Reference articles on history, science, culture and more
Encyclopedia

Kim Bora

South Korean filmmaker

Image credit is listed at the end of this article.

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. 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, as well as Korea’s Blue Dragon and Baeksang Arts Awards, often referred to as the Korean Oscars.

01Career

Born 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.

In 2018, after seven years of working on the script and production, her debut film House of Hummingbird was released, winning multiple awards. 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. 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. 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.

02Filmography

  • The Recorder Exam (2011) - director
  • House of Hummingbird (2018) - director, screenwriter, executive producer

03Awards and nominations

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 HummingbirdWon
NETPAC AwardWon
2018 Seoul Independent Film FestivalBest FilmWon
Committee AwardWon
2019 Beijing International Film Festival Best New Film Nominated
Special Mention (Forward Future Award)Won
2019 Bergen International Film FestivalCinema ExtraordinaireWon
2019 Berlin International Film FestivalGrand Prix of the Generation 14plus International Jury for the Best FilmWon
Crystal Bear for Generation 14plus - Best FilmNominated
Teddy for Best Feature FilmNominated
2019 Heartland Film FestivalGrand PrizeWon
2019 Hong Kong Asian Film FestivalNew Talent AwardWon
2019 International Istanbul Film FestivalGolden TulipWon
2019 Jerusalem Film FestivalFIPRESCI PrizeWon
2019 BFI London Film FestivalSutherland TrophyNominated
2019 Seattle International Film FestivalGrand Jury PrizeWon
2019 Molodist International Film FestivalBest Feature FilmWon
FIPRESCI PrizeWon
2019 Taipei Film FestivalGrand PrizeNominated
Special Jury PrizeWon
2019 Transatlantyk FestivalTransatlantyk Distribution Award for Section "New Cinema"Nominated
2019 Tribeca Film FestivalBest International Narrative FeatureWon
2019 Malaysia International Film FestivalBest DirectorWon
2019 Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film FestivalBest Narrative FeatureWon
2019 Blue Dragon Film AwardsBest FilmNominated
Best New DirectorNominated
Best ScreenplayWon
2019 Korean Association of Film Critics Awards Best New DirectorWon
FIPRESCI AwardWon
Top 10 Films of the YearWon
2019 Director's Cut AwardsBest DirectorNominated
Best New DirectorWon
Best ScreenplayNominated
2019 Grand Bell AwardsBest FilmNominated
Best DirectorNominated
Best New DirectorWon
Best ScreenplayNominated
2019 Ale Kino! International Young Audience Film Festival Best FilmNominated
2019 Cine21 AwardsBest Film2nd place
Best New DirectorWon
2019 Chunsa Film Art Awards Best New DirectorNominated
Best ScreenplayNominated
2019 Athens International Film Festival Best Screenplay Won
2019 Cyprus International Film FestivalGlocal ImagesWon
2019 Korean Film Producers Association AwardsBest FilmWon
2019 Cinema Jove-Valencia International Film Festival Best Film Won
Best Directing Won
2019 Heartland Film FestivalGrand Prize for Best Narrative FeatureWon
2019 International Istanbul Film FestivalGolden TulipWon
2019 Ljubljana LGBT Film FestivalPink Dragon Jury AwardWon
2019 Nikkan Sports Film AwardBest Foreign FilmWon
2019 Washington West Film FestivalBest Feature Narrative DirectorWon
2020 Asian Film Critics Association Awards NETPAC Award Best New Director Won
2020 56th Baeksang Arts AwardsBest FilmNominated
Best DirectorWon
Best New DirectorNominated
Best ScreenplayNominated
2020 Black Movie Film Festival Young Adults Jury Award Won
Critics Prize Won
2020 Buil Film AwardsBest FilmWon
Best DirectorNominated
Best New DirectorNominated
Best ScreenplayWon
2020 Wildflower Film AwardsGrand PrizeNominated
Best DirectorNominated
Best ScreenplayNominated
Watch videos about Kim BoraExplainers and documentaries on YouTube (opens in a new tab)

Sources and credits

This article is adapted from the Wikipedia article Kim Bora, written by its contributors and licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Fathomly has changed the layout, removed citation markers, navigation and maintenance notices, and adjusted punctuation. This adapted version is shared under the same license. For references, see the original article.

Images, from Wikimedia Commons:

Fathomly is not affiliated with or endorsed by the Wikimedia Foundation. Spotted a problem? Tell us.