Annabel Park
Encyclopedia
Annabel Park is a documentary filmmaker, political activist and community volunteer.
with her family when she was nine years old, and was raised in Texas and Maryland. She studied Philosophy at Boston University
and Political Theory at Oxford University as a Marshall Scholar.
and briefly worked in strategic planning at the New York Times as a Strategy Analyst. She has also worked as playwright, theater director, and docummentary film maker.
. She co-directed and produced the documentary, 9500 Liberty
, about the battle over the "Immigration Resolution" law in Virginia.
She is a founder and defacto-coordinator of Coffee Party USA
, an organization which describes itself as a fact-based, non-partisan and solutions-based network that considers itself to be a "more thoughtful and reasoned alternative to the Tea Party
." She has volunteered for Jim Webb
's 2006 US Senate campaign and for Barack Obama
's 2008 presidential campaign.
"9500 Liberty" was directed by Annabel Park and Eric Byler
. It chronicles the only eight weeks in American history where an "Arizona style" immigration crackdown was actually implemented, and why it was quickly repealed. "9500 Liberty" began as an "interactive documentary," allowing its viewers to not only comment, but suggest new directions and additional coverage of the story, which was uploaded almost immediately after it was shot. Today there are more than 100 installments on the YouTube
channel, most of them posted between September 2007 and June 2008. These videos were combined with never-before-seen footage, including a behind-the-scenes portrayal of Park and Byler's challenge with citizen journalism
and civic duty in the midst of a divisive culture war, to create the critically acclaimed feature film. "9500 Liberty" is the winner of four film festival awards. It was released theatrically in more than 30 cities, and picked up by MTV Networks for a Sept. 26, 2010 cable premiere.
Early years
Born in 1968 in Seoul, South Korea, Annabel immigrated to the United StatesUnited States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
with her family when she was nine years old, and was raised in Texas and Maryland. She studied Philosophy at Boston University
Boston University
Boston University is a private research university located in Boston, Massachusetts. With more than 4,000 faculty members and more than 31,000 students, Boston University is one of the largest private universities in the United States and one of Boston's largest employers...
and Political Theory at Oxford University as a Marshall Scholar.
Career history
Park worked as a nanny in New YorkNew York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
and briefly worked in strategic planning at the New York Times as a Strategy Analyst. She has also worked as playwright, theater director, and docummentary film maker.
Political activism
Park was the national coordinator for a network of second-generation Korean Americans, the 121 Coalition, and was instrumental in the passing of House Resolution 121United States House of Representatives House Resolution 121
United States House of Representatives House Resolution 121 is a resolution about comfort women which Japanese-American Congressman Mike Honda of California's 15th congressional district introduced to the American House of Representatives in 2007...
. She co-directed and produced the documentary, 9500 Liberty
9500 Liberty
9500 Liberty is a 2009 documentary film about the struggle over immigration in Prince William County, Virginia. It was directed by Annabel Park and Eric Byler....
, about the battle over the "Immigration Resolution" law in Virginia.
She is a founder and defacto-coordinator of Coffee Party USA
Coffee Party USA
The Coffee Party USA is an American political movement that was initially formed in January, 2010, as an alternative to the Tea Party movement, and has since grown into an increasingly diverse organization....
, an organization which describes itself as a fact-based, non-partisan and solutions-based network that considers itself to be a "more thoughtful and reasoned alternative to the Tea Party
Tea Party movement
The Tea Party movement is an American populist political movement that is generally recognized as conservative and libertarian, and has sponsored protests and supported political candidates since 2009...
." She has volunteered for Jim Webb
Jim Webb
James Henry "Jim" Webb, Jr. is the senior United States Senator from Virginia. He is also an author and a former Secretary of the Navy. He is a member of the Democratic Party....
's 2006 US Senate campaign and for Barack Obama
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...
's 2008 presidential campaign.
Filmography
- 9500 Liberty9500 Liberty9500 Liberty is a 2009 documentary film about the struggle over immigration in Prince William County, Virginia. It was directed by Annabel Park and Eric Byler....
"9500 Liberty" was directed by Annabel Park and Eric Byler
Eric Byler
Eric Byler is an American film director, screenwriter and political activist. He identifies as hapa biracial, born to a Chinese American mother and a white American father. He grew up in Virginia, Hawaii , and California. He graduated from Wesleyan University in 1994, majoring in film...
. It chronicles the only eight weeks in American history where an "Arizona style" immigration crackdown was actually implemented, and why it was quickly repealed. "9500 Liberty" began as an "interactive documentary," allowing its viewers to not only comment, but suggest new directions and additional coverage of the story, which was uploaded almost immediately after it was shot. Today there are more than 100 installments on the YouTube
YouTube
YouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
channel, most of them posted between September 2007 and June 2008. These videos were combined with never-before-seen footage, including a behind-the-scenes portrayal of Park and Byler's challenge with citizen journalism
Citizen journalism
Citizen journalism is the concept of members of the public "playing an active role in the process of collecting, reporting, analyzing and disseminating news and information," according to the seminal 2003 report We Media: How Audiences are Shaping the Future of News and Information...
and civic duty in the midst of a divisive culture war, to create the critically acclaimed feature film. "9500 Liberty" is the winner of four film festival awards. It was released theatrically in more than 30 cities, and picked up by MTV Networks for a Sept. 26, 2010 cable premiere.