Dr. Moon interviews Andrew Ahn, best known for directing the award winning movie, Fire Island. Ahn shares about his experience of coming out to his Korean immigrant parents, how the creative process of film making and being a part of the creative world helped him navigate his identity, and the importance of being a part of community.
ANDREW AHN is a queer Korean American filmmaker born and raised in Los Angeles. Ahn's latest feature FIRE ISLAND (Searchlight Pictures) starring Joel Kim Booster, Bowen Yang, and Margaret Cho is currently streaming on Hulu and Disney+ internationally. The film won the Ensemble Tribute at the 2023 Gotham Awards and a GLAAD Award for Outstanding Film Streaming/TV. It is nominated for two Emmy Awards for Outstanding Television Movie and Outstanding Writing for a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie. Ahn's sophomore feature DRIVEWAYS premiered at the 2019 Berlinale and was nominated for two Independent Spirit Awards for Best First Screenplay and Best Lead Actress for Hong Chau.
Ahn's first film SPA NIGHT premiered at the 2016 Sundance Film Festival in US Dramatic Competition and won a Special Jury Award for Breakthrough Performance. The film went on to win the 2017 John Cassavetes Film Independent Spirit Award.
Ahn has directed fiction and documentary television for Netflix, FX, HBO Max, CBS, Sundance Channel, and KCET. He has promoted diversity in the arts by mentoring youth filmmakers through programs like Pacific Arts Movement’s Reel Voices, Outfest’s OutSet, and the Sundance Institute's Native Filmmaker Lab. He graduated from Brown University and received an MFA from the California Institute of the Arts (CalArts).
You can find him at: andrewahnfilms.com or @andrewahnfilms
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This episode was sponsored by Inclusive Therapists, a simpler, safer way for BIPOC, LGBTQ+ and marginalized folks to find culturally-responsive, identity-affirming mental health care. You can find them at inclusivetherapists.com or @inclusivetherapists.
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