The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Korea Creative Content Agency’s New York Business Center said March 24 they have wrapped up a two-day documentary screening event in New York aimed at helping KOCCA-backed projects expand overseas.
The event, titled “KOCCA Spotlight,” was held in the screening room on the basement level of the New York Korea Center. Two documentaries produced with KOCCA support — “Goddess Era” and “The Philosopher’s Cuisine” — were shown. The free screenings were offered by advance reservation and drew about 300 attendees, including local content industry professionals and members of the public.
“KOCCA Spotlight” is a New York Business Center program that selects KOCCA-supported works considered to have strong potential for the North American market and introduces them in New York.
On March 19, the program screened “Goddess Era,” produced by Jenny Film. The documentary was selected for KOCCA’s 2023 documentary production support and was planned and directed by Moon Seung-wook and Yoo Ye-jin. It won a Silver Award in the feature-length documentary category at the 57th WorldFest-Houston International Film Festival in 2024. The film follows a journey to trace goddess myths passed down through Korea’s nature and traditions, highlighting independent, self-directed women’s leadership and community values.
On March 20, the program screened “The Philosopher’s Cuisine,” produced by ELTV. The documentary was selected for KOCCA’s 2024 documentary production support and portrays the daily life and philosophy of Buddhist temple cuisine master Jeong Kwan, who has drawn global attention. The film explores philosophical imagination about cooking and the meaning of practice, while examining the cultural value and depth of Korean temple food.
In post-screening audience surveys, attendees said it was a rare chance to see Korea’s goddess culture on screen and described the program as time to appreciate Korean Buddhist culture alongside Jeong Kwan’s food. They also expressed hope that screenings of Korean video content would continue.
Lee Yang-hwan, head of KOCCA’s New York Business Center, said, “We will work to ensure that Korean documentary producers and works — which continue the tradition of making strong documentaries under difficult conditions — can draw interest in the United States and find business opportunities.”
* This article has been translated by AI.
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