Kiubon Kokko

Kiubon Kokko is a documentary filmmaker from Columbus, Ohio. He earned his B.A. in Media Studies from Claremont McKenna College. Since then, he has completed three short films and is currently working on his first feature documentary. His work has received recognition at the IES Abroad Film Festival, the Oscar-qualifying Drama International Short Film Festival, and has been featured at the Clermont-Ferrand Film Festival. In 2024 he was a finalist for Kartemquin’s DVID Fellowship. He has also received support from O’Shaughnessy Ventures, which provided a $100,000 grant, as well as from Sundance and SXSW award winner Jim Cummings, and the Ohio Wexner Film/Video Fellowship. He is a Brazilian jiu-jitsu blue belt and proud member of A-Doc and the Gold House Future’s Network.

My Work

Video

Eight Kilometers

Creator: Kiubon Kokko

Eight Kilometers

Creator: Kiubon Kokko

Nobody’s ever heard of the Freedom Swimmer movement of around 600,000 Chinese refugees fleeing to Hong Kong during the Cultural Revolution. When I first heard this story about my dad, it was passed down like a fairy tale. My mom told me it took him one week to swim, with two friends, and they both died along the way. I wanted the true story from my dad, so I sat him down and interviewed him. This piece of history demands to be known. It intrigued me, and I know it’ll intrigue others, so that’s why I am telling this story.

Video

Thanks for Picking Me Up

Creator: Kiubon Kokko

Thanks for Picking Me Up

Creator: Kiubon Kokko

In Ohio, for fun, me and my friends would drive from one fast-food restaurant to the next. Sitting and avoiding eye contact led to vulnerable conversations: “I haven’t told anyone this. I’ve wanted to kill myself for a while.” This is how we got close. I wanted to see if these vulnerable conversations could be replicated in Europe with strangers. This was important to me, because when I was in the car with my dad, I couldn’t speak because of a deep ingrained fear. Ultimately, I wanted proof that it wasn’t my fault he doesn’t talk to me.