Private Project

I Wish I Were Pretty (Work In Progress)

This story is centered around the insecurity of the protagonist, Areum (which means beautiful in Korean), and how it threatens to hamper the relationship with her longtime friend, Jane (as in plain Jane). Areum is fixated on her appearance, convinced her monolidded eyes are why she is unpretty especially in comparison with Jane, who has double-lidded eyes and is so beautiful that she could be mistaken for a K-Pop idol. Areum tries to work through her insecurities with her therapist, Helen. But when a man humiliates Areum in front of Jane, Areum has to decide whether to finally face a long-festering sore spot and see her own value or whether she will let her friendship with Jane deteriorate.

NOTE: Please accept our submission as a work in progress. We have a few more tweaks to make to the color grade and credits before completing this project.
When watching the film, please view with captions on as some parts of the film include Korean language.

  • Hanah Chang
    Director
  • Hanah Chang
    Writer
  • Quand C Robinson Thomas
    Producer
    2:42am Productions, CNN, NBA TV, Turner Classic Movies
  • Hanah Chang
    Key Cast
    "Areum"
    Don't Worry About It, Lead Actor
  • Miriam Lee
    Key Cast
    "Jane"
    Chicago Med, The Chi, The Bear
  • Mandy Walsh
    Key Cast
    "Helen"
  • James Macapagal
    Key Cast
    "Drunk Customer"
    Chicago Med
  • Yuchi Chiu
    Key Cast
    "Sober Friend"
    Chicago Med
  • Cynthia Shinae Jeon
    Key Cast
    "Areum's Mom"
  • Kay Lee
    Key Cast
    "Church Ahjumma"
  • Project Type:
    Short
  • Genres:
    Drama
  • Runtime:
    19 minutes 58 seconds
  • Production Budget:
    10,000 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    United States
  • Country of Filming:
    United States
  • Language:
    English, Korean
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    Yes
  • Student Project:
    No
Director Biography - Hanah Chang

Hanah Chang is a Korean-American actor and writer who recently moved from Chicago to Denver. After years of denying that she had any creativity within her, she pursued acting, landing her first on-screen credit in the Netflix karaoke game show, ‘Sing On!’, and playing the lead in the short film, 'Don’t Worry About It,' which screened at SlamDance and Micheaux, and is available to stream for free on YouTube. As a proud member of the multi-hyphenate club, Hanah wrote, directed, and acted in her short, 'I Wish I Were Pretty,' which navigates how to deal with Korean beauty standards. She has the privilege to teach visual storytelling to students through SeriesFest’s Mobile Cinema Lab and volunteers regularly with, Unlock Her Potential and ImpactMENtorship, programs that provide mentorship to womxn and men of color in the entertainment industry. A strong believer in indie film and TV, Hanah is dedicated to increasing authenticity, diversity, and representation both in front of and behind the camera.

Add Director Biography
Director Statement

'I Wish I Were Pretty' is not just the title, but also a phrase I have thought to myself on almost a daily basis since I was old enough to understand that with beauty comes power. I learned the hard way - many of the elements included in this story are taken from my personal experiences. During pre-production, my father saw a K-Pop music video and asked me if that is the kind of thing I want to do, and his girlfriend at the time said, “That’s for the young and beautiful.” These experiences are painful, and I wanted to redeem them by turning them into part of my art.

The struggle to feel that we are enough is felt across all genders. For feedback purposes, and because I knew the subject matter would resonate, I had sent my screenplay to a family friend working in the film industry in Korea. I then learned he had plastic surgery work done not long afterwards.

There already are many Korean dramas and movies about beauty standards, but the story typically begins after the protagonist undergoes plastic surgery. The ‘intention of I Wish I Were Pretty' is never to judge anyone who chooses that, but to provide a fresh take and a different way out. Additionally, this story is distinctly Korean-American, not "Korean Korean".

Additionally, representation both in front of and behind the camera is incredibly important to me. I am so proud to be able to say that this film was made with a crew of as many womxn of color/non-cisgendered POC as possible.