Berlin in 1928, Walter Benjamin (1892-1940), a philosopher obsessed with chasing authenticity in art, is left stripped bare by an interview with burgeoning Chinese American international film star, Anna May Wong (1905-1961).
My film imagines what went unspoken when Walter Benjamin met Anna May in a Berlin parlor in 1928. At the time of their meeting, they were going through different phase in their lives: At the age of thirty-six, despite being a published author with a doctorate degree, he was struggling as a freelance journalist. He and his family moved in to his parent’s house due to their financial difficulty. Anna May, at the age of twenty three who had appeared in seven films in the previous year (1927), made a gutsy career change in March 1928. She moved to Berlin with her sister Lulu to make a film for UFA. She just finished acting her first German silent film, “Song.”
Yunah Hong is an award winning writer and director in New York City. She grew up in Seoul, Korea and moved to New York City to continue her education. Her latest short film, “When Walter meets Frau May Wong” (2024) imagines what went unspoken when Walter Benjamin (1892-1940) German philosopher, met Anna May Wong (1905-1961) Chinese American International film star in Berlin 1928. Her feature documentary, “Anna May Wong: in her own words” (2011) was broadcast over 200 PBS stations in US 2013-2015. It is currently streaming at Amazon Prime Video. She has written, produced and directed nine films including two feature documentaries: “Between the Lines: Asian American Women’s Poetry” (2001) is a feature documentary about sixteen Asian American poets. “Becoming an Actress in New York” (2000) is a documentary about the trials and tribulations of three Korean American actresses. “Here Now” (1995), a short film, won Jury’s Special award at Seoul Short Film festival. Her experimental short,“Memory/all echo” (1990), is based on the work of multimedia Korean American artist Theresa Hak Kyung Cha. She has taught production courses at School of Visual Arts, City College of New York and Feirsten Graduate School of Cinema/Brooklyn College in US. She has a MA degree from the New York Institute of Technology in US and a BFA degree from Seoul National University in Korea.
Producer - James Sharpe
Lead Actor - H. Lynn Pai
Lead Actor - Michael Leigh Cook
