e-dreams: A Film by Wonsuk Chin

..A Film By Wonsuk Chin





		The director of e-dreams talks about the founders of Kozmo.com, witnessing the companyís rollercoaster ride firsthand and his next film.

	How has the context of e-dreams changed since filming concluded and since Sept. 11th?
	The beauty of a documentary, especially one chronicling actual events, is that there is no way of predicting the outcome. After the market crash of April 2000, for a while, there seemed to be a question of whether or not Kozmo could go public in this new market condition. At that point, I felt then like I was making a suspense thriller. Now I look back at the film especially after September 11th and the film almost seems like a fairy tale. If 9/11 marked the end of an era, e-dreams seems to have captured the beginning of the end. What a crazy time we have just gone through!
	"The beauty of a documentary, especially one chronicling actual events, is that there is no way of predicting the outcome."
	Are we going to see e-dreams in theaters anytime soon and will it be released on video?
	e-dreams will open in New York this week. It will begin its theatrical run at Quad Cinema (34 West 13th Street, NYC) on January 11th. I do not know how long it will be there but if we have enough people coming to see the film, it will be held over and more cities will follow. I have yet to ask my distributor (Seventh Art Releasing) but I think San Francisco may be the next city. The video release will follow sometime later in 2002.

	How has the film been received at festivals?
	The film has been received exceptionally well at festivals. It was just awarded a Special Jury Citation at the Hamptons International Film Festival and also won the Best Documentary Award at the Ammy Awards, honoring Asian and Asian Americans in Film & Television. To drop a name, Ang Lee won the Best Picture for Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and he showed up to receive the award. It's nice to be recognized on the same stage with your role model.

	What are the most common questions audience members ask?
	The first thing that comes to mind is ìWhat is Joseph Park doing these days?î (I'll answer that question later) Sometimes, an audience member would ask me if Kozmo.com would've survived had the market not crashed or had they stayed only in New York.

	How would you compare e-dreams with other documentaries recently made about Internet companies such as Startup.com?
	They are two completely different films. I think Startup.com captured the dynamics of the founders of a small startup. It's almost like fiction. But their story can take place in any other business. That's the filmís appeal. On the other hand, e-dreams focuses on capturing the dotcom experience and what drew people to this phenomenon. I was intrigued about the dynamics of the founders but more interested in how the business was run and how the companyís impending wealth and fame would affect the employees and the founders alike. One may criticize e-dreams for being too sympathetic but I wanted the audience to feel as if they were on this rollercoaster ride themselves.
	"To this day, I am still amazed how often I meet former Kozmo customers who greatly miss their service. The real tragedy may be that such a business had to fail."
	What are your reflections on witnessing the highs and lows of the dotcom era firsthand?
	Kozmo.com was a unique company- much more than just a bunch of people sitting in front of computers. It was a cultural phenomenon. I am still amazed when I meet Kozmo customers to this day who greatly miss their business. The real tragedy may be that such a business had to fail.

	What has happened to the people at Kozmo.com since the company went out of business? What are your impressions of Joseph Park, the co-founder of Kozmo.com?
	Most have moved on with their lives. Some of them, I hear, are going to business school. Joseph, whom I would like to call ënatural born entrepreneurí hasn't started a new business yet. I know he will in the near future. But the good news is that he just got engaged to a lovely woman. One thing I can say about Joseph is that he never stops to amaze me. Even the sudden announcement of his engagement...it's so Joseph. Sometimes I think I should keep filming him and make a sequel. You could even make a one-man film about him and it would still be very entertaining.

	When did you stop filming and did you ever have the temptation to keep the camera rolling?
	I stopped filming when Joseph Park stepped down as CEO in July 2000 although we went back to the office a few more times afterwards. But I knew that his departure marked the end of an era. Suddenly, I saw the ending of my film. At that time, many felt Kozmo would weather the storm and survive because they started showing profits in certain markets. I could've kept filming not knowing what was going to happen next. But it was no longer interesting without Joseph and Yong.

	Tell us about your next project.
	I'm currently writing a screenplay titled The Foreigners, a cross-cultural gangster movie about American teachers and a baseball player in Pusan, Korea. I hope to shoot this film in 2002 so that I can also attend World Cup soccer matches in Korea.

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