Resume

ABOUT ME

DAVID S. KIM is a Korean-American filmmaker who tells emotionally driven stories shaped by identity, culture, and the human experience. Born and raised in Colorado, he moved to Los Angeles to focus on his passion for storytelling. He earned his MFA in Film Directing at UCLA’s School of Theater, Film, and Television, where he studied under Korean director Gina Kim and A.C.E. editor Alex O’Flinn.

David worked in key creative roles on several festival-recognized films, including YOUR ROOM IS READY (Editor, 2023, LA Shorts International Film Festival) and FIDEL (Producer, 2024, Palm Springs ShortFest). As an editor, he collaborates with both emerging and established filmmakers, cutting together narrative films, documentaries, and other digital formats. No matter the medium, he prioritizes strong emotional rhythms and moments to bring out the best in any story.

Outside of editing, he is currently finishing post-production for YAKSOK, a historical short film about a Korean-born samurai fighting on the wrong side of the Imjin War. This story blends his love of genre filmmaking with his interest in culture and diaspora identity.

Interview with Shoutout Colorado
 

  • 2023 George and Sakaye Aratani Fellowship
    2023 Edie and Lew Wasserman Fellowship
    2023 Federico De Laurentiis Memorial Award
    2023 Herman Kass Prize
    2022 Lawrence and Gorme Scholarship
    2022 Motion Picture Association Award
    2022 Motion Picture Association Award
    2019 Gollin Award

  • Underlined titles link to more information

    TBD

    • Yaksok / 약속 / 約束
      Writer, Director, Producer - Los Angeles, CA
      Narrative short film

    • Hyo
      Writer, Director, Producer - Los Angeles, CA
      Narrative short film

    • A Bride for My Brothers
      Producer - Boulder, CO
      Documentary short film, dir. Rose Hliang Faissel

    2026

    • Vegas, Reflected
      Producer - Los Angeles, CA
      Documentary short film, dir. Shucheng Yan

    2025

    • Jin
      Post-Producer - Los Angeles, CA
      Narrative short film, dir. Hamoun Dolatshahi

    • Poetica for the Living
      Post-Producer - Los Angeles, CA
      Narrative short film, dir. Kaith Karishma

    2024

    • Somang
      Producer - Los Angeles, CA
      Narrative short film, dir. Tim J. Lim

    2023

    • Fidel
      Producer - San Diego, CA
      Narrative short film, dir. Luke Lace

    2021

    • Lost.found
      Writer, Director, Producer - Los Angeles, CA
      Narrative short film

    • Glass
      Writer, Director, Producer - Los Angeles, CA
      Stop-motion short film

    2019

    • HELPyou.hurtME
      Writer, Director, Producer - Rochester, NY
      Experimental short film

  • Underlined titles link to more information

    TBD

    • Yaksok / 약속 / 約束
      Co-Editor with Jinsui Song - Los Angeles, CA
      Narrative short film

    • Hyo
      Editor - Los Angeles, CA
      Narrative short film

    • Petrichor
      Editor - Los Angeles, CA
      Narrative short film, dir. Emma Soyeong Chang, written by Cortney Colvig

    • Guilt
      Editor - Los Angeles, CA
      Experimental short film, dir. Sean Niu

    2026

    • R1T3
      Editor - Los Angeles, CA
      Narrative feature film, dir. Rhett Hipp
      Starring Aleks Le

    • Chester
      Editor - Los Angeles, CA
      Narrative feature film, dir. Haden Beswick-Hale

    • Our Berlin
      Editor - Los Angeles, CA
      Documentary feature film, dir. Jonathan Freund

    • What Does it Mean to be an American?
      Editor - Los Angeles, CA
      Documentary short film, dir. Sean Niu
      Produced by The 1990 Institute

    • No Choice
      Editor - Los Angeles, CA
      Music video, dir. Jaran Huggins
      Starring Trent Monroe

    • You and You Too
      Editor - Los Angeles, CA
      Narrative short film, dir. Mariana Serra

    • I Have My Father’s Feet
      Editor - Los Angeles, CA
      Narrative short film, dir. Alexandria Daniels

    2025

    • I Have My Father’s Feet
      Editor - Los Angeles, CA
      Narrative film, dir. Alexandria Daniels

    • Jin
      Post-Producer - Los Angeles, CA
      Narrative short film, dir. Hamoun Dolatshahi

    • Bankyung / 반경
      Editor - Los Angeles, CA
      Narrative short film, dir. Emma Soyeong Chang

    • Poetica for the Living
      Post-Producer- Los Angeles, CA
      Narrative short film, dir. Kaith Karishma

    • Waking
      Editor - Los Angeles, CA
      Narrative film, dir. Jaran Huggins

    • Gardeners
      Editor - Los Angeles, CA
      Narrative film, dir. Merry May Ma

    2024

    • Ill-Defined Shadows
      Editor - Los Angeles, CA
      Narrative short film, dir. Sean Niu

    2023

    • Your Room is Ready
      Editor - Los Angeles, CA
      Narrative short film, dir. Armando Gonzalez Perez

    • Comfortless
      Post-Production Sound Assistant
      Virtual Reality short film, dir. Gina Kim

    • Hijos de su Madre
      Post-Production Sound Assistant
      Narrative short film, dir. Sonia Gonzalez

    2022

    • Solstice
      Post-Sound Assistant – Los Angeles, CA
      Narrative short film, dir. Yuwei Zhang

    • Generally Educated Dora
      Assistant Music Mixer – Los Angeles, CA
      Musical short film, dir. Alice Park

    2021

    • Lost.found
      Editor - Los Angeles, CA
      Narrative short film

    • Glass
      Editor - Los Angeles, CA
      Stop-motion short film

    2019

    • HELPyou.hurtME
      Editor - Rochester, NY
      Experimental short film

  • Underlined titles link to more information

    2024

    • Timelessness
      Digital Imaging Technician
      Narrative short film, dir. Sasha Timan

    • Chowmein Holiday
      Extra (Police Officer, Additional Voices)
      Narrative short film, dir. Lanhua Ma

    2023

    • Comfortless
      Director’s Assistant
      Virtual Reality short film, dir. Gina Kim

    • Hijos de su Madre
      COVID Compliance Officer
      Narrative short film, dir. Sonia Gonzalez

    • I Weigh Down
      G&E Swing, Boom Operator, Sound Mixer, 2nd Assistant Camera
      Narrative short film, dir. Kaith Karishma

    • A Distant Land
      1st Assistant Camera, 2nd Assistant Camera, G&E Swing
      Narrative short film, dir. Iris Ma

    • Mom and Me
      1st Assistant Camera – Centennial, CO
      Documentary short film, dir. Indira Somani

    2022

    • Mother’s Tongue
      G&E Swing – Los Angeles, CA
      Narrative short film, dir. D. Wilmos Paul

    • Reconnect
      On-Set Sound Mixer – Los Angeles, CA
      Narrative short film, dir. Tiger Shi

    • Tender
      G&E Swing, Digital Imaging Technician – Los Angeles, CA
      Narrative short film, dir. Naomi Segal

    2021

    • Dead End
      G&E Swing, Digital Imaging Technician – Los Angeles, CA
      Narrative short film, dir. Tatiana Wisniewski

    2020

    • How to Cure Insomnia
      G&E Swing – Los Angeles, CA
      Narrative short film, dir. Khiam’e Fields

    • Love, Death, and Robots - “Jibarro”
      Producer’s Assistant – Los Angeles, CA
      Animated television series, dir. Alberto Mielgo
      Distributed on Netflix

    • Stuck Apart
      1st Assistant Director, On-Set Sound Mixer – Los Angeles, CA
      Narrative short film, dir. Armando Gonzalez Perez

    • Finding Comfort
      Director of Photography – Los Angeles, CA
      Narrative short film, dir. D. Wilmos Paul

    2019

    • Tahara
      G&E Swing – Rochester, NY
      Narrative feature film, dir. Olivia Peace
      Distributed by Film Movement

    • Immortal
      1st Assistant Director – Los Angeles, CA
      Narrative short film, dir. Andrew Kwok

    2017

    • Beyond the Spotlight
      Production Assistant – New York, NY
      Reality television, starring Laurieann Gibson
      Formerly distributed by Lifetime Television