At the 2026 Sundance Film Festival, Stephanie Ahn’s “Bedford Park” arrived with quiet force — and left with one of the festival’s top honors, the U.S. Dramatic Special Jury Award for Debut Feature. It’s a fitting recognition for a film that feels at once intimate and expansive: a deeply personal exploration of intergenerational trauma, immigrant identity, and the complexities of love.
The film follows Audrey (Moon Choi), a Korean American woman in her 30s who returns to her childhood home after her mother’s car accident — a home haunted as much by memory as by obligation. There, she meets Eli (Son Sukku), the man responsible for the crash. What begins as an uneasy meeting shaped by guilt and circumstance gradually develops into a relationship rooted in shared pain and cultural experience. As their connection deepens, “Bedford Park” explores how intimacy can bring buried emotions to the surface — and, possibly, open the door to healing.
In both its emotional nuances and cultural specificity, the film pulls directly from Ahn’s own lived experience. In her director’s statement, she reflects on growing up in a Korean immigrant household where love was most often expressed through sacrifice — particularly for women. Long searching for films that spoke honestly to that tension, Ahn ultimately realized she would have to tell the story herself — even if it meant exposing her most vulnerable parts of herself.
That bravery is represented in every frame. Marked by restraint, authenticity, and two captivating lead performances, “Bedford Park” articulates the quiet isolation, guilt, anger, and “han” that linger into adulthood — and the fragile beauty of finding someone who understands that emotional inheritance.
In conversation with Cinema Femme, Ahn speaks about building a story from personal memory, the fear and freedom of vulnerability, collaborating with her actors, and crafting a cinematic language rooted in emotional truth — all in service of a film that asks what it means to love others while still learning how to love yourself.
I loved the film — I loved how personal it was. My first question is: what inspired your film? And maybe you could talk a bit about what you shared in your director’s statement, because I thought your words were beautiful.
Before it was even a story idea, it came from my desire to be represented in films. I didn’t feel like my experience was, so I really hungered for that — an authentic Asian American story that spoke to me and felt emotionally true. There were Asian American stories out there, but they weren’t tapping into the places I wanted them to.
That’s what started the train. It never even occurred to me to do it myself. I probably told myself, as a defense mechanism, “Oh, I’m not interested in telling that story — I want someone else to do it.” But it was mostly fear. I knew that if I wanted it done the way I envisioned, it would have to be deeply personal. I’d have to go into details that would resonate — and that meant revealing a lot.
It got to a point where other scripts I’d been writing for many years weren’t getting traction. It felt like I had to take a big swing at this stage in my career — do something more personal than I ever had. So I started journaling and free-writing about my experiences, the feelings that still needed mending, and past traumas that needed healing. It wasn’t about reaching a conclusion — it was about exposing those feelings and letting people see experiences that Asian Americans like myself might have had.
I don’t want to make it sound like airing dirty laundry. It was more about finding beauty in the hardships, and coming to terms with not knowing — not having neat conclusions.
Thank you so much for that, because you can really feel how personal the story is on screen. I’m curious — I want to talk about your actors a bit. Moon and Son — Audrey and Eli — how did you find your two leads?
We found Moon about six or seven years ago, right after my producer and I started looking for funding. We got some seed money and thought, let’s hire a casting director and try to find our lead as a way to secure more financing. We did a worldwide search. She came to us through her manager, Chris Lee. We saw her tape and flew her out to meet in person.
Even though Audrey was initially based on me, she’s very different from me in many ways. I knew Moon was talented, but I had to be okay letting go of being loyal to my exact story and allow it to become something else through her. Once I settled on that, I felt very comfortable casting her. I knew she’d sink her teeth into the role and make it uniquely hers — and that’s what I wanted.
Son came to us a couple of years ago. They’re actually best friends — both Korean actors.
Oh really? That’s amazing.
Yeah, very close. She’d mentioned him a few times. The character of Eli was originally written as a white Caucasian male. Someone suggested: what if he were Korean American instead? And if so, what about this actor?
I was resistant at first because I was attached to who I’d created. But then I met him over Zoom — and immediately, his vibe, his energy — I was sold. He embodied Eli. So I wrote a new draft where Eli became Korean American, and it was instantly stronger.
Wow. He was amazing — I loved the complexities of his character, and Audrey’s as well.
My next question: one of my favorite scenes — and you probably hear this a lot — is the car scene when the “Rocky” music comes on. It enriches the whole film for me. What was the significance of that moment, and how did you put it together?
Of course. Well, starting with the music — I’m a huge “Rocky” fan. That score is incredible. It’s meaningful to me because, as immigrants — my parents being immigrants — it was one of the films we all shared and understood even without language. The underdog story resonated with us.
Partly because we’re immigrants — we’re underdogs — that American Dream idea encapsulated in Rocky meant so much. I carried that film with me my whole life. I wanted the song to have significance for Eli too — being from Pennsylvania, being athletic — giving him a moment to express himself the way he does, and forcing Audrey to sit with it.
One of my favorite performances from Moon is in that scene — watching her facial expressions shift from teasing him to falling into the power of the score. They share that moment separately, but together. Just watching their faces — they did such a beautiful job.
Yes, absolutely. My husband and I make music mixes of our year, and we put that song on ours — it’s amazing how you used it.
I want to talk about the technical side. I know you worked as an editor — could you speak about the editing process and working with your DP?
Sure. Having many years as an editor really informs who I am as a filmmaker. Even at the script stage, I write and direct with an editor’s mind. There’s a very particular structure I’m building toward.
In the editing room, I go in already knowing I have to “kill my babies.” I know I have to be brutal, and I think that helps — it gives me objectivity. I had an amazing co-editor, Malcolm Jamieson, who was a wonderful partner.
With my DP (David McFarland), our early conversations were about authenticity — the camera as an attentive listener to the actors. Not adding embellishment, not imposing emotions that weren’t already present in the performances. Our goal was simply to capture truth.
What do you hope people take away from the film?
First, I hope viewers get a window into other people’s lives — the way film, at its best, builds empathy. That’s number one. Theme-wise, it’s really about human connection and the power of that connection. I hope people feel inspired by what human connection can do — for our relationships with others and with ourselves as we move through life.
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