유진의 요리책 - Yujin's Cookbook - A Short Film

Hi, my name is Minju Hong (홍민주). I'm a sophomore at Northwestern University studying Communication Studies, Creative Writing, Marketing, and Film. "Yujin's Cookbook" is a Northwestern University Studio 22 student film written and directed by Minju Hong. Studio 22 is an original Northwestern Student Production Company that fosters creativity and growth amongst filmmakers within the Northwestern community.

Logline: A South Korean immigrant learns to reconnect with her Korean heritage, as she cooks for her friend's terminally ill grandmother.

Synopsis: Lena is a Michelin Star chef who specializes in Western cuisine. She's a South Korean immigrant who grew up in a predominantly white district in the US. Lena takes care of her friend's terminally ill grandmother for a period. Through Mrs. Jeong, Lena learns to cook Korean food and appreciate her South Korean culture while Mrs. Jeong slowly runs out of time.

I center my stories around female Asian immigrants with common themes of living in an Asian household in the US. I don't see many of these stories or representations of POC females in the media. Female Asian characters are often conformed to stereotypes dictated by the white gaze. The lack of representation encourages people to ignore our struggles, especially around identity. Through this film, I hope to give more representation to the Asian community and encourage people to be more cognizant of identity struggles POC experience and understand the importance of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI).

I continue to experience the struggle of living in two culturally different worlds daily. I've sacrificed identifying with my Korean culture to be accepted into the white community that continues to reject me. The confusing and internal identity struggle has been detrimental to my familial relationships and Korean heritage. I want to desperately share the internal struggles and rebirth of reconnecting with one's culture to a community that can recognize their privileged identities.

I still need help to fundraise more money for the various aspects of production, such as casting, locations, production design, and equipment rentals. I seek an entirely female South Korean cast in the Chicago-based area with a couple who require Korean fluency. As a story that surrounds food, food design and styling will have a large component of the budget. Sound recording and design are arguably more crucial than camera and may require sound equipment rentals.