Hyun Lee's 'French Girls' Becomes Australian Festival Hit After Decade-Long Journey
Hyun Lee, a filmmaker of Korean-Australian descent, has seen her debut feature 'French Girls' thrive within Australia's 2026 film festival scene. This $28,000 project, filmed over the course of a year, had its premiere in the 'Sartorial: Fashion on Film' section of the Sydney Film Festival, where it was showcased alongside films by Sofia Coppola and others. Lee noted that 'almost 2000 people' attended the screenings within just three days. The film is also set to be featured at the Melbourne International Film Festival from August 20 to 22. Starring model Mia Kidis as Mia and Daia as Anya, it delves into themes of beauty standards and identity, drawing inspiration from Jean-Luc Godard. Additionally, Lee is working on a full-length adaptation of her 2018 short 'Asian Girls'.
Key facts
- 'French Girls' was made on a budget of $28,000, shot on weekends over a year.
- The film screened at the Sydney Film Festival's 'Sartorial: Fashion on Film' strand, alongside works by Coppola, Varda, Jia, Wiseman, Wenders, and Altman.
- Almost 2,000 people saw 'French Girls' at Sydney Film Festival in three days.
- The film is playing at the Melbourne International Film Festival from 20 to 22 August.
- Hyun Lee originally wanted to be a fashion photographer for Prada in Europe.
- Mia Kidis, a real-life model, stars as Mia; Daia plays Anya.
- Lee cited Jean-Luc Godard as an inspiration for the film.
- Hyun Lee's short 'Asian Girls' premiered at SXSW in 2018.
Entities
Artists
- Hyun Lee
- Mia Kidis
- Daia
- Sofia Coppola
- Agnès Varda
- Jia Zhangke
- Frederick Wiseman
- Wim Wenders
- Robert Altman
- Jean-Luc Godard
- Asher Keddie
- David Wenham
- Sarah Ward
- Tim Levy
- Leah J. Williams
- Stephen A Russell
- Darcy Green
- Gillian Anderson
- Hannah Einbinder
Institutions
- Sydney Film Festival
- Melbourne International Film Festival
- SXSW
- Carriageworks
- Prada
- ScreenHub
- ArtsHub
- ABC Radio Gold Coast
- Screen International
- Alliance of Women Film Journalists
- Concrete Playground
- Variety Australia
- Goethe-Institut Australien
- Australian Centre for the Moving Image
- Birth.Movies.Death
- SBS
- SBS Movies
- Flicks
- Lumina
- Senses of Cinema
- Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts
- Junkee
- FilmInk
- Broadsheet
- Televised Revolution
- Metro Magazine
- Screen Education
- City of Gold Coast
- World Film Locations
- Netflix
- Festival of Dangerous Ideas
Locations
- Sydney, Australia
- Melbourne, Australia
- Gold Coast, Australia
- Brunswick, Australia
- Carriageworks, Australia
- France
- Europe