The filmmaker David Redmon discusses the documentary he directed with Ashley Sabin, Kim’s Video, which screens at the Vancouver International Film Festival this weekend, with Joseph Planta.

Text of introduction by Joseph Planta:

I am Planta: On the Line, in Vancouver, British Columbia, at TheCommentary.ca.

Another film screening at the Vancouver International Film Festival is Kim’s Video. It is described as part investigative documentary, part film essay, and part cinephile experiment. For two decades, New York City movie buffs had access to unique, rare films through Kim’s Video, run by Yongman Kim, who started in the dry-cleaning business. He amasses a collection some 55,000 titles, and when the rental shops close in 2008, Mr. Kim offered to give away the collection provided it stayed intact and be available to Kim’s Video members. The filmmakers David Redmon and Ashley Sabin decide to try and access this collection that they’re entitled to, but seemingly unavailable. Well, what happens is David tries to find it, and I’ll get him to tell us what is depicted in the film of the journey to Sicily, where the films ended up. This film at this time is opportunity to look at our habits when watching movies. Though films are readily available via streaming, a unique place that attracts unique staff and customers alike are few and far between, so the heritage of film appreciation has been lost. Not to mention the corporate structures are such that films aren’t as available as they should be, with streaming services taking things down at their will. The film screens Friday night (October 6^th) at 9.00 pm at The Cinematheque, and Sunday, October 8^th at 6.30 pm at the Vancity Theatre. Visit www.viff.org for tickets and information. And visit www.carnivalesquefilms.com for more on David Redmon and Ashley Sabin, and their previous films which include Girl Model, Intimidad, Kamp Katrina, and Mardi Gras: Made in China, among others. David Redmon received his PhD in sociology from the University of Albany SUNY. He joined me from Strasbourg, France this past weekend. Please welcome to the Planta: On the Line program, David Redmon; Mr. Redmon, good morning.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (15.7MB)

Subscribe: RSS