KOREAN NET

The premiere screening of the documentary film Chosen

On July 14 at the Bergen Community College located in Paramus, New Jersey, a premiere screening was held for the documentary film called Chosen, directed by a second-generation Korean-American film director Joseph Juhn.

Photo: Poster of Chosen

Thanks to the large population of Korean-Americans, the area of New Jersey often plays Korean films, giving the region an advantage over others as a place to enjoy Korean culture.

This premiere was held under the joint support of Professor Ahn Mina from Bergen Community College, Lawyer Judy Jang, the monthly magazine Mom&i, and the Overseas Korean Community Center.

Eric Freedman, President of Bergen Community College, stated in his congratulatory message, “It is an honor to premiere Joseph Juhn’s second documentary film Chosen here in this area where there are a lot of Koreans. Our school, in particular, is filled with Korean students, and we can’t leave out Koreans in our regional cooperation.” He also said that he would do his best to cooperate with various events from Korean Americans.

Professor Ahn Mina, who planned and carried out the event, also stated, “Director Juhn’s work might be on politicians, but there is no political message inside it. Rather, the film asks questions and provides tasks on the mindsets that we should have to make our lives better,” and showed her great joy in the success of the film’s screening.

The event consisted of 150 local Americans and Koreans, drawing the attention of regional communities around the area as the younger generation filled the majority of participants compared to other Korean events.

Photo: VIP reception before the premiere

New Jersey State Assemblymember Ellen Park viewed the film herself with her family members and the intern of her chamber, and delivered the appreciation award under the name of the New Jersey’s Senate President and Speaker of the House to Director Juhn.

Photo: Director Juhn receiving the appreciation award under the name of New Jersey’s Senate President and Speaker of the House

The documentary film Chosen covers the stories of five Korean American politicians who challenged themselves to the federal house election in 2020. The film consists of various interviews, from the ones on the so-called ‘4.29 incident’ from the LA Korean Town riot in April 1992 to the current point of time that awakens the awareness of how important it is to grow political power within the Korean American community.

The documentary includes five politicians with different political ideas, generations, sex, and regional backgrounds, featuring Andy Kim, Marilyn Strickland, Young Kim, Michelle Park Steel, and David Kim. Through these politicians, the common history of Korean Americans and the perspective of diaspora is showcased in the film. In particular, Californian David Kim moved the viewers by showing raw footage of how he became a politician, the conflict he had with his family, and how he ran his political campaigns.

After the premiere, the viewers of all ages had the chance to directly communicate with the director of the film. There were no rules on the questions, and the humor and wit of Director Juhn could be witnessed as he moved his way around the sensitive remarks made by some viewers.

Photo: A question-and-answer session was held between viewers and the director after the screening.

When asked about the reason behind the film’s creation, Director Juhn replied, “after reading the book by Madeleine Westerhout, former secretary of President Trump, I had begun to think about the real things that politicians had brought for us, and I realized the fact that we needed a Korean politician to bring us the values we need in our lives.”

The director went on to describe how he followed the camp of David Kim, one of the protagonists in the film, for three whole months and talked about the things that happened during those times.

Photo: Scene of the film screening

One of the viewers stated, “Thanks to the film, I now realize ordinary people’s interest in politics is crucial as well, and even a small donation could become a great help to politicians.” and went on to say, “donations from big corporations might be good, but politicians must see that various donations coming from here and there are the ones that make the difference.”

Director Juhn explained, “I tried to escape from political factions and be as objective as possible in my description of the film’s politicians. To do so, I especially inserted the uncomfortable scenes of the left,” adding, “the film is a documentary that takes no sides.”

Before the release of this documentary, Director Juhn produced another documentary on Cuban-Koreans he met during his travel to Cuba called Jeronimo, which received acclaim from the majority of his viewers. Also, his career of abandoning the successful lawyer life behind to follow his dreams and do what he wanted to do became an enormous source of inspiration for young viewers.

After the viewing, an author’s signature event was also held for Director Juhn’s book, Your Modifier.

Photo: Director Juhn holding a signature event for his book

The director also shared his plans to create a documentary on North Korean defectors and disabled people as his next project, rounding up the curiosity for his next film.