Kim Bora (Korean: 김보라) is a South Korean filmmaker with an MFA in Film Directing from Columbia University. She is represented by Creative Artists Agency (CAA). Her debut feature film, House of Hummingbird, premiered at the Berlin International Film Festival, where it won the Best Film Award in the Generation section. House of Hummingbird was named one of the classics of modern South Korean cinema by The Guardian, as well as a New York Times Critics’ Pick.[1][2] It went on to receive 62 awards from prestigious festivals, including Tribeca Film Festival, BFI London Film Festival, Istanbul Film Festival, and the Busan International Film Festival,[3] as well as Korea’s Blue Dragon and Baeksang Arts Awards—often referred to as the Korean Oscars.
Kim Bora 김보라 | |
|---|---|
 Kim in 2019 | |
| Born | November 30, 1981 |
| Education | Kyewon Arts High School Dongguk University (B.A.) Columbia University (M.F.A.) |
| Occupation | Filmmaker |
| Years active | 2018–present |
| Notable work | |
| Korean name | |
| Hangul | 김보라 |
| RR | Gim Bora |
| MR | Kim Pora |
Career
editBorn in South Korea in 1981, Kim Bora graduated from Dongguk University with a degree in film. In 2007, she left for Columbia University in the U.S., and received a Masters of Fine Arts in film directing. Her film The Recorder Exam (2011) was her created graduation film project, and it won Best Student Filmmaker for the East Region from the Directors Guild of America. After the release of the film, Kim began to work on the script that would be based on her own childhood. Later, she moved back to Korea and gave lectures in the colleges where she studied.[4]
In 2018, after seven years of working on the script and production, her debut film House of Hummingbird was released, winning multiple awards.[4] The film also received production support from the Korean Film Council (KOFIC), Seoul Film Commission, as well as Asian Cinima Fund of Busan International Film Festival.[5] House of Hummingbird is a coming-of-age film about a girl, Eun-hee, who was a part of the expanding 1990's economy, and, due to her flawed family, is searching for validation through love and reasons to continue living.[6][7][8] Kim said that the incidents in this film are based on incidents and events that occurred throughout her childhood, after having a nightmare while living in New York and decided to understand what she had gone through.[1][4][8]
Filmography
edit- The Recorder Exam (2011) - director
- House of Hummingbird (2018) - director, screenwriter, executive producer
Awards and nominations
edit| Year | Awards | Category | Recipient | Result | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 2011 DGA Student Awards | Best Woman Student Filmmaker- East Region | The Recorder Exam | Won | |
| 2011 | Woodstock Film Festival | Best Student Short Film | Won | ||
| 2018 | Busan International Film Festival | KNN Award | House of Hummingbird | Won | |
| NETPAC Award | Won | ||||
| 2018 | Seoul Independent Film Festival | Best Film | Won | ||
| Committee Award | Won | ||||
| 2019 | Beijing International Film Festival | Best New Film | Nominated | ||
| Special Mention (Forward Future Award) | Won | ||||
| 2019 | Bergen International Film Festival | Cinema Extraordinaire | Won | ||
| 2019 | Berlin International Film Festival | Grand Prix of the Generation 14plus International Jury for the Best Film | Won | ||
| Crystal Bear for Generation 14plus - Best Film | Nominated | ||||
| Teddy for Best Feature Film | Nominated | ||||
| 2019 | Heartland Film Festival | Grand Prize | Won | [9] | |
| 2019 | Hong Kong Asian Film Festival | New Talent Award | Won | ||
| 2019 | International Istanbul Film Festival | Golden Tulip | Won | ||
| 2019 | Jerusalem Film Festival | FIPRESCI Prize | Won | ||
| 2019 | BFI London Film Festival | Sutherland Trophy | Nominated | ||
| 2019 | Seattle International Film Festival | Grand Jury Prize | Won | ||
| 2019 | Molodist International Film Festival | Best Feature Film | Won | ||
| FIPRESCI Prize | Won | ||||
| 2019 | Taipei Film Festival | Grand Prize | Nominated | ||
| Special Jury Prize | Won | ||||
| 2019 | Transatlantyk Festival | Transatlantyk Distribution Award for Section "New Cinema" | Nominated | ||
| 2019 | Tribeca Film Festival | Best International Narrative Feature | Won | ||
| 2019 | Malaysia International Film Festival | Best Director | Won | ||
| 2019 | Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival | Best Narrative Feature | Won | ||
| 2019 | Blue Dragon Film Awards | Best Film | Nominated | ||
| Best New Director | Nominated | ||||
| Best Screenplay | Won | ||||
| 2019 | Korean Association of Film Critics Awards | Best New Director | Won | ||
| FIPRESCI Award | Won | ||||
| Top 10 Films of the Year | Won | ||||
| 2019 | Director's Cut Awards | Best Director | Nominated | [10] | |
| Best New Director | Won | ||||
| Best Screenplay | Nominated | ||||
| 2019 | Grand Bell Awards | Best Film | Nominated | [11] | |
| Best Director | Nominated | ||||
| Best New Director | Won | ||||
| Best Screenplay | Nominated | ||||
| 2019 | Ale Kino! International Young Audience Film Festival | Best Film | Nominated | ||
| 2019 | Cine21 Awards | Best Film | 2nd place | ||
| Best New Director | Won | ||||
| 2019 | Chunsa Film Art Awards | Best New Director | Nominated | [12] | |
| Best Screenplay | Nominated | ||||
| 2019 | Athens International Film Festival | Best Screenplay | Won | ||
| 2019 | Cyprus International Film Festival | Glocal Images[a] | Won | ||
| 2019 | Korean Film Producers Association Awards | Best Film | Won | ||
| 2019 | Cinema Jove-Valencia International Film Festival | Best Film | Won | ||
| Best Directing | Won | ||||
| 2019 | Heartland Film Festival | Grand Prize for Best Narrative Feature | Won | ||
| 2019 | International Istanbul Film Festival | Golden Tulip | Won | ||
| 2019 | Ljubljana LGBT Film Festival | Pink Dragon Jury Award | Won | ||
| 2019 | Nikkan Sports Film Award | Best Foreign Film | Won | ||
| 2019 | Washington West Film Festival | Best Feature Narrative Director | Won | ||
| 2020 | Asian Film Critics Association Awards | NETPAC Award Best New Director | Won | ||
| 2020 | 56th Baeksang Arts Awards | Best Film | Nominated | [13] | |
| Best Director | Won | ||||
| Best New Director | Nominated | ||||
| Best Screenplay | Nominated | ||||
| 2020 | Black Movie Film Festival | Young Adults Jury Award | Won | ||
| Critics Prize | Won | ||||
| 2020 | Buil Film Awards | Best Film | Won | ||
| Best Director | Nominated | ||||
| Best New Director | Nominated | ||||
| Best Screenplay | Won | ||||
| 2020 | Wildflower Film Awards | Grand Prize | Nominated | ||
| Best Director | Nominated | ||||
| Best Screenplay | Nominated |
Notes
edit- ↑ with Mass Ornament Films
References
edit- 1 2 "Classics of modern South Korean cinema – ranked!". The Guardian. Retrieved April 24, 2026.
- ↑ "'House of Hummingbird' Review: Picture a Girl, Picture a World". The New York Times. Retrieved April 24, 2026.
- ↑ "KIM Bora". Korean Film Biz Zone. Retrieved April 24, 2026.
- 1 2 3 "KIM Bora". Korean Film Biz Zone. Retrieved March 6, 2020.
- ↑ "Emerging Korean Storytellers: Bora Kim and KyungMook Kim". Indiana University Cinema. Retrieved April 4, 2020.[permanent dead link]
- ↑ "'House of Hummingbird' Review: A Sublime Coming-of-Age Movie That Lingers on the Mind and Heart". /Film. April 27, 2019. Retrieved March 6, 2020.
- ↑ "HOUSE OF HUMMINGBIRD Director KIM Bora". Korean Film Biz Zone. Retrieved April 4, 2020.
- 1 2 "Coming of Age in Korea: Kim Bora Discusses "House of Hummingbird"". MUBI. April 27, 2019. Retrieved April 4, 2020.
- ↑ "Heartland Intl Film Festival 2019 Award Winners - HOUSE OF HUMMINGBIRD and FOR SAMA Win Top Prizes". VIMOOZ. October 21, 2019. Retrieved April 4, 2020.
- ↑ Jo, Hyun-joo (December 13, 2019). "봉준호 감독, 디렉터스컷어워즈 감독상 영예...송강호X한지민 배우상". YTN. Retrieved June 9, 2020.
- ↑ Lee, Jae-lim (June 4, 2020). "'Parasite' scoops five awards at Daejong Film Awards". Korea JoongAng Daily. Retrieved June 5, 2020.
- ↑ Park, Ah-reum (March 9, 2020). "'엑시트' 개최 연기 춘사영화제 6개 부문 최다 노미네이트" [Held 'Exit' Acting Chunsa Film Festival's 6 Nominations]. Newsen (in Korean). Archived from the original on May 11, 2020. Retrieved May 11, 2020 – via Naver.
- ↑ MacDonald, Joan (June 5, 2020). "2020 Baeksang Arts Awards Honor The Best Korean Dramas And Films". Forbes. Archived from the original on June 5, 2020. Retrieved June 5, 2020.