"Seoul Searching," a film about coming to terms with your Korean heritage, is set to premiere at the Sundance Film on Jan. 22 in Park City, Utah. The teen romantic comedy set in the 80s features both Korean-American and Korean actors.
"Seoul Searching" focuses on a group of teens with Korean heritage that were born in countries such as the U.S., Mexico and Germany. These teens identify with the culture of the countries they live in. The parents of these teens send them off to a summer camp in Korea to learn more about their heritage. Although the purpose of the camp is a positive one, blending a group of teens with such widely differing cultural values can provoke some strange situations. And it can lead to some unlikely star-crossed romances.
Award-winning filmmaker Benson Lee directed the culture clash film and based the story on some of his own experiences growing up as a Korean-American.
His film is much anticipated at the Sundance Film Festival because the very first production he entered in the competition won a prize. In fact, Lee was the first Korean-American filmmaker to be entered into the competition at the Sundance Film Festival. His 1998 feature film "Miss Monday" was awarded a Special Grand Jury Prize for Best Actor.
Lee also directs documentaries. His documentary "Planet B-Boy" was one of 2008's top grossing documentaries. He directed a 3D Hollywood adaptation of "Planet B-Boy titled "Battle of the Year," which stars Josh Holloway and Chris Brown.
When casting "Seoul Searching," Lee sought both Korean-American and Korean stars. The film stars Justin Chon, who appeared in "21 and Over" and played a regular character in the "Twilight" film series. Chon plays Sid Park, a character that is based on the young director Lee. "Seoul Searching" also stars Jessika Van, who appeared in MTV's "Awkward.
Korean actor Cha In Pyo plays Mr. Kim, the teacher that Sid turns to for advice.
The other actors in the film are Heejun Han, Teo Yoo, Esteban Ahn, Rosaline Leigh, Sue Son, Crystal Kay, Uatchet Juch, Nekhebet Juch. Lee discovered some of the actors in the film through Facebook and YouTube auditions.
Variety described the film as "a melting pot of a production."
The film was a Chinese-Korean-American production, shot in Korea. Steve Choe, who worked on "Snowpiercer," edited the film.
To find out more about the film, you can visit the official Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/SeoulSearchingMovie
