Seoul Switch

When an insecure, Korean American boy meets an International K-Pop Star who looks just like him, they decide to switch identities.

  • Liann Kaye
    Director
    The Blessing
  • Liann Kaye
    Writer
    The Blessing
  • Nicole Palermo
    Producer
  • Kevin Woo
    Key Cast
    "DJ / Moon"
  • Project Type:
    Short
  • Runtime:
    12 minutes 47 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    August 31, 2023
  • Production Budget:
    40,000 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    United States
  • Country of Filming:
    United States
  • Language:
    English, Korean
  • Shooting Format:
    DIGITAL
  • Aspect Ratio:
    2.1
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
Director Biography - Liann Kaye

Liann Kaye is a Chinese American filmmaker based in NYC. Her award-winning mini-series “The Blessing” premiered at festivals across the country. The pilot was awarded “Best Comedy” at the New York Short Film Festival and a grant of 20K from the NYC Women’s Fund to serialize it. All six episodes premiered on Youtube this February, promoted by a successful Tiktok campaign. Shortly after, she was signed to Issa Rae’s management company, ColorCreative.

Her first feature screenplay, “Electable” made both the Athena Lab and the Blacklist x WIF Feature Film Residency, where she workshopped it with Sofia Alvarez (Too All the Boys I’ve Loved Before, 2018 & 2020) and Kiwi Smith (Legally Blonde, 10 Things I Hate About You). She’s just attached Kevin Hart’s Hartbeat Productions to the project and will be pitching to streamers this fall.

She was the director of video for Global Citizen’s international music festivals for five years, working with artists such as Beyoncé, Jay-Z, Coldplay, and Metallica. She’s also directed music videos for Carlos Valdes (The Flash), Darren Criss (Glee), Theo Katzman (Vulfpeck), Charlene Kaye (San Fermin), & more.

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Director Statement

"The first time I saw BTS perform to a stadium of screaming girls, I found the experience bizarre. Later, I realized that this was because I hadn’t grown up seeing Asian pop stars in American media. The more KPOP videos I consumed, the more I realized, 'Sup, these Korean dudes are hot as hell!' Was I being brainwashed? Or was I simply decolonizing my beauty standards? Could the same Korean face be ridiculed in American high school and obsessed over in Korea? It soon became clear that my calling was to write this movie that explores all of these questions through humor, heart, and entertainment." — Liann Kaye, Writer/Director

“As a former idol, I’ve read numerous KPOP screenplays over the years, none of which truly resonated with my experiences in the industry. Seoul Switch is a masterclass deep-dive into the KPOP world, written with razor-sharp wit and remarkable attention to detail. Liann clearly did her research. As a Korean American, I deeply resonate with these themes of grappling with Eastern vs. Western views on artistry, identity, and masculinity.” — Kevin Woo, Lead Actor, U-Kiss