Michael Heejin Kang is a Korean-American independent filmmaker. He attended the New York University Tisch School of the Arts’ Dramatic Writing Program, where he was a Founder’s Day Honors Scholar. His feature film, The Motel (2005) received numerous awards such as the Humanitas Prize at the Sundance Film Festival, the Sundance/NHK International Filmmakers Award, and top jury prizes at numerous film festivals, among others.
In 2001, Kang won the 24th Annual Asian American International Film Festival screenplay competition. His films A Waiter Tomorrow (1998), Japanese Cowboy, and Because of Winn-Dixie are also highly decorated. He was a fellow at the Sundance Filmmakers Lab in 2002, received the 2002 Geri Ashur Award in screenwriting, earned a National Endowment for the Arts Artist’s Residency at the prestigious MacDowell, and was a fellow at the ABC/DGA New Talent Television Directing Program. He is also a recipient of The Overseas Korea Foundation Filmmaker Award.
