Set in Los Angeles in the early 2000s, Smoking Tigers is a portrait of a lonely Korean-American teen named Hayoung who is taken under the wings of three wealthy students she meets at an elite academic bootcamp. As she falls deeper into their world, Hayoung works harder to hide her insecurities about her problematic family and lower-income background, only to discover the bittersweet pains of adulthood that will forever shape her life.

After the screening:

Q&A with writer & director So Young Shelly Yo.

So Young Shelly Yo is a Korean American filmmaker whose work has been supported by HBO, Film Independent, SFFILM, Sloan Foundation and others.

Shelly Yo's feature film, Smoking Tigers, is a winner of Tribeca & AT&T’s Untold Stories program and was awarded Best Screenplay, Best Performance and a special jury mention for the Nora Ephron prize at the 2023 Tribeca Festival. The film will premiere on MAX on August 23, following a limited theatrical release.

Prior to Smoking Tigers, Shelly Yo created many award-winning short films including soft sounds of peeling fruit and moonwalk with me which have screened at festivals around the world.

Most recently, Shelly Yo was awarded the New Voice Award at the 2023 Austin Film Festival and was chosen for the 2023 BAFTA Breakthrough program.