Emily Kim, '22, EAS/AFVS, KI Undergraduate Research Assistantship, Summer 2021

September 15, 2021
Emily Kim

Faculty Project: Professor Haden Guest
Faculty: 
Director, Harvard Film Archive; Senior Lecturer, Department of Art, Film, and Visual Studies


This past summer, I was honored with the opportunity to serve as curatorial and research assistant to the Harvard Film Archive in the creation of a series of programs centered on the topics of Korean Diaspora and Korean Experimental Cinema, to be presented in virtual and in-person screenings this upcoming year. Rooted in the works of the great Korean-American artist Theresa Hak-Kyung Cha, this project has grown in tone and texture in hopes of presenting new considerations of under-represented filmmakers, works, and figures within the Korean diaspora.

My research into these topics grew deeply personal and quickly, emotional, and I feel as though the degree of gracious value placed onto my input throughout this project facilitated this effect; what began as a largely archival research process grew into a reflection of my own role and identity as a Korean-American woman, as the films and works involved continuously engaged with questions of identity, memory, representation, history, and gender as they entwine with considerations of diaspora. Korean-Canadian filmmaker Helen Lee summarizes one apt observation that I found resounded within my own work on the subject–– “I am quite struck by the fact that most Korean American filmmakers are, in fact, women.”

It has been a great honor to be able to hold this role, to conduct this work, and to be able to contribute to the showcasing of Korean art and identity in a space like the Harvard Film Archive in such an exploratory, thorough manner. I am incredibly grateful to both the Korea Institute for their support in this process, as well as to Haden Guest and the Harvard Film Archive for their guidance and care.