Welcome star and writer Joel Kim Booster and Director Andrew Ahn to talk about representation, previous Pride and Prejudice adaptations, and Fire Island.
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More about Fire Island:
Set in the iconic Pines, Andrew Ahn’s FIRE ISLAND is an unapologetic, modern day rom-com showcasing a diverse, multicultural examination of queerness and romance. Inspired by the timeless pursuits from Jane Austen’s classic Pride and Prejudice, the story centers around two best friends who set out to have a legendary summer adventure with the help of cheap rosé and their cadre of eclectic friends.
Starring: Joel Kim Booster, Bowen Yang, Conrad Ricamora, James Scully, Matt Rogers, Tomás Matos, Torian Miller, Nick Adams, Zane Phillips, Margaret Cho
More about Joel Kim Booster:
Joel Kim Booster is a Chicago-bred, Los Angeles-based stand-up comedian, writer, and actor and was recently named as one of The Queer Young Comics Redefining American Humor by the New York Times. Booster recently wrapped shooting the Apple TV+ series “LOOT” created by Alan Yang and Matt Hubbard and starring Maya Rudolph. Later this year, Joel’s first hour-long comedy special will premiere on Netflix, where he will explore his experiences and observations as a gay Asian American male with commentary on identity, sexuality, cultural expectations, and more.
More about Andrew Ahn:
Andrew Ahn is a queer Korean American filmmaker born and raised in Los Angeles. Ahn’s sophomore feature Driveways, written by Hannah Bos and Paul Thureen and produced by James Schamus, premiered at the 2019 Berlinale and went on to play the 2019 Tribeca Film Festival, receiving rave reviews. The film was nominated for two Independent Spirit Awards for Best First Screenplay and Best Lead Actress for Hong Chau. Ahn’s first film Spa Night premiered at the 2016 Sundance Film Festival in US Dramatic Competition and was one of RogerEbert.com’s Best Films of Sundance 2016. The film won a Special Jury Award for Breakthrough Performance at Sundance and went on to win the 2017 John Cassavetes Film Independent Spirit Award. Ahn has directed fiction and documentary television for Netflix, FX, HBO Max, CBS, Sundance Channel, and KCET. He has promoted diversity in the arts by mentoring youth filmmakers through programs like Pacific Arts Movement’s Reel Voices, Outfest’s OutSet, and the Sundance Institute’s Native Filmmaker Lab. He graduated from Brown University and received an MFA from the California Institute of the Arts (CalArts).