Smoking Tigers
Directed by So Young Shelly YoCast: Ji-young Yoo, Joon Ho Jung, Abin Andrews, Erin Choi
Best Performance and Best Screenplay, U.S. Narrative Feature, 2023 Tribeca Film Festival
Hayoung is 16 years old, coming to grips with her parents’ separation, and not particularly enthused that her mom has signed her up for an SAT prep camp. For her financially-strapped parents, the camp is an investment in a future they can’t immediately provide. For Hayoung, the camp is a glimpse into the lives of rich Koreans, their house parties and cute boys, and a mirror unto a version of herself as elusive as it is seductive. The award-winning debut from UC San Diego alum So Young Shelly Yo.