SEOUL SEARCHING (2015)
​October 27, 2015 by thepopculturehistorian.com

Once again, I found myself volunteering at the Boston Asian American
Film Festival. Unlike last year, I managed to see most of the movies that were shown this year. BAAFF 2015 kicked off with Benson Lee’s Seoul Searching.
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Seoul Searching follows a group of foreign-born students of Korean descent taking part in a South Korean government-sponsored summer camp to help them connect with their heritage and shows why the program was as short-lived as it was.

Benson Lee aimed to make this movie his tribute to John Hughes (it does take place in 1986 after all) and it shows in the classic Breakfast Club formula of having the characters start off as stereotypes and letting the viewer see that they are in fact more than what is on the surface.... READ MORE

By Yvonne Ng

At BAAFF, we've seen an incredible array of Asian American talent both on-screen and behind the scenes. From actors and directors to producers and writers, BAAFF has showcased films that share their exquisite skills, transporting the movie-goers into their worlds, their homes.

Here are some of the brilliant people who have been part of BAAFF and where they are now.

Although Randall Park has more than 100 film credits, we first saw him as 'Nice But Boring Guy' in BAAFF's 2010 film, The People I Slept With. Park was also the father in a short film, My Name is Asiroh (2014), and he co-wrote and starred in the comedic short, At Your Convenience (2013). Park now stars in ABC's Fresh Off the Boat.

In BAAFF's 2011 season, the legendary James Hong was a guest speaker. Hong is credited with more than 500 film roles and continues to be one of the most hardworking actors. This year alone, he's been in three different TV series, three films, one video and a short film. He'll be the voice of Mr. Ping in Kung Fu Panda 3 set to release in 2016.

Director, producer, writer, and editor, Jennifer Thym recently produced, Jasmine, a psychological thriller with The Fast & the Furious: Tokyo Drift and Better Luck Tomorrow star Jason Tobin. Thym's dark and beautifully jarring short, Bloodtraffick, was part of BAAFF's 2012 season.

From BAAFF’s previous season, Producer, Director, and Cinematographer, Ursula Liang of the award winning documentary, 9-Man, has also co-produced Tough Love, a documentary about two American parents navigating the welfare system and trying to regain the custody of their children. 9-Man is now available on DVD.

In 2008, BAAFF’s opening night film was Planet B-Boy, a documentary (directed by Benson Lee) that delved into the lives of some of the best breakdancers from Japan, France, South Korea, and the US. Lee also directed the 2013 breakdance film Battle of the Year, which is a 3D version of Planet B-Boy backed by Sony. This season, we’re particularly excited to showcase Lee’s film, Seoul Searching, a 1980’s John Hughes inspired romantic teen comedy about a group of Korean misfits from around the world forced by their parents to attend a cultural propaganda camp in Seoul resulting in the best summer of their lives.  Seoul Searching is BAAFF’s opening night film and Lee will be available for a Q&A after the film, so get your tickets today.

The Boston Asian American Film Festival is next week! See you at the movies.