Part of Doc Spotlight
For two decades, New York City cinephiles had access to a treasure trove of rare and esoteric films through Kim’s Video. Originally run by the enigmatic Yongman Kim out of his dry-cleaning business, his franchise eventually amassed 55,000 rental titles. In 2008, facing a changing industry, Mr. Kim offered to give away his collection provided that it stay intact and be available to Kim’s Video members. In a bid to revitalize tourism, the small Italian village of Salemi, Sicily became home to the archive. But after the initial publicity faded, so too did any sign of the collection. Enter filmmaker David Redmon, who credits Kim’s Video for his film education. With the ghosts of cinema past leading his way, Redmon embarks on a seemingly quixotic quest to track down what happened to the legendary collection — and to free it from purgatory.
“It’s a saga straight out of the movies, replete with corrupt politicians, daring heists, and the Italian mafia… KIM’S VIDEO is a rollicking tale of the inextricable bonds between life and art, and the value of ensuring that the latter remains preserved for future generations.” —Nick Schager, Daily Beast “The world and aesthetic of Kim’s Video will always live on in the memory of those who experienced it, and this movie memorializes that world while also freeing it to live again as a kind of funny zombie version of itself, and there could be nothing more true to the spirit of Kim’s than that.” —Dan Callahan, The Wrap “Endlessly entertaining, embracing the energy of the films that made Redmon, a kid from Paris, Texas who loved movies and was thankfully able to escape to New York at the right time and find Kim’s.” —John Fink, Film Stage
