Invisible Monsters Illustration

I stumbled upon one of my older illustrations recently. It's an interesting process to evaluate your own art and see how your art practice (and personal art history) has evolved. This is a scan from an old sketchbook.


"If I can't be beautiful, I want to be invisible."
- Chuck Palahniuk, Invisible Monsters

Illustration by Minhae Shim (2009/2010)

R.I.P. Philip Seymour Hoffman

I was very saddened to hear that Philip Seymour Hoffman passed away today. He had been on our minds recently and we were shocked to hear the news. I began painting a mixed-media portrait of him a couple months ago and recently finished the piece (Danny and I had been finishing the digital prints for the last week). My colleagues and I had been in touch with his publicist in January about possibly writing for The Independent's film distribution book. And, we had recently just watched the Her spoof with Philip Seymour Hoffman's voice.

He was a fantastic artist, who made us laugh, cry, sometimes cringe and, above all, helped appreciate the art of indie film. We truly loved seeing his performances up on the big screen. R.I.P. Philip Seymour Hoffman: we wish you had been able to see this portrait, which we hope is a tribute to you and your legacy. 

The Motherhood Archives on Women Make Movies

The Motherhood Archives, a documentary by Irene Lusztig is a project that looks at histories of childbirth in the 20th century using an extensive archive of maternal educational films from 1919 to present day. The film explores ideologies and cinematic discourses of childbirth and motherhood.

I wrote about Irene and The Motherhood Archives when it screened the Cliffe Connections film series at the Schlesinger Library in September. I had the honor of working on this film while Irene was a fellow at the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study, and I am now working on the project in the distribution stage.

Here is the trailer:



The film is being distributed by Women Make Movies, and is now available on their website on DVD. See their website for more information about purchasing/renting the film. 

This experimental, exploratory documentary about motherhood and childbirth is unusual and beautiful, and was created using a breadth of archival footage from Schlesinger Library. For more information, see the film's website, check out Irene's interview for The New Inquiry, or find The Motherhood Archives on Facebook.

Goodbye 2013, Hello 2014!

Thank you to all who have followed this blog, supported me or Danny's work, and inspired us in 2013. It's been an eventful year for us, and we cannot wait to start 2014!

“For last year's words belong to last year's language and next year's words await another voice.” 

— T.S. Eliot

Rooms Down the Hallway Reading

Danny and I went to my colleague Erin Trahan's poetry reading at the Hallway Gallery in Jamaica Plain. The event was a Rooms Down the Hallway event, which is a reading series held at the gallery. Erin is my amazing editor at The Independent and we are currently co-editing The Independent's Guide to Film Distribution, Second Edition.

The reading was packed (dare I call it sold out, though it was open to the public?) The writers who shared their work:  Celeste Ng, Erin Trahan and Chip Cheek. A diverse, authentic and powerful collection of work! We heard about anything from glacier poetry to a fantastical Twisted Sister anecdote.  Definitely check out these writers and their work--

I've commented on the role in space and art before, and the idea of a space shaping a community/performance is so well demonstrated by the Hallway Gallery. Does using a re-purposed space change the relationship between performer and viewer? See photos below (though they aren't the best pictures - I was in the very, very back because I was late!).

Thanks to the organizers and the Hallway gallery for putting together this creative and thought-provoking event! 

Lost Film #6

Check out some mysterious lost super-8 footage in our new video short, Lost Film #6, edited by Daniel Roth. See if you can spot local landmarks or people you may know...



We've been working on re-structuring our Roshi website, so keep coming back to check out new and newly published material! 

Top 13 Film Markets

"Distribution strategy is only limited by one's imagination. Many industry representatives find crucial pieces of their filmmaking puzzle at film markets. Here, we list the top 13, from AFM to IFP to TIFFCOM...The who, what, when of film markets and why you may want to integrate one into your distribution plan."

I wanted to share the article "Top 13 Film Markets" that I wrote for The Independent. As some of you may already know, I am currently editing The Independent's Guide to Film Distribution, Second Edition with Erin Trahan and Michele Meek.

"Top 13 Film Markets" is one of the articles that is being previewed on the online magazine before the print/ebook is published in early 2014. If you are interested in learning more about film markets and their role in the industry, or already know a lot about the subject and want to contribute something before final print, please feel free to comment. 

The book also has a section of Distributor Q and A, which includes interviews with Oscilloscope Laboratories, New Day Films, Drafthouse Films, among others. We'll be publishing a preview Q and A online before the print book is available, so look out for that.

Check out The Independent's website, find them on facebook and on twitter @IndependentMag to learn more about the publication and read about what's happening in the film world. 

yBos2 Art Show Nov. 15 - Dec. 13

We were super psyched to learn that our film, Color Theory, was selected to be a part of the second annual Young Boston Artists juried competition, yBos2! The opening reception is open to the public. Feel free to drop in and see a diverse and interesting collection of works! 

Opening Reception
Friday, November 15, 5-8 pm
Harbor Art Gallery

If you can't make it to the reception, the show runs from November 15 - December 13. You can drop by anytime during gallery hours, which are Mon-Thurs, 1-7 PM. 

Color Theory is the only video piece in the show, so we're very excited to see all the other works in all different media. Here is a list of the artists in the show: Genesis Báez, Molly Blumberg, Lindsay Chapin, Charles Crowell, Leeann Davignon, Corey Dunlap, Jillian Germaine Freyer, Nate Grossman, Suzi Grossman, Shana Harden, Lauren Hayes, Duy Hoang, Daniel Roth, Eileen Ryan, Minhae Shim, Olivia Stanislas, Jessica Tawczynski, and Caterina Urrata.

Danny and I recently screened our film at the Boston Asian American Film Festival, so we've been moving between several types of exhibition spaces recently. This is Color Theory's second gallery exhibition. We were also in the 10,001 hrs gallery exhibition in May 2013. I love producing work that can fit into both art contexts and film contexts. The film world and the art world are very different -- there are quite different values, etiquette and audiences for each. Interestingly, both worlds curate the moving image, but each treats film/video (especially genre-bending types of works) with a different tongue and demeanor. The language of critique is different, the attitude about the works is different. 

For those who have not seen Color Theory  at all, or have already seen the piece in a theater, feel free to visit the Harbor Art Gallery to see the film in a different venue. I'm personally going to compare and contrast my experience. How is showing a short film in a gallery different from showing it in a theatrical/festival setting? 

And come see the show to support the arts in Boston! For more information, please contact the Harbor Art Gallery. 

Indelible Lalita in NYC Dec. 6

Poster, designed by Minhae Shim for Indelible Lalita

I've had the pleasure of working with filmmaker Julie Mallozzi on her poetic documentary Indelible Lalita in several capacities, from graphic/web design to distribution. For all my NYC readers, colleagues & friends, Indelible Lalita will play at the New York No Limits Film Series on Friday, December 6, 2013 at 7pm at The Wild Project, 195 East Third Street, New York. For more information about this screening or previous ones, check out the film's website. 

Here's the film's description: 

Indelible Lalita tells the story of a beautiful woman whose resilient spirit survives her body’s transformation by cancer, heart failure, and a dramatic loss of skin pigment. The film follows Lalita as she migrates from Bombay to Paris to Montréal, and becomes completely White along the way. Lalita learns to let go of her body as the sign of her ethnicity and femininity – and ultimately realizes that her body is just a temporary vessel for her spirit. (71 minutes)

Brookline Tab: "Brookline filmmakers preserve image of Utah park before jerks ruined it "

Color Theory was written about in a recent Brookline Tab blog post. Thanks to great writers Erin Clossey and Ignacio Laguardia at this publication! 

"Brookline filmmakers Minhae Shim and Daniel Roth decided to set the climax of their experimental short film, 'Color Theory,' in Goblin Valley State Park in Utah...'Goblin Valley inspired us as filmmakers because it was a beautiful, surreal place with personality and feeling,' said the filmmakers, who are squeezes in real life...Emphasis on the “was,” because recently, two...Boy Scout leaders were recorded pushing over one of the 170-million-year-old boulders, then guffawing about how awesome that was." - Erin Clossey, Brookline Tab

Read the full story here. 

Read more about Color Theory here.