Kim Pushes for Asian-American Cinema
Published on | Source
By Cathy Rose A. Garcia
Staff Reporter
Korean American news anchor Lee Ann Kim may be used to doing stories about crime and politics in San Diego, Calif., but in Seoul, she is the story.
The local media in Korea are always interested in "success stories" about Koreans that have made it big in the United States or other countries. Kim, who was in Seoul last week as a jury member at the EBS International Documentary Festival, is no exception.
In an interview with The Korea Times last week, Kim talked about growing up in the U.S., facing racism in the media industry and her passion for Asian cinema.
Kim's parents moved from Seoul to Chicago when she was just a year old. "Growing up, I was acutely aware I was different. I honestly wished that I had blonde hair blue eyes. The kids at school would call me 'Chink' or 'flat faced'. …That experience helped me search for my own identity while I was in high school and college" she said.
But the hardest part about growing up as a first-generation Korean-American, Kim said, was the fact that her parents were determined to uphold Korean culture and values, even though they were in the U.S.
"My parents were raised so incredibly strict that there was this level of identity crisis. Even to this day, my parents are so Korean. It is so difficult for children to be stuck in between two worlds. Even if I was in Chicago, when I went home and took off my shoes when I walked in, I was in Korea", she said.
When Kim went to the University of Maryland, her parents thought she was majoring in business but she actually took up theater courses. However, she realized there was a lack in good roles for Asian Americans in theater, so she shifted her major to broadcast journalism.
Her first job was as a radio reporter in Maryland, covering state politics. She landed a job as a TV reporter in Houston, and then moved to become the main anchor at the CBS station in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. In 1995, she moved to Springfield, Missouri, where she became the first person of color to become a news anchor in the Ozarks.
It was here in a town that is 99 percent Caucasian, that Kim encountered racism from viewers. "It was my second week at work. I saw the TV station's satellite dishes were vandalized. They drew swastikas with the words 'F*** you, nigger. Nigger go home'. I thought 'That's stupid because there are no black people here'. Everyone in the office asked me if I was okay. It turns out the area had a very active Ku Klux Klan and they consider anyone who is not white Protestant to be the N-word. … It's funny because the reaction was simply because I was doing the news", Kim said.
Another viewer in Springfield called up the TV station to criticize her eyebrows because they were "tattooed too high". "But they're real", she laughed, adding that many viewers in the area were not used to seeing people of various ethnicities.
After Springfield, Kim moved to San Diego where she is now the co-anchor of a news program. She became involved in the area's Asian American Journalists Association, and eventually co-founded the San Diego Asian Film Festival and Foundation.
"Being ethnically Asian and Korean, you're very sensitive towards stories about communities where voices aren't heard. It wasn't good enough for me just to be a reporter covering the news of the day. I wanted to do stories about and connect audiences with stories about Asia and Asian culture. … We thought the film festival would give access to Asian Pacific islanders' stories created by all these filmmakers", Kim said.
Now on its 8th year, the San Diego Asian Film Festival will run from Oct. 11-18 at the Hazard Center UltraStar Cinemas, Mission Valley. It is one of 10 Asian-related film festivals held in the United States annually.
Kim said this year's festival features 130 films, music videos, documentaries and animation by Asian directors or have Asian content. This year, there are five Korean films including Park Chan-wook's 'I'm a Cyborg, But That's OK"' and CJ Production's first American production "West 32nd".
"West 32nd", which refers to Koreatown in New York, will be the festival's closing film. Directed by Michael Kang, the film stars Grace Park and John Cho.
"Film festivals like EIDF (and San Diego Asian Film Festival) have a powerful way of changing the way people think. We are educating people and encouraging them to have discourse", she said.
Staff Reporter
Korean American news anchor Lee Ann Kim may be used to doing stories about crime and politics in San Diego, Calif., but in Seoul, she is the story.
The local media in Korea are always interested in "success stories" about Koreans that have made it big in the United States or other countries. Kim, who was in Seoul last week as a jury member at the EBS International Documentary Festival, is no exception.
In an interview with The Korea Times last week, Kim talked about growing up in the U.S., facing racism in the media industry and her passion for Asian cinema.
Kim's parents moved from Seoul to Chicago when she was just a year old. "Growing up, I was acutely aware I was different. I honestly wished that I had blonde hair blue eyes. The kids at school would call me 'Chink' or 'flat faced'. …That experience helped me search for my own identity while I was in high school and college" she said.
But the hardest part about growing up as a first-generation Korean-American, Kim said, was the fact that her parents were determined to uphold Korean culture and values, even though they were in the U.S.
"My parents were raised so incredibly strict that there was this level of identity crisis. Even to this day, my parents are so Korean. It is so difficult for children to be stuck in between two worlds. Even if I was in Chicago, when I went home and took off my shoes when I walked in, I was in Korea", she said.
When Kim went to the University of Maryland, her parents thought she was majoring in business but she actually took up theater courses. However, she realized there was a lack in good roles for Asian Americans in theater, so she shifted her major to broadcast journalism.
Her first job was as a radio reporter in Maryland, covering state politics. She landed a job as a TV reporter in Houston, and then moved to become the main anchor at the CBS station in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. In 1995, she moved to Springfield, Missouri, where she became the first person of color to become a news anchor in the Ozarks.
It was here in a town that is 99 percent Caucasian, that Kim encountered racism from viewers. "It was my second week at work. I saw the TV station's satellite dishes were vandalized. They drew swastikas with the words 'F*** you, nigger. Nigger go home'. I thought 'That's stupid because there are no black people here'. Everyone in the office asked me if I was okay. It turns out the area had a very active Ku Klux Klan and they consider anyone who is not white Protestant to be the N-word. … It's funny because the reaction was simply because I was doing the news", Kim said.
Another viewer in Springfield called up the TV station to criticize her eyebrows because they were "tattooed too high". "But they're real", she laughed, adding that many viewers in the area were not used to seeing people of various ethnicities.
After Springfield, Kim moved to San Diego where she is now the co-anchor of a news program. She became involved in the area's Asian American Journalists Association, and eventually co-founded the San Diego Asian Film Festival and Foundation.
"Being ethnically Asian and Korean, you're very sensitive towards stories about communities where voices aren't heard. It wasn't good enough for me just to be a reporter covering the news of the day. I wanted to do stories about and connect audiences with stories about Asia and Asian culture. … We thought the film festival would give access to Asian Pacific islanders' stories created by all these filmmakers", Kim said.
Now on its 8th year, the San Diego Asian Film Festival will run from Oct. 11-18 at the Hazard Center UltraStar Cinemas, Mission Valley. It is one of 10 Asian-related film festivals held in the United States annually.
Kim said this year's festival features 130 films, music videos, documentaries and animation by Asian directors or have Asian content. This year, there are five Korean films including Park Chan-wook's 'I'm a Cyborg, But That's OK"' and CJ Production's first American production "West 32nd".
"West 32nd", which refers to Koreatown in New York, will be the festival's closing film. Directed by Michael Kang, the film stars Grace Park and John Cho.
"Film festivals like EIDF (and San Diego Asian Film Festival) have a powerful way of changing the way people think. We are educating people and encouraging them to have discourse", she said.
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