Coming Out in a Sundance Debut

LGBT-related films abound in this year’s Sundance Film Festival. Among them, a documentary on V. Gene Robinson, the first openly gay Episcopal bishop who retires next year, and a poignant short film by a gay Korean-American man who used the project to come out to his family.

KPCC Southern California Public Radio reports on L.A. filmmaker Andrew Ahn’s Dol:

Ahn wanted to use the film to come out to his parents because he couldn't bring himself to broach the topic directly. He filmed his actual parents, aunts and uncles because he knew they'd want to watch. That way, Ahn could force himself to come out. But things didn't go as planned.

"After the credits rolled they said 'Oh, is that it?'" he said. "I just started crying because I built up the moment so much, and I knew that they were in denial, that I could have taken the DVD, gone back to my room and they wouldn't have said a thing."

According to Ahn, homosexuality is a complex issue in immigrant Korean culture. While there are lots of progressive images supporting homosexuality in the media, there's a conservative Christian community that's equally as strong, and bridging the gap causes problems. Ahn had no idea how his parents would react. "I was scared. I packed a bag, just in case," he said.



(Listen to the interview here.)

Dol Trailer from Andrew Ahn on Vimeo.