About Us
Siam Obregón, General Coordinator
I had the absolute privilege to be part of the team behind the 7th edition of Korean Film Festival Canada. During these past months, I was humbled to work with a diverse and passionate group of people. My experience witnessing the crossing of cultures between two places in opposite sides of the world was truly fascinating, and I feel proud to have been part of it.
Asmaa Asry, Communication and Marketing Coordinator
Taking part in this year’s Korean Film Festival Canada (KFFC) was a great opportunity for me to work hand in hand with an amazing multicultural and dynamic team, from all corners of the world, whose mission is to overcome cultural gaps and bring people together through cinema and art. I also appreciate this festival for imparting me with greater willingness to learn more about the Korean Cinema, especially by women filmmakers as it seems to be richer and more diverse than we think.
Lastly, I sincerely hope that my fellow cinephiles would have appreciated this year’s edition and that it has helped them in the slightest bit overcome the corona blues. Until we meet again, stay safe!
Best,
Asmaâ
UGyong Choi, Manager of Korean Contents
I was very lucky to be able to participate in the Korean Film Festival Canada. There was a difficulty in whether we could hold a film festival in the environment of Pandemics this year, but thank you very much for finishing it successfully. I was able to further confirm my identity as a Korean at the KFFC, where the East meets West. I think I gained the courage to speak out as a woman through Korean movies. I hope that the KFFC will continue to be a channel for spreading culture through Korean movies.
Valérie Paquet, Communication and Hospitality Coordinator
For the past six months, I have had the chance to work with the 2020 Korean Film Festival Canada team. I am proud to have worked with a diverse and highly motivated team to make the festival happen in such a short time and all the challenges 2020 has brought us. The festival has allowed me to learn so many new things such as communication on social media and website development, but also to improve my translation skills and learn more about the world of Korean cinema.
I would also like to thank my department, the Centre d'études asiatiques de l'Université de Montréal for giving me the opportunity to work for the festival and to represent the department within the FFCC this year.
Shawn Suyong Yi Jones, ART-Talks Coordinator
As I look back at this year’s Korean Film Festival Canada, I can’t help but feel proud of the work of this amazing and hardworking team. It has been a wonderful privilege to work as the ART-Talks Coordinator for this year’s KFFC, and I couldn’t have been successful in this role without the team’s unwavering support. In this role, I’ve also had the honour of working with many talented artists and researchers in curating their ART-Talks. In addition to the ART-Talks main theme of “Perspectives of Women in Film”, an underlying secondary theme stood out to me, a through line connecting many of the ART-Talks of hope for the future: hope for a more equitable Korean film industry, hope for more diverse stories centring underrepresented voices and perspectives, and hope for belonging and community. For me, watching the ART-Talks and festival films is an opportunity to sit down and listen to these voices, as well as to reflect on my own position and privilege in relation to others. And, at the same time, it provides me with hope that I, as an overseas multiracial Korean, and others like me belong and can give back to our communities in myriad ways. My contribution may be small, but I believe my role as the ART-Talks Coordinator added to the larger whole that produced this iteration of the Korean Film Festival Canada, providing a venue to celebrate and share Korean culture through film.