Korean-American Transnational Cinema Cultures

This thesis targets Korean-American Transnational Cinema Cultures that particularly explore the cinematic representation of the Korean-American collective diaspora and one of its independent filmmakers’—Justin Chon—position in the industry. By adopting Hamid Naficy’s (2001) framework of Accented Cinema and Critical Transnationalism approach by Will Higbee and Song Hwee Lim (2010), this study investigates the films namely; Seoul Searching (2015) by Benson Lee, Spa Night (2016) by Andrew Ahn, Minari (2020) by Lee Isaac Chung, Gook (2017) and Blue Bayou (2021) by Justin Chon. After exploring the representation of cultural identity on-screen, this study presents a case study on Justin Chon’s constructed celebrity image through a content analysis of his (social) media presence. To understand Chon’s filmmaking practice, his cultural capital of awards, festivals, and prestige also will be investigated through Pierre Bourdieu’s sociology of culture, including cultural capital, habitus, and the field theory. Through a close reading of diasporic characters and narratives in five films and a content analysis of Justin Chon’s case, this thesis ultimately aims to find what Korean-American American Transnational Cinema is.