Virginia Film Festival

Steven J. Kung

Writer, Director

The son of Taiwanese immigrants, Steven J. Kung is a writer-director who wrote on Dear White People and directed on the sixth season of Fresh Off The Boat. He’s been telling POC, queer, and female-forward stories for his entire career, most notably with A Leading Man, his feature film about anti-Asian racism in the entertainment industry which lead Mic to proclaim him as one of Six Filmmakers Breaking the Bamboo Ceiling. He is currently a director in the Paramount Directing Initiative and writing projects for Starz, Lionsgate, and the Hallmark Channel.

Kung also wrote the episode “Koreatown” for the HereTV anthology series Falling for Angels. A dual director and UPM member of the Directors Guild of America, he produced Ernest Borgnine’s final movie, The Man Who Shook The Hand of Vicente Fernández.

Kung graduated from the Disney ABC Directing Program and the DGA Mentorship Program. He serves as co-chair emeritus of the DGA Asian American Committee, co-founder of the DGA LGBTQ+ Committee, and a board member of the Virginia Film Festival. A native of Virginia Beach, he holds an MFA from the USC School of Cinematic Arts and a BA with High Distinction in Foreign Affairs from the University of Virginia.