APPA - Bruce Kim's Film Project

About Me:

Hi! My name is Bruce Kim and I'm a 29-year-old lover of Jesus and aspiring filmmaker. I'm a Korean-American proudly NYC-born, CA-grown, and KC-bred.

This Fall 2017, I have the privilege to begin graduate work at Loyola Marymount University as a MFA Film Production student. Although it's been bittersweet leaving the amazing community I've been a part of for the last decade (shoutout to all my IHOPKC peeps!), I'm grateful for the next chapter God has for me.



About The Film Project:

To christen my time at grad school, I'm about to film a story this summer I've literally been waiting my lifetime for. So, what's this film about?

I'm searching for my Dad.

For 23 years, I haven't seen nor heard from my biological father. I still remember how he would constantly make me roast gui or play Sega Genesis with me (and let me win). I inherited his deep voice and the smile he always seemed to have on his face. My final memory of him is sitting on his shoulders as he walked around Manhattan. He told me he was moving, but I didn't quite understand where or why. I don't even recall him saying goodbye.

Those were my final moments with him before he moved to South Korea. (here's where I would insert photos of him, but there are certain family security issues preventing that)

Growing up without a Dad can be painful, and it was. In some ways, it made me feel like half a person. But when Jesus found me, man, I also found out how much my Dad in heaven loves me. I've royally screwed up so many times in my life, but because of Him, I know there's nothing like coming to a Father who knows all my best and worst, yet loves me perfectly.

My Father in heaven, He's my 아빠.

Pronounced "appa"—sorta like the op- in opportunity plus the ba- from sheep—it's a distinctly Korean word for "daddy." Just like saying "father" can feel formal and distant, calling your dad "daddy" only happens when you're both a) confident you're his child and b) you don't care what people think when you call him that.
 
As I've gotten to know my 아빠/Appa, I began wondering how my biological dad was doing. "What's his job?" "Did he remarry?" "Has he missed me, too?" It's then that I decided I wanted to try and find him one day. When an opportunity opened up for me to visit Korea this summer, I knew this was the right time to look for my Dad. Since I was beginning graduate school in the fall, it only made sense to try and capture this deeply personal, once-in-a-lifetime search.

This film is about looking for my Dad in Korea so I can tell him I love him, and I'll be able to do it because of my Dad in heaven and how He loves me. 

I'll be leaving June 19 and returning mid-August and I know it's super short notice, but I know that I can't make this film without financial help and prayers. I need funds to get the right equipment to tell this story.

That's where YOU come in!


Where Are The Funds Going?:

100% of received funds will go towards the purchase of equiment for this film project. That includes:

- camera (for lots of stable, handheld footage)
- lens (just one is all I'll need!)
- tripod (google "Gorillapod" and it'll make sense)
- etc. (the proper SD cards, extra batteries, and extra battery charger)

None of your contributions will be used for travel or personal expenses. I have already secured my round-trip plane ticket to S. Korea, and have money saved up for the search. You can be confident in knowing that your donations are directly supporting the film, not some random Asian vacation.

Any extra funds above the $3,000 mark will go toward unforeseen production costs, but primarily the cost of editing and professionally scoring the film. If the GoFundMe doesn't meet the goal, I'll be paying for these post-production costs out of pocket.

There are some donation persk and some of them are photo-related. If you'd like, check out my professional and personal work below! Most of my media experience comes as a freelance photographer, but I do have a bit of film work under my belt.

FB: https://facebook.com/thebrucekim
IG: https://instagram.com/thebrucekim
Vimeo: https://vimeo.com/thebrucekim



How YOU Can Help and Stay Updated!:

In order to reach the $3,000 goal, I need YOUR support financially, in prayer, and getting the word out by sharing this link on social media and especially via word of mouth.
--->(https://www.gofundme.com/APPAbrucekimsfilmproject) <---

I'll regularly update this page over the course of this summer with how the search and film is going, so please make sure to check back!

I for real cannot make this film without your help, and I'm beyond stoked for you to join this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Thank you for coming along this journey with me!

– Bruce Kim