First Night (2024)
Based on a true story. A newly immigrated Korean father goes into a deli trying to order food for his family– only with the help of a dictionary.
STARRING- So Yeon Kim, Chris S Ahn, Leo K Ahn, and Chris Moyse
Writer/Director - Haneol (John) Lee
Producer - Jared LaCroix
Director of Photography - Tanner Grandstaff
Editor - Haneol (John) Lee
Gaffer - Jarrett Jarvis
Sound Recordist - Alonso Cacho
Sound Design - Grayson Proctor
Colorist - Jonah Venneri
Casting Director - Jae Kim
Music Composer - Grayson Proctor
Associate Producers - Grace Won and Joshua Kwon
Production Assistant - Marjorie Torres
BTS Videographer - Ives Salbert
BTS Photographer - Richard Zhang
Grant Prospector - Ford Cowan
Prop Assistant - Robin Alberts-Marigza
In association with Contrast Cine, Maru Nation, and Aberration
This story is dedicated to my parents: 강경숙 and 이동진
“A lot of Americans will never known the courage and willpower an immigrant faces when it comes to folding themselves into society. Haneol (John) Lee’s film is honest and deeply felt.”
-Joey Moser, review on Awards Daily
Press
“Currently on the festival cycle. Please email for a screening link!”
FILM FESTIVALS | AWARDS
GOLD HOUSE: BEST LIVE ACTION SHORT, Nominee
ACADEMY QUALIFYING: Palm Springs International Shortfest 2024, Official Selection - Nominated for Best US Student Short
Academy QUALIFYING: Nashville Film Festival, Official Selection - WINNER, Best Tennessee Short
Short to Feature Lab 2024 - Lab Fellow
ACADEMY QUALIFYING: New Orleans Film Festival 2024, Official Selection
ACADEMY QUALIFYING: Cleveland International Film Festival 2024, Official Selection
BFI Future Film Festival 2024, Official Selection - Nominated for Best International Short and Best Screenplay
UPIKE Film and Media Arts Festival 2024, Official Selection - WINNER, Best Narrative Short
Sidewalk Film Festival 2024, Official Selection
Boston Short Film Festival 2024, Official Selection
Clermont-Ferrand Film Festival Short Film Market Invitation
Carrboro Film Fest 2025, Official Selection
The Lee Strasberg Film Festival 2025, Official Selection
Producer's Night Los Angeles 2025, Official Selection
Director’s Statement:
This film is based on a true story of my parents. In my family's early days in America, there was a day when my father spent 2 hours in a sandwich shop trying to order something without knowing English. Back then, I, a 10 year old, didn't think much of it. Now, 10 years later, while eating in a small deli shop, my father revealed to me the embarrassment and the fear he felt when ordering a sandwich. This was interesting to me. Compared to green card difficulties and visa difficulties that many immigrants including my family face, buying a sandwich seemed trivial to me. Yet, my father expressed that it was in these small moments where he felt the most vulnerable and frankly scared. After hearing this story, I became interested in how society views the hardships of immigrant families.
When we think of the struggles of immigration, we hyperfixate on the big political problems. While these struggles are completely true, we as a society forget to think about the little things that we fight on a day to day basis such as picking up medication or ordering food.
Through First Night, I present a raw vignette of these little tasks that can be difficult in our immigrant experience. Now, I don't present this to belittle our immigrant community and ask for pity. Rather, it's quite the opposite. In these moments of small crises, we immigrants always find victory and if we can't, there is always a moment of joy and happiness that can be found. This is the narrative I want to tell and bring hope into the old idea that we immigrants are repressed and depressed. We stand strong and no matter what happens we can find joy and victory.
