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It’s said that for every film that gets into the Sundance Film Festival, there are 30 entries that don’t make the cut. So for Andrew Ahn — a young Korean American filmmaker — getting his feature debut into the event is quite an accomplishment.
"Spa Night" is one of the many movies screening at the festival, which kicks off Jan. 21 in Park City, Utah. Though most of the film is in Korean, it’s premiering in the U.S. Dramatic Competition.
The film is about a Korean-American teenager who discovers his sexuality while working at a spa. Ahn used his personal experience to write the screenplay and direct the film:
I just wanted to explore what it means to be gay and Korean-American. All the difficulties, all the cultural clashes that go into juggling different identities. I think that’s a little bit why I’m so inspired to make the film. You don’t see much that covers what it means to be an LGBTQ person of color — especially Korean. This is something that I feel hasn’t been dealt with much in the media.
The Frame spoke with writer-director Andrew Ahn about what made him want to become a filmmaker, the problem with Asian-American representation in Hollywood, and why it's so difficult for Asian-Americans to make films.
Your work — both in your short film, "Dol," and your feature film, "Spa Night" — deals with the relationship between a parent and son. How did your parents react to you wanting to become a filmmaker?
It’s really funny. I went to Brown University, was a bio major. I was going to be a doctor. Typical Korean, you know. I was a good student so I was going to be a good Korean boy. But I realized I just didn’t want to be a doctor. When I told my parents I was really interested in film, I think there was a disappointment. I think that that’s a disappointment that other aspiring artists succumb to. And they stop at that point. Fortunately, I’m stubborn and so I kept going.
There doesn't seem like there's a lot of films about the Asian-American experience. Do you feel the same way?
I know a lot of filmmakers in the Asian-American community who make a couple films and then they stop because it’s so difficult. They can’t find funding or they can’t find actors, because the actors who are Asian-American find it difficult to find jobs, to find roles.
Even as I was developing my feature screenplay, I had people read it and give me notes that just sounded so ridiculous. I had someone tell me, Where are the white people in your screenplay? And it’s just like, ugh. I really want to be able to make a film where my identity isn’t defined by white people or the dominant culture. I really want it to be about who I am in a very kind of holistic, natural way.
Being a filmmaker probably doesn't pay the bills, especially if "Spa Night" is your first feature film.
So I have a day job, of course. I think it’s really tricky to be an aspiring independent filmmaker and sustain yourself. So I actually work at a private SAT academy. It’s one of those situations where, as a filmmaker, you have to make ends meet. I don’t make a lot of money from my filmmaking — yet. Hopefully, I’ll make some. For me it’s not about trying to get these bigger studios or production companies to rally behind us. For my film, I think that void is definitely a strong reason why I do this and with as much passion as I do.