FAME'US Stories and Interviews:
FAME’US is a new editorial section of the KTOWN International Film Festival (KTOWN IFF), created to reflect the festival’s core mission of connecting filmmakers, culture, and global storytelling. Built around the idea of fame and us, this platform explores how individual voices and creative achievements resonate within a broader community.
Presented as a short-form magazine-style series, FAME’US features interviews, trend insights, and compelling stories across people, arts, film, education, and technology—highlighting both emerging talents and established leaders who are shaping the future of storytelling.
Aligned with KTOWN IFF’s vision of bridging cultures and fostering dialogue, FAME’US extends the festival beyond the screen—creating a year-round space where ideas, innovation, and human stories come together to inspire, connect, and amplify voices that matter.
Historic Gardena Cinema
Gardena Cinema is an 800-seat, single-screen movie palace that has operated as an independent cinema since the Kim family took ownership in 1976. Originally maintained by John Kim’s father, a first-generation Korean immigrant, the theater is now run by his daughter, Judy Kim, who has continued the family’s commitment to film culture and community service. Over nearly five decades, Gardena Cinema has become a landmark cultural space and a symbol of Korean diaspora history in Los Angeles.
KTOWN - LA
KTOWN IFF sits at the crossroads of Hollywood and academia. Just minutes from the entertainment capital, it attracts actors, musicians, and creatives drawn to its nightlife and cultural energy. Surrounded by major universities such as USC, UCLA, and LACC, Los Angeles thrives as a favorite hub for students seeking affordable dining, study cafés, and vibrant city life.
From Hollywood to the World: Larry Namer on Media, Technology, and What Comes Next
Larry Namer is a pioneering media executive and co-founder of E! Entertainment Television, the global entertainment network now valued at over $10 billion USD. With more than five decades of experience in television and media, he has played a defining role in shaping modern entertainment programming and global content distribution.
In Loving Memory of Richard Riehle (1948–2026) Celebrating an Extraordinary Career in Film, Television, and Theater
Richard Riehle (May 12, 1948 – October 15, 2026) was a distinguished American actor whose remarkable career spanned more than five decades in film, television, and theater. With over 400 screen credits, he established himself as one of Hollywood’s most prolific, versatile, and recognizable character actors, earning admiration for his authenticity, remarkable range, professionalism, and dedication to storytelling.
Throughout his extraordinary career, Riehle worked alongside some of the entertainment industry’s most accomplished actors, directors, and creative professionals. His performances brought humor, humanity, depth, and memorable personalities to productions ranging from major Hollywood blockbusters and critically acclaimed dramas to independent films and popular television series.
Gökhan Yegin Is Building His Own Version of AI Cinema
Yegin traces the film back to his own childhood and to what he describes as a controlling family environment. For years, he carried a sense of guilt that he did not fully understand. As he grew older, he began to question how much of his early life had really belonged to him and how much had been shaped by the expectations and behavior of others.
The film grew out of that realization.
For Yegin, silence is not passive. It accumulates.
In The Weight of Silent, loss does not only mean physical death. It can also mean losing an image of someone you once trusted, or realizing that something you believed about your own life was never true in the first place.
That feeling is built into the film’s setting
Blue Buddha: Finding Human Connection in the Age of AI
Dubai-based creative director and filmmaker Syam Manohar explores loneliness, hope, and the future of AI-powered storytelling through his emotional drama Blue Buddha.
At a time when artificial intelligence is rapidly transforming the film industry, filmmaker Syam Manohar believes that technology should serve human emotion rather than replace it.
His AI-generated drama, Blue Buddha, unfolds inside a quiet London hotel, where strangers pass one another without truly connecting. One cold night, an unexpected mistake changes the course of their lives, transforming isolation into a fragile possibility of hope.
Rather than relying on technological spectacle, Blue Buddha explores the deeply human experiences of loneliness, coincidence, kindness, and emotional connection.
For the KTOWN International Film Festival (KTOWN IFF) Filmmaker Spotlight, Manohar shares his creative inspiration, the challenges of AI filmmaking, the evolving business of AI-generated entertainment, and his vision for international collaboration.
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