“Rooftop,” a 20-minute short film, details the life of a Korean American immigrant amidst the chaos of the 1992 Los Angeles riots, who defended Koreatown with guns from building rooftops.
South Korean actor Won-Jong Lee plays the role of Min-Han Lee (55), a first-generation Korean immigrant who moved to the United States with the American dream.
The story unfolds as Lee, who runs a hardware store on the outskirts of Koreatown, makes the decision to arm himself and protect the store against the wishes of his employee, Edward Kwon (25), a second-generation Korean American.
The movie delivers a profound message to viewers through Lee, who faces various conflicts and struggles during the riots.
The movie “Rooftop” was written, directed, and produced by a group of young Korean and non-Korean film majors.
“When I heard that there were unintended Korean American casualties caused by the ‘Rooftop Koreans’ in the crossfire, the years of looking up to them as success stories of Americans protecting their properties suddenly felt immature,” said Byung Chan Jang, who wrote and directed the film.
“The fact that the very guns meant to protect the people ended up killing those exact people, intentionally or not, makes it very difficult to say whether the efforts were worth the risks.”
“Rooftop” is currently in the submission process at film festivals and will be released online via Vimeo in the first half of 2024.
For inquiries and donations, please contact: rooftopshortfilm@gmail.com.
BY SUAH JANG [support@koreadaily.com]
