Screen/Society--"Faces of Seoul" (Gina Kim, 2009) + virtual Q&A w/ filmmaker

FACES OF SEOUL
(Gina Kim, 2009, 93 min, South Korea and USA, Korean and English w/English subtitles, Digital)

-- Virtual Q&A to follow with director Gina Kim

FACES OF SEOUL is filmmaker Gina Kim's unique documentary, at once a portrait of an Asian capital and a film essay of a transforming Seoul. The film is taken from the intimate perspective of both an ex local and expatriate, whose knowledge of the city is neither contemporary nor irrelevant.

FACES OF SEOUL loops its audiences through the ever-changing modern metropolis, from the Seodaemun Prison to the blooming cherry blossoms in a verdant park, from a neighborhood occupied with American soldiers to a parade of Buddhists marching through the streets. In each of these spaces, Gina Kim explores the city she so fondly remembers, reconciling the reality of her memories with that which moves right in front of her. By doing so, FACES OF SEOUL reveals Korea's capital as a dynamic place where these opposing concepts--language vs. image, tradition vs. modern, native knowledge vs. exotic encounters-overlap and move against one another, none yielding to a single dominant perspective.

"A beautiful and intimate Tour of Seoul. Compelling Visual essay of the director's memories and emotions." - Sun-jung Kim, Curator, Co-Artistic Director Gwangju Biennale 2012

"FACES OF SEOUL unearths multiple layers of the city's archeology, exposing the turbulent history of modern Korea through the intimate eye of the filmmaker. " - Carter Eckert, Professor, Dept of East Asian Languages and Civilizations, Harvard University

Los Angeles-based Gina Kim is a South Korean filmmaker whose award-winning films reimagine cinematic storytelling across different genres and platforms, developing a unique transnational perspective centered on female protagonists.