Set against the backdrop of a rapidly expanding Seoul in 1994, a lonely 14-year-old Eun-hee moves through life like a hummingbird searching for a taste of sweetness wherever she may find it. Deprived of attention from her family, she roams the neighborhood with her best friend, attempts romantic relationships with both girls and boys alike and is sent to the hospital with an unclear diagnosis. When Young-ji, a new teacher, arrives, she becomes the first adult Eun-hee feels really understands her.
Awards
- KNN Audience Award, NETPAC Award - Busan IFF
- Grand Prix for the Best feature-length film (Generation 14Plus International Jury) - Berlinale Generation
- Golden Tulip Award - Istanbul FF
- Best International Narrative Feature, Best Actress in an International Narrative Feature Film (Ji-hu Park), Best Cinematography in an International Narrative Feature Film (Kang Gook-hyun) - Tribeca FF
- Grand Jury Prize (Official Competition) - Seattle IFF
- Best Screenplay Award - Athens IFF
Festivals
Credits
- Cast
- Park Ji-hu
- Kim Sae-byuk
- Lee Seung-yeon
- Jeong In-gi
- Screenplay
- Bora Kim
- Cinematography
- Gook-hyun Kang
- Editing
- Zoe Sua Cho
- Music
- Matija Strniša
Director's Statement
When writing a coming-of-age story, I had to seriously consider the very meaning of “growth.” In HOUSE OF HUMMINGBIRD, there is no clear contrast, no single glorious achievement that acts as a signifier of change. In the film, Eunhee wants to meet someone who can support her, someone who can show her that she is deserving of love. But that wish doesn’t come easily. Throughout it all, and despite all odds, Eunhee remains resilient. What I really want to convey through this film was this resilience and the subtle beauty encoded in her broken world. Her search for love - familial, romantic, and platonic - leads her to ask questions that the world does not answer. My hope is that the film, HOUSE OF HUMMINGBIRD, will evoke in audiences memories of their own journeys through life, and that they see the grace of ‘constant searching.’
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Press
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It lands on a poignant aftertaste through Kim’s serene attentiveness to the rhythms and details of everyday life with a peaceful style reminiscent of Hirokazu Kore-eda.
Bora Kim
South Korea
Bora Kim is a South Korean filmmaker and holds an MFA in film directing from Columbia University. Her recent short film, THE RECORDER EXAM won numerous awards including the Best Student Filmmaker Award from The Directors Guild of America. The film was also a National Finalist for the 2012 Student Academy Awards.
Kim’s debut feature HOUSE OF HUMMINGBIRD received production support from Korean Film Council, Seoul Film Commission and Asian Cinema Fund of Busan International Film Festival. The film received post-production support from the Sundance Institute’s Feature Film Program and was selected as an IFP Narrative Lab Fellow. HOUSE OF HUMMINGBIRD premiered at Busan International Film Festival in the prestigious New Currents section where it won the NETPAC award and the KNN Audience award.
