Directed & Written by Hannah Chang
Short Narrative | 20 min | English, Korean | USA
Thursday, September 25th, 2025 | 6:00PM Screening
Neighborhood House at Christ Church
20 N. American Street, Philadelphia, PA 19106
Areum (which means ‘beautiful’ in Korean) is fixated on her physical appearance. She is convinced her mono lidded eyes are why she is ‘unpretty,’ especially in comparison with her longtime best friend, Jane (as in plain Jane), who has double-lidded eyes and is so beautiful that she could be mistaken for a K-Pop idol. I Wish I Were Pretty is not just the title, but also a phrase director Hanah Chang has contemplated since she was told at a young age that she would be prettier if she had “ssanggeopul” (double eyelids). Many of the elements included in this story are inspired by her personal experiences.
I Wish I Were Pretty Instagram
Director’s Bio
Hannah Chang
Director/Writer
Hanah Chang is a Korean-American actor and writer, who, after years of denying that she had any creativity within her, landed her first on-screen credit in the Netflix karaoke game show, ‘Sing On!’ She also played the lead in the short film, ‘Don’t Worry About It,’ which screened at SlamDance and Micheaux. As a proud member of the multi-hyphenate club, Hanah wrote, directed, and acted in her short, ‘I Wish I Were Pretty,’ which navigates how to deal with Korean beauty standards. She has the privilege to teach visual storytelling to students through SeriesFest’s Mobile Cinema Lab and volunteers regularly with Sophia Chang’s Unlock Her Potential and Joey Bada$$’s ImpactMENtorship programs, which provide mentorship to people of color in the entertainment industry. A strong believer in indie film and TV, Hanah is dedicated to increasing authenticity, diversity, and representation both in front of and behind the camera.
“If you obey all the rules,
you miss all the fun.”
Katherine Hepburn
Actor
thewomensfilmfestival.org 