Monday, November 6, 2017, 4 p.m.
Cloobeck Screening Room, Digital Media Arts Center
Q&A moderated by Professor Nam Lee

Attend a screening of Spa Night (2016) written and directed by Andrew Ahn. It premiered in the U.S. Dramatic Competition section at the 2016 Sundance film festival and won the Special Jury Award for Breakthrough Performance (Joe Seo). This screening is organized as part of FS 353/443/543 Korean Cinema Today class but everyone is welcome to attend. The screening will start at 4 p.m. followed by a Q&A with the director and a reception at the DMAC conference room.

About The Director Andrew Ahn:

Andrew Ahn is a Korean-American filmmaker born and raised in Los Angeles. He graduated from Brown University with a degree in English and went on to earn M.F.A. in Film Directing at the California Institute of the Arts (CalArts). He wrote, directed, edited and produced two short films—Andy (2011) and Dol (First Birthday, 2012)—both of which won awards and critical acclaim. Andy won the Best Narrative Short award at the 2011 San Diego Asian Film Festival and screened at numerous film festivals around the world. Dol premiered at the 2012 Sundance Film Festival. It won awards including Grand Jury Award Outstanding Narrative Short Film at Outfest: Los Angeles Gay and Lesbian Film Festival in 2012, and a Jury Award for Best Narrative Short Film at the Polari: Austin Gay and Lesbian International Film Festival 2012. The screenplay of his first feature film Spa Night was developed at the 2013 Sundance Screenwriters Lab. He also received a Sundance institute Cinereach Feature Film Fellow grant.

About the film:

Spa Night tells the story of David, a closeted Korean-American teenager, living in Koreatown, Los Angeles with his first-generation parents. While being a good son helping his parents run a small restaurant, he struggles with his cultural and sexual identity. When his parents’ restaurant is forced to close, David finds a job at a local spa where he discovers an underworld of gay sex that both scares and excites him. As he explores his sexuality at the spa, his family life crumbles, and David is left to weigh his own desires against his parents’ hopes and dreams.

** This screening and guest visit was made possible by Chapman’s 2017-2018 Diversity and Inclusion Education Curricular Innovation award.