Pilgrimage and Film Description

Summary:

"Korea Dreambus" is a personal documentary film presenting the story of the Korean Catholic martyrs as told through the lens of an American Catholic revert who lived in Korea from 2002-2003 and who returns to make her pilgrimage.

Trailer (link to Patreon - free to watch!)

Background and Description:

When I went to live and teach English for a year in Ulsan, S. Korea in 2002, I had been laid off from my job as a video editor, and my boyfriend had just broken up with me. I arrived in Korea lost and heartbroken, seeking meaning and perspective in the midst of another culture, away from everything that had previously defined me. Yet I was careless with myself, body and soul. It was an adventure, yes, but somehow, a seed was planted that year, something that would take decades to bloom.

My experience of the people and places in my Korean year made an indelible imprint on me. Over the years, my love for the Korean people and my admiration for the traditions and natural beauty (and food!) of Korea have never waned. I consider Korea my "second home on earth."

In 2007 I returned to Korea for a two-week visit, and in 2010 I went back again to teach screenwriting in a summer program at Hanyang University in Seoul under the auspices of Ithaca College. I had it in mind to make a film about EFL (English as a Foreign Language) teachers in Korea, but with events in my personal life at that time, the film never came to be.

Then in 2012, I experienced a powerful conversion/reversion to Christ in his Catholic Church after years of practicing Tibetan Buddhism. This conversion led me to that meaning I had searched for as a young adult: my life in Christ as part of his Creation, and in relating to others as Christ. And as a Catholic, I understand that true conversion is not just a one-time event; it is a life-long process blooming and unfolding day by day. 

So having found myself in Christ, I will return to the Land of the Morning Calm to make my pilgrimage to the holy sites of the Korean Catholic martyrs. I will create a personal documentary film about my journey as I tell their stories -- stories about conversions and sacrifices, the movement of the Holy Spirit among the laity who evangelized themselves and each other. 

I am eager to explore and present these martyrs and their importance to the universal Catholic Church, and to visit the places of Catholic worship in Korea of which I had no previous knowledge or appreciation. In addition to what I shoot while I am in Korea this fall, I will include footage I shot on a camcorder in 2002-2003 and 2007.  

Blogging and Fundraising:

This website will follow my progress and process before, during, and after the pilgrimage. I will blog/post at regular intervals with updates, explainers, and background on the Korean martyrs, Korean history, my own previous experiences there (2002-2003, 2007, and 2010), and musings on documentary filmmaking. I will also be posting on Instagram (link to come) and LinkedIn.

I am currently in search of donors who will help me get to Korea and make this film, and who will be blessed by their generosity. If you would like to support this pilgrimage and/or the film, please contact me through the website or personal email. Donations can be made through Venmo, Zelle, or other means (use the Contact form in the dropdown sidebar). Some folks have already given and pledged.

Komapsumnida!

Taegeukgi, the Rep. of Korea national flag