Meet Hungyu Kuo | Film Director

We had the good fortune of connecting with Hungyu Kuo and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Hungyu, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
I formed a film production company, Angels Near Death LLC because I have always been passionate about filmmaking. Nothing is more meaningful than improving the world by doing something I love. For over one hundred years, films have educated people, entertained the crowd, and driven social changes. Moreover, films have helped me escape from bitter reality, altered my thinking, and given me a unique outlet to express myself. If the medium of film had never existed, I would not have become who I am now.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I was born in Taoyuan, Taiwan, and spent my formative years in Kaohsiung. While studying Linguistics and English literature at the National Kaohsiung Normal University, I created short films and plays, including “Overact,” a musical that debuted at Kaohsiung Cultural Center in 2019. Following my acceptance to the New York Film Academy, I moved to Burbank, California, in 2022. There, I wrote, directed, and produced two short films, “Resurrection” and “Turn,” symbolizing the beginning of my professional career in filmmaking. In 2024, I launched a film production company, Angels Near Death LLC, to produce my directorial debut, a theatrical motion picture titled Angels Near Death. The film is either a dark comedy of interweaving stories that weave together to make the tapestry of life or intertwined lives like many strings are woven to create a hangman’s noose. Six eccentric strangers, including a set dresser, an actor, a journalist, a nurse, a photographer, and a film director living in the City of Angels, cross paths after near-death experiences, interweaving the journey of love, death, and the human spirit. With a nonlinear narrative like “Pulp Fiction,” I can establish the complexity of interpersonal relationships and celebrate the unexpected in life. I’ll follow “The Holy Mountain” aesthetic plus some German Expressionism to build a world constantly shifting between the living world and the afterlife. My film, Angels Near Death, will bridge the gap between reality and dreams, life and movies, encouraging people to live their lives to the fullest. My thirst for making the movie is to catch people like an angel when they fall off the brink of despair.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
I will take my friends to eat, drink, and show off our lightsabers in the happiest place on earth. Disneyland and Disney California Adventure Park have all kinds of signature rides and food that I consider the best in California, and their resort, Disney’s Grand California Hotel & Spa, even provides unlimited free delicious chocolate.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
First, I want to thank my parents, Teddy Kuo and Jenny Wu, for their unconditional love and support. Second, I want to thank my love, Yijia Sun, for giving me strength and hope. Finally, I want to thank my friend, Ian Chen, for always being there for me. With them, I will achieve my dream of becoming a big-time Hollywood film director.

Website: https://www.hungyuhenrykuo.com/angels-near-death-english

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/angelsneardeathfilm/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/angelsneardeath

Seed&Spark: https://seedandspark.com/fund/angels-near-death#story

Image Credits
Angels Near Death Poster – Deigned by Hungyu Kuo Turn Poster – Designed by Tsaiwei Yen Resurrection Poster – Designed by Ssuyu Chen