Michael Kang (director)
Encyclopedia
Michael Kang is an American
film director
and screen writer. He is Korean American
and based in Los Angeles
.
His feature directorial debut was the independent movie The Motel
, which premiered at the 2003 Sundance Film Festival
. The Motel won the Humanitas Prize
and the NHK International Filmmakers Award, as well as the top jury prizes from the San Francisco International Asian American Film Festival, the San Diego Asian Film Festival, and the VC Film Festival. Most recently, The Motel was nominated for Best First Feature Film by the Independent Spirit Awards
. It is currently on DVD through Palm Pictures
.
Most recently, Kang directed the Korean American feature West 32nd
. West 32nd premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival
in 2007. The film was produced by Teddy Zee
and features John Cho
, Grace Park
and Jeong Jun Ho.
Kang was honored with a National Endowment for the Arts
Artist’s Residency Grant at the MacDowell Colony
. He is recipient of the Geri Ashur Award in screenwriting through the New York Foundation for the Arts. He also received a fellowship through the ABC / DGA New Talent Television Directing Program. Kang is a member of the Directors Guild of America
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
film director
Film director
A film director is a person who directs the actors and film crew in filmmaking. They control a film's artistic and dramatic nathan roach, while guiding the technical crew and actors.-Responsibilities:...
and screen writer. He is Korean American
Korean American
Korean Americans are Americans of Korean descent, mostly from South Korea, with a small minority from North Korea...
and based in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
.
His feature directorial debut was the independent movie The Motel
The Motel (film)
The Motel is the debut feature from director Michael Kang. The film won the Humanitas Prize in the Sundance Film Festival category, and was nominated for an Independent Spirit Award for Best First Feature....
, which premiered at the 2003 Sundance Film Festival
Sundance Film Festival
The Sundance Film Festival is a film festival that takes place annually in Utah, in the United States. It is the largest independent cinema festival in the United States. Held in January in Park City, Salt Lake City, and Ogden, as well as at the Sundance Resort, the festival is a showcase for new...
. The Motel won the Humanitas Prize
Humanitas Prize
The Humanitas Prize is an award for film and television writing intended to promote human dignity, meaning, and freedom. It began in 1974 with Father Ellwood "Bud" Kieser — also the founder of Paulist Productions — but is generally not seen as specifically directed toward religious...
and the NHK International Filmmakers Award, as well as the top jury prizes from the San Francisco International Asian American Film Festival, the San Diego Asian Film Festival, and the VC Film Festival. Most recently, The Motel was nominated for Best First Feature Film by the Independent Spirit Awards
Independent Spirit Awards
The Independent Spirit Awards , founded in 1984, are awards dedicated to independent filmmakers. Winners were typically presented with acrylic glass pyramids containing suspended shoestrings representing the paltry budgets of independent films. In 1986, the event was renamed the Independent Spirit...
. It is currently on DVD through Palm Pictures
Palm Pictures
Palm Pictures is a US-based entertainment company owned and run by Chris Blackwell. Palm Pictures produces, acquires and distributes innovative music and film projects with a particular focus on the DVD format...
.
Most recently, Kang directed the Korean American feature West 32nd
West 32nd
West 32nd is a 2007 film and the second feature film by Michael Kang. The film stars John Cho, Jun-Seong Kim, Grace Park, Jane Kim and Jeong Jun-ho....
. West 32nd premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival
Tribeca Film Festival
The Tribeca Film Festival is a film festival founded in 2002 by Jane Rosenthal, Robert De Niro and Craig Hatkoff in a response to the September 11, 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center and the consequent loss of vitality in the TriBeCa neighborhood in Lower Manhattan.The mission of the festival...
in 2007. The film was produced by Teddy Zee
Teddy Zee
Teddy Zee is a longtime producer and entertainment executive in Hollywood. Perhaps the most visible and vocal champion of Asians in Hollywood, Zee has over twenty years of experience as President of Overbrook Films and Davis Entertainment, as a studio executive for Columbia Pictures and Paramount...
and features John Cho
John Cho
John Yohan Cho is an American actor and musician, best known for his roles in the American Pie films and the Harold & Kumar films . He also starred in the critically acclaimed hit film Better Luck Tomorrow...
, Grace Park
Grace Park (actress)
Grace Park is an American-born Canadian actress. She gained recognition as Sharon Valerii on Battlestar Galactica, as well as Shannon Ng in the Canadian television series teen soap Edgemont...
and Jeong Jun Ho.
Kang was honored with a National Endowment for the Arts
National Endowment for the Arts
The National Endowment for the Arts is an independent agency of the United States federal government that offers support and funding for projects exhibiting artistic excellence. It was created by an act of the U.S. Congress in 1965 as an independent agency of the federal government. Its current...
Artist’s Residency Grant at the MacDowell Colony
MacDowell Colony
The MacDowell Colony is an art colony in Peterborough, New Hampshire, U.S.A., founded in 1907 by Marian MacDowell, pianist and wife of composer Edward MacDowell. She established the institution and its endowment chiefly with donated funds...
. He is recipient of the Geri Ashur Award in screenwriting through the New York Foundation for the Arts. He also received a fellowship through the ABC / DGA New Talent Television Directing Program. Kang is a member of the Directors Guild of America
Directors Guild of America
Directors Guild of America is an entertainment labor union which represents the interests of film and television directors in the United States motion picture industry...
.