Meet Bo Yoon Ha | Filmmaker

We had the good fortune of connecting with Bo Yoon Ha and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Bo Yoon, why did you pursue a creative career?
I’ve always been very creative. It has always been a way for me to both understand and escape reality. As a kid, I would spend my days playing, writing, or drawing. It’s always been a very intuitive and natural process to create stories and worlds.

In college, my research looked at how aid organizations in Uganda curated only images of poverty and violence to sustain certain perceptions and dynamics. I began to see the power of images and its real life consequences. I wanted to challenge these stereotypes, so I started to make films with my Ugandan friends. This was the beginning of my film career.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
With my films, I am interested in creating feelings of familiarity in unexpected people and places. I think because I don’t really “belong” anywhere, it has somehow given me the ability to find traces of home everywhere. I’m always looking to connect and sometimes find it in the most unexpected ways. If we are open and patient enough, I believe we can always find that connection.

Filmmaking has also somehow become a form of therapy for me. I always start with a very specific emotion that moves me and usually something that relates directly to my personal life at the moment. Then through making the film, I have to actually sit with it and really examine and experience all of the different shades. Since it is such an intimate process, it’s very special when I come across someone who connects with my films that are essentially an extension of myself. I find these connections to be very comforting. It means I am not alone and somehow everything comes back full circle.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Los Angeles is great because we can be outdoors all year long, and there are so many great spots. My favorite parks are Kenneth Hahn, Culver City Park, and Vista Hermosa. I also love the beaches. I like to just drive up the coast and stop at a random beach along the Pacific Coast Highway.

There is also so much good food here from all over the world. I think that is what makes Los Angeles so special. Outside of In-n-Out and street tacos, there is also Mapo Kkak Doo Gee (Korean), Awash (Ethiopian), Annapurna Cuisine (Indian), The Jerk Spot (Jamaican), and so much more.

The art scene is also very inspiring. The Getty is my favorite museum for the art and also the building and location themselves are so beautiful. I love the smaller galleries like the Helen J Gallery and SoLa Contemporary. Leimert Park also hosts great cultural events. And, of course, all of the movie theaters and film events, which are the heart of Los Angeles.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
There is no way to make films alone and it is difficult to find true collaborators. It takes a lot of effort, intentionality, and luck. I look for people that I admire on a professional level, and also trust on a personal level. This is important to me because filmmaking requires so much time spent together, and also real vulnerability.

My last film, “Lamara”, was shot in Uganda with many new challenges, and I was very lucky to work with an incredible team. Mackenzie Horras is a creative producer with the special energy to make things happen. Chinaka Iwunze is a powerhouse screenwriter that always finds the heart of a story. Lia Lenart is an innovative filmmaker that pushes new approaches to filmmaking. Felix Schmilinsky is an intentional cinematographer with an eye for story and beauty. And Jessie Lee is an intuitive editor who can thread the emotion of a film. I would not be the filmmaker I am today without them.

Website: www.boyoonha.com

Instagram: www.instagram.com/boyoonha

Image Credits
Ojok Eddie