Here's a cool feature film project that's asking for some crowdfunding support... Writer/director Andrew Ahn's Spa Night is a indie coming-of-age drama about a closeted Korean American teenager who follows his desires and finds more than he bargains for at the Korean spa. The film's Kickstarter campaign is winding down and they're making a final push for help from the community to make it happen.
Here's a video of Andrew explaining a little background on the film:
And here are a few more details:
WHY THIS FILM IS IMPORTANT
I have always associated Korean spas with my childhood, my family, and my Korean identity. As a kid, I would go to the spa with my dad. It was a cultural ritual; we would clean ourselves.
A few years ago, I discovered that Korean spas in Los Angeles are used as a space for underground gay sex. As a gay Korean-American man, this discovery felt strange, thrilling, and very wrong! It’s very easy for me to separate my identities. I can either be Korean or gay. But here is this place where I have to deal with my identities at the same time. I’m forced to be whole.
I knew immediately that a Korean spa would be the perfect setting for a film about a gay Korean-American identity. There aren't enough films out there about Asian-Americans, let alone LGBTQ Asian-Americans. It's important to me that I share this story so that people understand that we exist and that our community holds a diversity of people, voices, and experiences
Andrew is an award-winning filmmaker whose shorts have screened in festivals around the country, including the prestigious Sundance Film Festival. I'm looking forward to seeing what he does with a feature film canvas.
The goal is raise $60,000 by November 6 to get the film started. For further information about Spa Night, and to make a pledge to the project, head over to Kickstarter. You can also follow the film's production updates on the Spa Night Facebook page.