As suggested by the name of Ahn Jae-hoon’s animation studio, Meditation with a Pencil, his first feature film—part of a trilogy, which he describes as “a fantasy story for all the children and those who once were”—began with all of the initial drawings done by hand. This warmhearted coming-of-age story is set in a rural town in the early 1980s, the period of the director’s “green days” of youth as well. A high school girl, Yi-rang, dreams of being an athlete, but finds herself stumbling after she loses a relay race. She meets Cheol-soo, who is determined to be an astronaut—he even builds a flying machine—and the intimidating Soo-min, who has relocated from Seoul. The transitions and changes the teenagers undergo are echoed in the setting, a small town during a period of modernization, when neighborhoods are being torn down, erasing the past.

This screening is presented in conjunction with Korea Week 2019, hosted by the Consulate General of the Republic of Korea, San Francisco. Ahn Jae-Hoon’s visit is made possible with the generous support of Consulate General of the Republic of Korea, San Francisco. Special thanks to Bomion Spring Kim.