"Korean Americans are a long-time, widely dispersed presence in the United States. Yet for most Americans, they remain a people without a story. When Journey (Arirang Part 1) begins in 1903, the Koreans no sooner arrive in American than their homeland is taken over by Japan, which attempts to stamp out the Korean language and culture and reduce Koreans to second-class Japanese. The Korean sojourners became American settlers. They organized around the cause of independence for Korea while simultaneously sinking roots deep into the new land. As they achieve astonishing success in American terms, they kept the idea of an independent Korea alive throughout Japan's half-century occupation of the Korean peninsula.

In Dream (Part 2), a dramatic renewal of migration results from the Korean War and the subsequent change in U.S. immigration law. After 1970, the Korean-American population expanded rapidly, sometimes perilously, to today's population of well over one million people. Dream is about the distance from Seoul to Honolulu, Los Angeles, New York and New Jersey. It is about the distance from storekeeper to Harvard graduate, and from the devastating Los Angeles riots of 1992 to a heightened involvement in the American scene. Dream captures a community in transition from anonymity to national prominence." --DVD Container

Awards: 2002 Hawaii International Film Festival; 2003 Seattle International Film Festival; 2003 Dallas Asian Film Festival

Program website at www.arirangeducation.com