Kickstart This: Remember O Goddess

Remember O Goddess from Yoon Jung Lee on Vimeo.

Remember O Goddess is the first time a backer from a Kickstarter campaign has actively approached cineAWESOME! about writing about a project. Not to say director Yoon Jung Lee hasn’t talked to me rather convincingly about her plans to turn the wonderful 25 minute short film I’ve embedded above into a feature film, but the level of passion and dedication that I see in the backers surrounding this project make this one to watch as they count down the last 5 days of their campaign. I regret not blogging about this film directly sooner, but the last month I have been finishing my graduate school thesis and was fairly sick for a week somewhere in there. So let me atone o goddess for my transgression and lay out why I think that this is an interesting campaign and one that has a potential impact on the Korean independent market.

I see many Kickstarter campaigns, and, when I can, I have been known to back projects that I find particularly important or interesting. Remember O Goddess is one that I would fund, if graduate school hadn’t wiped my account clean.

The quality of the short film is one of the reasons for this. It has an interesting noir aesthetic, a great acting turn by Kim Jungtae, and a good script. Even the model Choi A-ra is great as the store clerk. Unfortunately I have not had the time to sit and really write how I feel about this short, and how excited I was to see something that actually made me sit up and say “This is why I started writing about Korean film”, but Paul Quinn has been covering the film since the beginning of the campaign. His review over at Hangul Celluloid is not only a great review, but also matches how I felt when watching this.

The synopsis of the film from the Kickstarter campaign page:

In the middle of the night, a man reports the disappearance of himself to the police office. He has lost his memory. He can only remember from the moment he found himself left alone in an apartment. He tries to find any clue as to who he might be, but nothing comes out. When he plucks up the courage to go out, he meets a girl at a convenience store, who he thinks might know him. Instantly she becomes his only hope and joy, but when he returns, she has disappeared. Then his quest to find someone who remembers him becomes greater than his need for his own memories. Will he be able to reconnect with a lost love?

Kickstarter has gained a lot of headlines recently for recent wild successes (Google Double Fine, Amanda Palmer, or Order of the Stick along with Kickstarter to see what I mean). What attracts me to Remember O Goddess isn’t just the idea behind the film, or that it is a Korean independent film (something I believe strongly in), but that Yoon Jung Lee and her team have built a community of support around this project. Sure Jung Woo-sung (The Good, The Bad and The Weird) giving support to the project is impressive, but what strikes me are the passionate videos made by the backers.

This is an interesting project and if it succeeds (right now they are more than 88% of the way there and only need to raise another $3275 dollars so it is seeming like it will) I hope that it instigates more directors from Korea to take note and engage with a community that is there (even if it is international) to support them.

Yoon Jung Lee has done a remarkable job at running this campaign. She and her backers have created a sense of community that is imperative for a successful Kickstarter campaign. She regularly updates the Kickstarter page and has worked hard to get her idea out there to the community. This is a film that has a fully formed idea, has already proven its worth as a short, and has a cast and crew with impressive film work already behind them.

Again I will link to Hangul Celluloid (because really everyone should have that site bookmarked) and Paul’s interview with the director. This is a woman who has a vision, is willing to work hard to get it done, and most importantly has the confidence to get it done. Supporting this film not only supports Korean independent film, but Korean women directors, a voice that is sadly marginalized in a male dominated industry.

So go to this Kickstarter page and check out the information. Consider backing this film. I for one would like to see it made so we can all discuss it at next year’s Korean Blogathon.

Alua over at Otherwhere posts about Remember O Goddess.

Julyssa Diaz interviews Yoon Jung Lee over at Yam Magazine.

HanCinema interview.

Remember O Goddess Official Site.

Remember O Goddess Facebook Page.

Remember O Goddess Twitter.