About
Youil Kim is a Korean director and producer based in Los Angeles, working across narrative films, music videos, and commercial projects.
His filmmaking grows out of an interest in people whose stories are easily overlooked. Before moving to Los Angeles, he worked across documentary and visual media in South Korea, including communications work at the National Assembly. Documenting labor, displacement, and refugee experiences shaped his attention to how social realities enter everyday lives.
His narrative work explores family, grief, and immigration through intimate relationships and the things people struggle to say. His short film Embrace was an official selection at the Oscar®-qualifying Dallas International Film Festival and won Best Student Drama Short at Glendale International Film Festival in 2026. His latest short, Ice Cream, follows a young girl and her family on the streets of Los Angeles.
A graduate of the New York Film Academy, he brings a collaborative approach to directing and producing, developing stories through performance, image, and rhythm.
Selected Press
Interview
Meet Youil Kim
On resilience, preparation, and the work of filmmaking.
Interview
Meet Youil Kim
On finding purpose through documenting lives and making films.
In the news
Inside the National Assembly: Ryu Ho-jung’s office
An office interview featuring Youil Kim during his work as a communications aide. Original article in Korean.
In the news
Withyou’s “StrawberrY”: a music video collaboration
Coverage of Withyou’s single and music video collaboration with Youil Kim (ONLY FILM). Original article in Korean.