. The short sequence, for the feature, is about a love connection between two Korean American standup comics and their unlikely encounter in all the wrong places. Shortly after wrapping production, Michael was strongly urged by Daydreamer Pictures producer, Joseph H. Shim, to shoot another short film 6 weeks later. Partially based on his life as a vegetarian, "Beef Palace" became Michael's sophomore film and was originally written for John Cho whom he had met while working at KYCC. Unfortunately, John was not available but a casting session resulted in landing James Kyson Lee (Ando in NBC's hit show "Heroes") as the lead. Michael continues to write and enjoys landscape and portrait photography during his spare time. He is extremely pleased to have "Beef Palace" premiere at the NY Korean Film Festival and hopes to see more Korean American filmmakers flourish.
Filmography:
|