Gina Kim (born 1973, South Korea) is a filmmaker and academic. Kim's five feature-length films and short films have garnered acclaim through screenings at most major film festivals and at venues such as the MOMA , Centre Pompidou and the Smithsonian . According to Film Comment , Kim has "a terrific eye, a gift for near-wordless storytelling, a knack for generating a tense gliding rhythm between images and sounds, shots and scenes, and for yielding a quality of radiance in her actors". Between 2004–2007 and 2013–2014, Kim taught film production and theory classes at Harvard University , being the first Asian woman teaching in her department (Visual and Environmental Studies). Kim was also a member of the Jury for the 66th Venice Film Festival and the Asian Pacific Screen Awards in 2009. Currently, Kim is a professor at the UCLA School of Theater, Film, and Television .
53-559: Gina Kim may refer to: Gina Kim (filmmaker) Gina Kim (golfer) [REDACTED] Topics referred to by the same term This disambiguation page lists articles about people with the same name. If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended article. Retrieved from " https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Gina_Kim&oldid=1137701796 " Category : Human name disambiguation pages Hidden categories: Short description
106-408: A few scratches; 18-year-old Yoo Ji-hwan was pulled out after nearly twelve days; and a man rescued after nine days reported that other trapped survivors had drowned from the rain and from the water used for fire suppression. The collapse killed 502 people and injured about 937 people. About 1,500 people were trapped inside the structure. Rescue attempts lasted over the course of many days leading to
159-703: A historical and political issue into a personal and concrete experience. This film was shot on location where the crime took place, bringing to light ongoing experiences at the 96 camp towns near or around the US military bases. Bloodless was awarded the Best VR Story Award at the 74th Venice Film Festival . Tearless (2021) was awarded the Reflet d'Or for the best immersive work at the 27th Geneva International Film Festival . Kim received her Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from Seoul National University in 1996 before moving to
212-597: A multimedia photo book essay based on Kim's feature length documentary Faces of Seoul (2009). In 2018 Kim was listed as one of the "Top Teachers in Film, TV" by Variety magazine. Sampoong Department Store On June 29, 1995, the Sampoong Department Store ( Korean : 삼풍백화점 ; Hanja : 三豐百貨店) in Seoul, South Korea , collapsed due to a structural failure . The collapse killed 502 people and injured 937, making it
265-511: A number of the store's executives and the company responsible for completing the building. At first, families of the victims were asking for an average of $ 250,000 each. However, the City of Seoul, representing the store's owner, offered to pay $ 220,000 for each victim, arguing that he could not afford to pay more. Two months after the collapse, Lee Joon and Lee Han-sang submitted a jointly-signed memo to Seoul, offering their entire wealth to compensate
318-458: A single dominant perspective." Praised as a "palimpsest of time" by Seoul National University Professor Min Eun Kyung, Faces of Seoul combines both original and archival footage, including video taken by Kim herself of the infamous Sampoong Department Store collapse in 1995. Faces of Seoul premiered at the 2009 Venice Film Festival , where Kim was invited to be a jury member. Subsequently, she
371-574: A territory-trotting narrative, where every place is made to seem like home". Final Recipe also opened the Culinary Cinema section of the 2014 Berlin Film Festival . In January 2015, Final Recipe was announced as the first official co-production between China and South Korea. The film was wide released in China on August 26, 2016 and opened on 3,240 theaters nationwide. The film will be released in
424-504: Is different from Wikidata All article disambiguation pages All disambiguation pages Gina Kim (filmmaker) In 1995, upon moving to the United States for her MFA, Kim began shooting Gina Kim's Video Diary . In it, Kim realizes a vision of the modern female nomad—one who travels fluidly not only between Asia and America, but between multiple languages, film genres, and personal, local and cinematic histories. Screened at
477-423: Is the first English-language film made by an Asian director with all Asian stars, and it can be seen as Kim's response to any sense of a single dominating Asian culture, as well as Hollywood's past appropriations of Asia. It features actors and crew from all over the continent, such China, Japan, South Korea, Singapore and Thailand. The Hollywood Reporter commends Kim for how "she conjures a non-exotic piece out of
530-512: The Berlin Film Festival , Gina Kim's Video Diary was described in the catalogue as "an extremely personal account of one' woman's fears, fantasies and projections" that "provides the viewer with an unusual self-portrait that is deeply unsettling, moving and life-affirming", and now it is frequently cited as a classic in the genre of personal documentaries. Following Gina Kim's Video Diary , Kim began making fiction films to further many of
583-413: The 1980s, and it resulted in a review of South Korean safety regulations; the disaster also revealed the level of corruption and greed among city officials, who were willing to accept bribes with little regard for public safety. Following the Sampoong Department Store collapse, inspectors identified key factors contributing to the disaster: Over five years, these issues weakened the structure, leading to
SECTION 10
#1732948170463636-523: The 2004 Seoul Women's Film Festival, Invisible Light has been screened at more than 23 film festivals and in over 15 countries. Kim's next film, Never Forever , premiered at the 2007 Sundance Film Festival and was nominated for its Grand Jury Prize. Starring Vera Farmiga and Ha Jung-woo , Never Forever engages the generic conventions of melodrama to examine facets of gender, sexuality, race and class for both women and Koreans in America. Never Forever
689-532: The Seochu District government, forcing the Seoul Metropolitan Government to mediate the dispute. In a controversial move, the memorial was built elsewhere and the land sold off to a private developer. The site of the collapse is now home to a luxury apartment complex, Acrovista Apartments, whose construction began in 2001 and was completed in 2004. The incumbent Korean president Yoon Suk-yeol
742-572: The US and South Korea in 2017. Bloodless is a 12 minute VR film that deals with camp town sex workers for US army personnel stationed in South Korea since the 1950s. The film traces the last living moments of a real-life sex worker who was brutally murdered by a US soldier at the Dongducheon Camptown in South Korea in 1992. Portraying the last hours of her life in the camp town, the VR film transposes
795-512: The United States to attend the California Institute of the Arts where she received her Masters of Fine Arts in 1999. Between 2004–2007, and 2013–2014, Kim has taught film production and theory classes at Harvard University , being the first Asian woman teaching in her department. Kim's Korean Cinema course was also the first of its kind taught at an Ivy League college, and in 2005 she curated
848-428: The addition of a fifth floor including restaurants and heavy restaurant equipment, all contributed to the building's eventual failure. The final design had less than half of the required strength but despite this managed to stand for almost five years. Investigators finally pinpointed the direct cause of the collapse, known as the "trigger" or tipping point, in the building's history. It was revealed that two years before
901-438: The basement. On the morning of June 29, the number of cracks in the area increased dramatically, prompting store management to close parts of the top floor. However, the management failed to shut the building down or issue formal evacuation orders, as the number of customers in the building at the time was unusually high, and management did not want to lose the day's revenue. When civil engineering experts were invited to inspect
954-500: The blueprints were changed by the future chairman of Sampoong Group's construction division, Lee Joon, to instead create a large department store . This involved cutting away a number of support columns to install escalators and the addition of a fifth floor (originally meant as a roller skating rink but later changed to a food court ). Woosung refused to carry out these changes due to serious structural concerns. In response, Lee Joon fired them and used his own company to complete
1007-566: The building, but it was too late. The roof gave way and the air conditioning units crashed onto the overloaded fifth floor which then gave way. In less than twenty seconds, the building's main columns (which had been weakened by the installation of the escalators) failed, followed by all the columns in the south wing. The store's south wing then collapsed completely into the basement, killing 502 people and trapping more than 1,500 inside. The disaster resulted in property damage totaling about ₩270 billion (about US$ 206 million). Rescue crews were on
1060-421: The collapse, the building's three rooftop air-conditioning units had been moved because of noise complaints from neighbors on the east side of the building. The building's managers admitted noticing cracks in the roof during the move, but instead of lifting them with a crane, the units were put on rollers and dragged across the roof, further destabilizing the surface by each unit's immense weight. Cracks formed in
1113-418: The columns are too narrow, they can punch through the slab. Examination of the building showed the concrete columns installed were only 60 cm in diameter, below the required 80 cm shown in the plans. Worse still, the number of steel reinforcement bars embedded into the concrete was 8, not the required 16, which gave the building only half its needed strength. Steel reinforcements intended to strengthen
SECTION 20
#17329481704631166-406: The columns worsened because the columns supporting the fifth floor were not aligned with the ones supporting lower floors, thus causing the load of the fifth floor to be transferred through the slab. In April 1995, cracks began to appear in the ceiling of the fifth floor in the south wing, but the only response by Lee Joon and staff management was to move merchandise and stores from the top floor to
1219-402: The concrete support columns that introduced structural concerns. Lee Joon ultimately used his own company to complete construction. Investigators blamed the collapse primarily on the column specifications which were incorrect for a flat-slab building design. On December 27, 1995, Lee Joon was convicted of criminal negligence and sentenced to 10 years and 6 months imprisonment. His sentence
1272-462: The concrete floor were placed 10 cm from the top instead of 5 cm, decreasing the structure's strength by about another 20%. Fire shields were installed around all escalators to prevent the spread of fire from floor to floor, but to install them, the support columns were cut, further reducing their diameter. The reduced diameter concentrated the load on a smaller area of the slab, leading to an eventual puncturing of it. Those factors, along with
1325-400: The construction industry. These measures aimed to prevent future disasters and restore public confidence in the safety of South Korea's buildings and infrastructure. The remains of the store were demolished shortly after the collapse and the recovery operations; the site remained vacant until 2000. The families of the victims requested that a memorial be built on the site, but it was opposed by
1378-491: The executives left the building safely before the collapse occurred. At about 5:00 p.m., KST (UTC+9:00), as the fifth floor ceiling began to sink, store workers finally closed off all customer access to the fifth floor. Fifty-seven minutes before the collapse, the store was packed with hundreds of shoppers, but still, Lee Joon did not close the store or attempt any repairs. At about 5:52 p.m., cracking sounds could be heard and workers began to sound alarms and evacuate
1431-568: The families of the victims. As a result, the Sampoong Group ceased to exist. The settlement involved 3,293 cases, totaling ₩375.8 billion (about $ 300 million). Payouts were complete by 2003. The initial reaction of the disaster was an enormous public outrage that led to months of public demonstrations on the streets of Seoul. The disaster led to skepticism and fears regarding safety standards on other engineering projects undertaken as South Korea had experienced an economic boom during
1484-402: The investigation focused on structural failure, it was initially believed the building's poorly-laid foundation and the unstable ground that it was built on, both led to the failure. Investigation of the rubble revealed that a substandard concrete mix of cement and seawater and poorly- reinforced concrete was used for the ceilings and walls. Further investigation revealed that the building
1537-516: The largest peacetime disaster in South Korean history . It was the deadliest non-deliberate modern building collapse until the 2013 Rana Plaza factory collapse in Bangladesh. Construction on the store began in 1987 and was completed in 1990. The company initially contracted to build the structure withdrew after the chairman of Sampoong Group's construction division, Lee Joon, demanded changes to
1590-400: The remains of the store being steadied by guy cables. At one point, Korea Telecom was transmitting a signal every half hour, designed to trigger cellphones or pagers that trapped survivors might be carrying. After nearly a week, the focus was on removing the debris, but construction crews continued to search for victims. Two weeks after the collapse, city officials concluded that anybody who
1643-456: The rescue of a few survivors, including two that were pulled from the wreckage after a week. The investigation of the collapse was headed by Professor Chung Lan ( Korean : 정란, Hanja : 鄭鑾) of Dankook University 's engineering school. Shortly after the collapse, leaking gas was suspected as the probable cause because two gas explosions had occurred elsewhere in Seoul that year. However, the fires in
Gina Kim - Misplaced Pages Continue
1696-400: The roof leading to a greater structural strain. The air conditioning was also exceedingly loud and led to noise complaints by customers. As a result of the complaints, in 1993, the air conditioning units were dragged across the overloaded roof, resulting in cracking. The units were moved over column 5E, where the most visible cracks in the fifth floor were seen before the collapse. The cracks in
1749-416: The roof slabs and the main support columns were forced downward. Column 5E took a direct hit, forming cracks at the position connected to the fifth-floor restaurants. According to survivor accounts, each time the air conditioners were switched on, the vibrations radiated through the cracks, reaching the supporting columns and widening the cracks, over the course of two years. On the day of the collapse, although
1802-449: The rubble were from burning automotive gasoline coming from crushed cars parked in the underground garage, and a gas explosion would have been significantly larger. It was also widely feared that there had been a terrorist attack, with North Korea as the prime suspect. However, the fact the building collapsed downward, with little debris thrown outward, ruled out a significant explosion, according to South Korean and American experts. Once
1855-414: The same concerns as her documentary work. Invisible Light (2003) tracks the physical and psychological journeys of two Korean/Korean-American women, which led Cahiers du Cinéma to call it "a little block of feminine hardness and repressed anger". Senses of Cinema also asserts that "Kim's rigorous mise-en-scene matches the unflinching singularity of her vision." In addition to winning the special award at
1908-415: The scene within minutes of the disaster, with cranes and other heavy equipment being brought in the next day. However, Seoul's mayor, Choi Pyong-yol, announced the rescue would be called off due to concerns that the unstable remains of the store would collapse. After massive protests, especially from friends and relatives of those still missing, Choi and officials agreed to continue looking for survivors, with
1961-686: The series "Visions from the South: South Korean Films from 1960–2003" at the Harvard Film Archive . As acknowledgment of special contribution to the teaching of undergraduates at Harvard College, she was awarded a Certificate of Teaching Excellence from Harvard University in October 2014. Kim became a professor at the UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television in 2017. In 2017, L'atelier des Cahiers published Séoul, Visages d'une Ville ,
2014-634: The shear failure of slabs around key pillars, resulting in the building's total collapse. The disaster spurred significant reforms in South Korea's construction industry, leading to comprehensive changes in building standards and legislation to prevent future tragedies. Several new laws were enacted to enhance building safety and accountability: The disaster was a pivotal event that led to significant reforms in South Korea's building standards and regulatory practices. The new laws and regulations were designed to enhance building safety, improve structural integrity, and ensure greater accountability and transparency in
2067-434: The store's construction instead. The building was completed in late 1989, and the department store opened to the public on July 7, 1990, attracting an estimated 40,000 people per day during the building's five years of existence. The store consisted of north and south wings connected by an atrium . The completed building was a flat- slab structure without crossbeams or a steel skeleton, which effectively meant that there
2120-424: The structure, a cursory check revealed that the building was at risk of collapse. The facility's manager also examined the slab in one of the fifth-floor restaurants only hours before the collapse. Five hours before the collapse, the first of several loud bangs was heard emanating from the top floors, as the vibration of the air conditioning caused the cracks in the slabs to widen further. Amid customer complaints about
2173-560: The time, almost all buildings were being erected by South Korean companies, which typically built the structures quickly because of the large number of projects assigned to them. The Sampoong Group began construction of the Sampoong Department Store in 1987 over a tract of land in the Seocho District previously used as a landfill . The building's plans originally called for a residential apartment building with four floors to be built by Woosung Construction. However, during construction,
Gina Kim - Misplaced Pages Continue
2226-422: The units were shut off, it was too late, the structure had suffered irreversible damage, and the fifth floor slab around column 5E finally gave way. During his interrogation with Professor Chung, Lee Joon sparked further controversy by saying that his main concern was that the collapse of the store not only harmed the customers, but also inflicted great financial damage to his company. On December 27, 1995, Lee Joon
2279-403: The vibration, the air conditioning was turned off, but the cracks in the floors had already grown to 10 cm (3.9 in) wide. An emergency board meeting was held when it became clear that the building's collapse was inevitable. The directors suggested that all staff and customers should be evacuated, but Lee Joon violently refused to do so for fear of revenue losses. However, Lee Joon and
2332-469: Was a chief administrator of the area where the store was located, was sentenced to three years in jail for bribery . Hwang Chol-Min, a former chief for the area, was found guilty of accepting a ₩12 million bribe from Lee Joon, and was sentenced to 10 years in prison. Other participating officials, including a former chief administrator of the Seocho district, were also jailed. Other parties sentenced included
2385-409: Was built with incorrect application of a technique called " flat slab construction ". Reinforced concrete buildings are often built by using columns and beams, with the floor slab supported over the full length of the beams. "Flat slab construction" does not use beams but supports the floor slab directly on the columns. The area of floor around the columns must be reinforced in order to carry the load; if
2438-534: Was featured in L'Uomo Vogue as one of the "Talents of Venice". Kim's most recent film is 2013's Final Recipe , a Thai-Korean co-production starring Michelle Yeoh and Henry Lau . It premiered at the 2013 San Sebastian Film Festival as the opening film for the Culinary Zinema section and was invited to be the opening film for the Hawaii International Film Festival . Final Recipe
2491-661: Was found guilty of criminal negligence and received a prison sentence of ten and a half years. Prosecutors originally asked for Lee Joon's sentence of twenty years, but was reduced to seven and a half years on appeal. Lee Joon died on October 4, 2003, months after his release from prison, of complications from diabetes, high blood pressure and kidney disease. Lee Joon's son and the store's CEO, Lee Han-sang, received seven years for accidental homicide and corruption. Following his release from prison in 2002, Lee Han-sang worked as an evangelist in Mongolia . City official Lee Chung-Woo, who
2544-564: Was later lessened to 7 years and 6 months on appeal. His son, Lee Han-sang, was convicted of corruption and accidental homicide and sentenced to 7 years imprisonment. Additionally, two city planners from the Seocho District of Seoul were convicted of taking bribes . In the events leading up to the 1988 Summer Olympics , there was a large development boom in the Seoul Capital Area . Because of bans against international construction contractors signing contracts for projects in Seoul at
2597-416: Was more load on each column than there would have been if the columns had been closer together. The fifth-story restaurant floor had a heated concrete base referred to as ondol , which has hot water pipes going through it; the presence of the 1.2-metre-thick (4 ft) ondol greatly increased the weight and thickness of the slab. The store's three 15-tonne air conditioning units were installed on
2650-411: Was no way to transfer the load across the floors. To maximise the floor space, Lee Joon ordered the floor columns to be reduced to be 60 cm (24 in) thick, instead of the minimum of 80 cm (31 in) in the original blueprint that was required for the building to stand safely, and the columns were spaced 11 metres (36 ft) apart to maximize retail space, a decision that meant that there
2703-693: Was nominated as Best New Director for the Grand Bell Awards (South Korea's Academy Awards), and Never Forever won the Jury Prize at the 2007 Deauville American Film Festival . Following a commission by the Korea Foundation, Kim returned to her documentary work and created a video essay called Faces of Seoul , which "reveals Korea's capital as a dynamic place where these opposing concepts—language vs. image, tradition vs. modern, native knowledge vs. exotic encounter—rub against each other without yielding
SECTION 50
#17329481704632756-409: Was still in the building must have already died; therefore, further efforts would be made only towards "recovery", not "rescue". Despite the sweltering heat, some who were not rescued in the first few days avoided dehydration by drinking rainwater. The last to be rescued, 19-year-old store clerk Park Seung-hyun ( Korean : 박승현, Hanja : 朴勝賢), was pulled from the wreckage 17 days after the collapse with
2809-451: Was the first co-production between the United States and South Korea, and it was commended by Variety for "Kim's highly sensitive camera", which "turns the film into a chamber-piece hushed eroticism and surprising narrative grip". Martin Scorsese has also called the film, "A moving experience [in which] the performances are wonderful and touching, and the style...intense and very precise." Kim
#462537