Private Project

The Color of Fire

Sofia, 18-year-old Korean-American woman, gets involved in a fatal hit-and-run accident. While the accident is kept secret from the people around her, Sofia struggles from trauma and guilt, unable to properly confront her partner, Eleazer, who argues that they should keep the accident a secret. One day, Eleazer visits Sofia at her workplace to make sure that she has been keeping her mouth shut. An abrupt turn of events push the couple to their limits, revealing the secrets around the traumatic accident and their relationship. Sofia has to choose between her boyfriend and her moral conscience.

  • Seunghee Chang
    Director
    Passover, The Beauty of Other Things
  • Seunghee Chang
    Writer
    Parricide, The Beauty of Other Things, Passover.
  • Garrett Breiner
    Producer
  • Thomas Darragh
    Producer
  • Zachary Kreuger
    Key Cast
  • Amy Kim
    key cast
  • Project Type:
    Short
  • Runtime:
    9 minutes 8 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    December 26, 2023
  • Production Budget:
    5,000 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:
    No
  • Student Project:
    Yes - Northwestern University
Director Biography - Seunghee Chang

Seunghee Chang works between South Korea and the US as a filmmaker and writer. His films, which often explore themes of nostalgia, trauma, and faith, have been screened at multiple international film festivals, including the 2024 Roxbury International Film Festival, Big Shoulders International Film Festival (Best Narrative Short), Art Film Awards (Best Student Film) Richmond International Film Festival, Student Cuts, and many more. His recent documentary, “The Beauty of Other Things,” examines the Han River in South Korea as a site of grief and mourning from the perspective of a suicide survivor. The film premiered in South Korea at the 77th Korean Psychological Association Annual Symposium, inaugurating a series of special symposiums focused on overcoming South Korea’s suicide crisis. Seunghee is the 2019 recipient of the Kwanjeong Scholarship and the 2022 recipient of the Burton and Karol Lefkowitz prize. He is currently an MFA candidate at Northwestern University’s Documentary Media program.

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Director Statement

A personal experience I had in 2022 motivated me make this film. On Christmas Eve of 2022, I got hit by a car in Seoul, crossing a sidewalk. I experienced post-traumatic-stress-order following the accident, struggling from frequent flashbacks of the moment I was hurt. After I physically recovered from the accident months later, I found myself viewing the accident from the perspective of the driver who hit me. While PTSD is more often found in victims following difficult events, I wondered if the driver could also find himself struggling from similar distress and struggles. “The Color of Fire” was my way of viewing my traumatic past through a different perspective and mediating how the human body and mind can be utterly fragile for both the victim and perpetrator of the event.