A New Era of AI Filmmaking:
Minjung Kim and Her 13 AI Partners Sweep Major International Awards
'The Day I Saved a Fish' Wins 10 Trophies,
'CHOON' Garners 9 Awards at Global Film Festivals
When you sit down to talk with her, the total amount of laughter in the room increases. Most of that laughter comes from her own smiles and laughter. This remains true even when she meets with several people at once.
She was born in Kuwait and is an AI content producer and creator who makes AI films and animations. Following her diplomat father, she lived in more than 10 countries, including Italy, the Czech Republic, France, and Russia, attending only international schools.
The only school she graduated from is the Department of English Language and Literature at Ewha Womans University, which she entered through a special admission program. She speaks both Korean and English, but when asked, "Which language do you think in?" she replied, "It's easier for me to think in English than in Korean." This answer shows that she possesses a crucial asset for producing films and animations using ChatGPT and other artificial intelligence (AI) tools.
She shared a tip: when creating videos with AI, if you give instructions to ChatGPT in Korean, you should translate them into English before asking ChatGPT to perform its 'task.' By eliminating one round of translation, the AI, which understands context well, can enhance the details and completeness of the work.
After graduating from Ewha Womans University, she began her career at KBS as a PD in charge of handling English-language foreign news. She worked as a PD for 10 years before taking the leap to start her own business earlier this year. It was a new challenge, leaving behind what many would consider a 'good job.'
Minjung Kim, who founded AITONIA, developed her own optimized chatbot. She also 'hired' 10 employees. After assembling this 'dream team,' she added three more employees.
"Even though I now have 13 employees, I don't pay them a salary."
She apologized, saying, "I can never go back to the past." These employees are like children she has created, and now they are all AI partners with their own vitality. As they learn and evolve in their respective roles, they grow into employees who add wisdom and creativity to Kim's creative work.
There is a reason why she has so many employees.
"My dream is to produce the world's first feature-length AI film, more than one hour long, and release it in theaters."
The AI video titled 'CHOON' that Kim created is 34 minutes long. It attracted attention when it was screened in Hong Kong in March this year. However, it is still too early for AI films to gain popularity in theaters. The audience consisted of university professors and media students.
The film 'Choon' focuses on how the same incident can be perceived as entirely different stories depending on one's perspective. The story unfolds through the viewpoints of three characters: Sammantha, a woman who suffers from amnesia after a car accident; Brayydon, her psychotherapist; and Archie, a male nurse observing their relationship.
As you follow each character's perspective, you realize how the same event can be interpreted differently based on preconceptions and biases. The twist revealed at the end takes the story in an unexpected direction, highlighting the impact of shifting perspectives.
Her 13 AI partners are not just employees who follow their owner's orders.
The employee who most resembles Minjung Kim is 'Idea Reel.' This 'avatar' performs the role of reading even the meaning behind Kim's breathing. Kim joked, "If I could, I'd pay this employee 200 million won a year."
'Writington' serves as an assistant writer. Kim introduced this employee as someone who is growing into a master of sentence development and writing. Sunoaria is the sound designer.
Minjung Kim and her 13 AI employees have recently been enjoying a streak of awards. They have swept major prizes at various international AI film and video festivals.
The Korean AI film 'Choon,' produced by this team, won the top prize at the Sweden International Film Festival, making waves around the world. Their AI technology has reached the highest level of 'art.'
The AI web and TV series 'CHOON' received awards at a total of nine domestic and international film festivals in 2025, earning recognition for its artistic value. It won the 'Best Web/TV Series' category at the New York Movie Awards, Milan Gold Awards, Hollywood Gold Awards, London Movie Awards, and Paris Film Awards.
At the Seoul International AI Film Festival, it received the top honor, the 'AI Film Grand Prix.' It also won 'Best Web Series Pilot' at the Sweden International Film Festival, 'Best TV Series/Pilot Program' at the Caravan International Film Festival, and 'Best Web & New Media' at the Dreamz Catcher International Film Festival, demonstrating its global competitiveness.
The music video-style animation 'The Day I Saved a Fish,' created by AI film director Minjung Kim, won ten awards at international film festivals. Following her previous work 'Choon,' which won nine awards, Kim has once again achieved a series of international film festival victories.
'The Day I Saved a Fish' received the top prize, 'Best Picture,' at the Hollywood Gold Awards. At the Florence Film Awards, it won Gold Awards in both the music video and original song categories, and at the Paris Film Awards, it received both Best Original Song and a Gold Award in the same categories.
At the New York Movie Awards, it received the Gold Award in the animation category, and at the International Gold Awards, it was selected as Best Music Video. It also won the Gold Award in the animated film category at the Milan Gold Awards and the Silver Award in the music video category at the London Movie Awards. At the London Indie Film Festival, it capped off its awards streak by winning Best Animation.
Director Kim previously received awards for 'Choon' in New York, London, Paris, Milan, and Seoul. With 'The Day I Saved a Fish,' she once again showcased her presence by winning double-digit trophies at major film festivals in North America and Europe.
Festival organizers commented, "The techniques, music, and message of the animation are organically combined to create an immersive work."
The meeting of humans and AI employees is not yet a familiar scene in the workplace. Now, that era of employment is underway. Her studio is filled with laughter from both humans and AI today as well.
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