Young Man Kang

In this Korean name, the family name is Kang.
Young Man Kang
Born
South Korea
Occupation(s)Film director, producer
Korean name
Hangul
강영만
Revised RomanizationGang Yeong-man
McCune–ReischauerKang Yŏngman
Websitewww.youngmankang.com

Young Man Kang (born April 6, 1966, in South Chungcheong, South Korea) is a South Korean filmmaker based in Los Angeles, California, United States. Kang directed and produced The Last Eve (2005), Soap Girl (2002), Cupid's Mistake (2001) and Kimchi Warrior (2009). He is the director and founder of Seoul Webfest.[1]

Early life

Young Man Kang studied fine arts at Hong-ik University in Seoul, Korea. In 1994, Kang moved to New York City where he studied film at the New School. In 1996, Kang moved to Los Angeles and began his film career working as a director for a television commercial production company.[2]

Career

Between 2000 and 2010, Kang directed five feature films. His feature debut, Cupid's Mistake, was made with a budget of US$980 and held screenings in Los Angeles and New York City. Cupid's Mistake's low budget earned Kang a Guinness World Records award for the lowest film budget on record.[3][4]

In 2013, Kang premiered the documentary Innocence Abandoned: Street Kids of Haiti at the Monaco Charity Film Festival.[5]

Kang created the animated web drama Kimchi Warrior in 2009 to help promote kimchi and taekwondo in entertainment.[6] The animation uses a mix of 2D animation with Flash, Photoshop, and After Effects and includes a character designed by Christopher Nadolski.[7] Kimchi Warrior won several awards at the Los Angeles Web Series Festival including Best Animation and Best Score.[8]

In 2019, Kang released the web series Lotte Haus with the support of the Wetzlar Lotte House in Germany and the Lotte World Tower in Seoul, South Korea. Lotte House is based on Johann Wolfgang von Goethe’s first novel, “The Sorrows of Young Werther”.[9] Lotte Haus won the award for Best Branded Series at the British Web Awards in 2020 as well as several others at various festivals.[10]

Kang's production company, YMK Films, is located in Los Angeles, California.[11]

Seoul Webfest

Kang founded Seoul Webfest (formerly known as Kweb Fest)[12] in July 2015. It takes place yearly in South Korea and is the first web series festival in Korea & Northeast Asia.[13] The event was created as a result of the popularity of web series in Korea.[14] Each year, Seoul Webfest chooses between 100 and 150 web series to screen and offers 30 to 40 awards.[15] Additionally, the festival features panels, question and answer sessions, technology exhibitions, and tours.[16][17]

The event was formally sponsored by the South Korean Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism.[18]

Filmography

  1. Lotte Haus - Director, Producer 2019
  2. Beyond the Border - Director, Producer, Writer (screenplay), Cinematographer, Editor 2009
  3. Haitian Street Kids Revisited - Director, Producer 2009
  4. Kimchi Warrior - Director, Producer, Writer, 2009
  5. Mad Cowgirl - Dirty Ho (as actor) 2006
  6. Koreatown - Producer 2006
  7. The Last Eve - Director, Producer, Writer, Cinematographer 2005
  8. Until the Night - Reporter 2004
  9. Death Valley Diary - Director, Producer, Writer, 2003
  10. Soap Girl - Director, Editor 2002
  11. Secret of the Five Fingers (video) - Cinematographer 2002
  12. Cupid's Mistake - Director, Producer, Writer, Young 2001
  13. 1st Testament CIA Vengeance - Director, Producer, Korean Peace Preservation Agent, Editor 2001
  14. America So Beautiful - Storyboard Artist 2001
  15. Haitian Slave Children (documentary short) - Director, Cinematographer, Editor 2001
  16. Images of Korea (short) - Director, Writer 2000
  17. Desire L.A. (short) - Director, Producer 2000
  18. Rocket's Red Glare - Storyboard Artist 2000
  19. Toilet Lesson (short) - Director, Producer, Writer 2000
  20. The Mao Game - Storyboard Artist 1999
  21. Death of Sunflower - Director, Writer 1999

As Himself

  • KBS Korean Report; Young Man Kang Goes to Hollywood (documentary, 2004)

Awards and honors

Won

See also

References

  1. ^ "(Yonhap Interview) Web series gain ground in media industry: KWweb Fest founder". 19 August 2016.
  2. ^ "YOUNG MAN KANG: CORRECTING CUPID'S MISTAKE | Film Threat". 25 June 2000.
  3. ^ "스카이데일리, "할리우드 진출 도전해 영화감독 꿈 이뤘어요"".
  4. ^ "한국영화 최저예산 영화로 기네스북에 올라".
  5. ^ "FEATURE DOCUMENTARY - Monaco Charity Film Festival". monacocharityfilmfestival.com. Archived from the original on 2021-05-12.
  6. ^ "LA Web Festival to screen 'Kimchi Warrior' – the Korea Times".
  7. ^ "Evolution of Young Man Kang". 22 February 2019.
  8. ^ "Korean American's Web Series Win 3 Awards at LAweb Fest".
  9. ^ "Web Drama Lotte Haus received the Special Jury Award at the 8th Edition DC Webfest 2020". 8 May 2020.
  10. ^ "≪브레이크뉴스≫ 롯데하우스(Lotte Haus), 영국 브리티시 웹어워즈(British Web Awards) 베스트 브랜디드 어워드 수상". 30 November 2020.
  11. ^ "YMK Films".
  12. ^ "Korean Broadcasting System Launches 4 Web Drama Series to Explore Online-Based Content Market". 26 September 2015.
  13. ^ "Young Man Kang Brings KWeb Fest to Seoul".
  14. ^ "[Cine feature] New platforms and new sources for new Korean cinema ② : Web dramas and web movies".
  15. ^ "For a Quick Drama Fix, K-Web Series Supply Hallyu Stars". Forbes.
  16. ^ "Evolution of Young Man Kang". 22 February 2019.
  17. ^ "About".
  18. ^ "K-Web Fest awards WINNER Kang Seung-yoon, 2ne1 Sandara Park – the Korea Times".