Bearing North Fund Launches to Support Films on North Korea, Announces First Project 'School for Defectors'
A new private grantmaking initiative, Bearing North, has been established in Los Angeles to fund films focusing on North Korea. Founded by entrepreneurs and film investors Blaine Vess and Esther Paik Vess, the initiative will provide grants to independent filmmakers globally for documentary features, narrative features, and short films. Bearing North has a stated preference for projects led by North Korean defectors. The advisory board for the fund includes prominent figures from documentary filmmaking, journalism, and human rights advocacy, such as Matt Tyrnauer, Anna Fifield, Joseph Kim, Hannah Song, and Sokeel Park. The first project to receive support from Bearing North is 'School for Defectors,' a documentary directed by Jeremy Workman, which follows students at the Jangdaehyun School in Busan, South Korea, an institution dedicated to North Korean defectors and their families. Grant applications for the fund are currently open. 
