About Madeline Sun Woo Kim
Filmmaker. Marketer. Visual Storyteller.
Madeline Sun Woo Kim is a recent graduate of the
University of Michigan in Ann Arbor with a
Master of Management degree in Business Management
from the Stephen M. Ross School of Business and
Bachelor of Arts degrees in Film, Television, and Media and English Literature from the College of Literature, Science, and the Arts.
During her time in Ann Arbor, Madeline created many short and feature-length films by taking on various roles including director, producer, and editor.
Her most recent work Oeuvre, Unfinished—which she wrote, directed, produced, production designed, costume designed, and edited—is currently going through the film festival circuit and has received numerous awards including:
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Honorable Mention: Best Student Short — Independent Shorts Awards, Los Angeles
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Best Short Film — Chicago Filmmaker Awards
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Best Female Director — Berlin Shorts Award
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Semi-Finalist: Best International Narrative Short — Paris International Short Festival
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Best Actress — LA Indies
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Official Selection — New York Independent Cinema Awards
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Best Short Film & Best Editing — Cine Paris Film Festival
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Best Woman Filmmaker & Best Short Film — International New York Film Festival
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Honorable Mention: Best Female Director — New York Independent Art Film Fest
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Official Selection — Tokyo Lift-Off Film Festival​
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It is expected to be released afterward on Amazon Prime in 2025.
​Outside of filmmaking, she has built a strong foundation in fashion, marketing, and strategy. She currently works at Guest In Residence, a luxury fashion brand founded by Gigi Hadid, where she supports retail strategy and brand experience on the ground. Her passion for fashion began at SHEI Magazine, the University of Michigan’s fashion publication, where she worked as a fashion videographer—filming and editing editorial shoots, planning styling and makeup concepts, and scouting creative locations with a collaborative team.
She also has experience working with artificial intelligence. In her previous position as an AI trainer, she helped train large language models to interpret and respond to a wide range of prompts. She brings a forward-thinking, tech-driven perspective and a nuanced understanding of AI’s rapidly evolving landscape.
Earlier, she was a management consultant for the University of Michigan’s College of LSA, where she developed marketing strategies to increase traction and engagement with the Inclusive Teaching Website—an initiative aimed at advancing diversity, equity, and inclusion in academic spaces.
Now based full-time in New York, she is passionate about the integration of film, fashion, and business—and continues to explore their intersections through creative and strategic work.
Awards
[Tokyo Lift-Off Film Festival 2025] Official Selection
Short film Oeuvre, Unfinished was given official selection status at the film festival.
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[New York Independent Art Film Fest 2024] Honorable Mention: Best Female Director
Short film Oeuvre, Unfinished was awarded "Honorable Mention: Best Female Director" at the film festival.
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[International New York Film Festival 2024] Winner: Best Short Film
Short film Oeuvre, Unfinished was awarded "Winner: Best Short Film" at the film festival.
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[International New York Film Festival 2024] Winner: Best Woman Filmmaker
Short film Oeuvre, Unfinished was awarded "Winner: Best Woman Filmmaker" at the film festival.
[Cine Paris Film Festival 2024] Winner: Best Editing
Short film Oeuvre, Unfinished was awarded "Winner: Best Editing" at the film festival.
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[Cine Paris Film Festival 2024] Winner: Best Short Film
Short film Oeuvre, Unfinished was awarded "Winner: Best Short Film" at the film festival.
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[New York Independent Cinema Awards 2024] Official Selection
Short film Oeuvre, Unfinished was given official selection status at the film festival.
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[LA Indies 2024] Winner: Best Actress
Short film Oeuvre, Unfinished was awarded "Winner: Best Actress" at the film festival.​
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[Paris International Short Festival 2024] Semi-Finalist: Best International Narrative Short
Short film Oeuvre, Unfinished was awarded "Semi-Finalist: Best International Narrative Short" at the film festival.​
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[Berlin Shorts Award 2023] Winner: Best Female Director
Short film Oeuvre, Unfinished was awarded "Winner: Best Female Director" at the film festival.​
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[Chicago Filmmaker Awards 2023] Winner: Best Short Film
Short film Oeuvre, Unfinished was awarded "Winner: Best Short Film" at the film festival.
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​[Independent Shorts Awards 2023] Honorable Mention: Best Student Short
Short film Oeuvre, Unfinished was awarded "Honorable Mention: Best Student Short" at the film festival.
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​optiMize Social Innovation Challenge Grant Recipient & Summer Fellow 2023
​Short film Oeuvre, Unfinished was granted $7,000 towards its production budget for its mission to increase DEI in the film industry.​
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EXCEL Enterprise Fund Recipient 2023
​Short film Oeuvre, Unfinished was granted $1,500 towards its production budget for its outstanding vision.​
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Alice Webber Glover Scholarship Award 2022
Short film Oeuvre, Unfinished was granted a scholarship award towards its production budget for its outstanding vision.​
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[Lightworks Film Festival 2022] Best Drama
TV Pilot "Weaksiders" won Best Drama at the University of Michigan's Lightworks Film Festival in January 2022.​
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[Lightworks Film Festival 2022] Best Original Score
TV Pilot "Weaksiders" won Best Original Score at the University of Michigan's Lightworks Film Festival in January 2022.​
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Alice Webber Glover Scholarship Award 2021
Music Video "Darkness of Your Love" was granted a scholarship award towards its production budget for its outstanding vision.​
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[Lightworks Film Festival 2021] Best Drama
Feature film Flux won Best Drama at the University of Michigan's Lightworks Film Festival in May 2021.​
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[Lightworks Film Festival 2021] Runner Up Best Original Score
TV Pilot "Calumet" won Runner Up for Best Original Score at the University of Michigan's Lightworks Film Festival in January 2021.
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