Nash Ang is a Filipino filmmaker and actor based in South Korea. His directorial work includes Seoul Mates (2014), a Filipino-Korean co-production identified by The Korea Times as the first feature film utilizing staff and actors from both countries. As an actor, he appeared in the 2019 tvN drama Arthdal Chronicles alongside Song Joong-ki. He also worked on the production as a language consultant, wherein he translated Tausug words to serve as fictional tribal dialects.
For these contributions, the National Commission for Culture and the Arts presented him with the Ani ng Dangal in 2011 and 2016. His recognition also includes being named a Film Ambassador by the Film Development Council of the Philippines in 2019, followed by the Migration Advocacy and Media Award from the Commission on Filipinos Overseas in 2022.
Early life and education Ang studied broadcasting at the Polytechnic University of the Philippines. In 2010, his short video Water won the grand prix at the ASEAN-Korea Multimedia Competition. The award ceremony was held at Gallery Jinsun in Jongno-gu, Seoul. On the same year, he won champion in the South East Asian Student Documentary Awards (SEAdocs) in Bangkok, Thailand with his short film iskWater The videos dealt with pollution of Pasig River.
He moved to South Korea in 2012, based from a full scholarship under the Art Major Asian program. He took a Master of Fine Arts in filmmaking at the Korea National University of Arts. Ang successfully challenged the university's decision in court after the institution rejected his application for readmission following an authorized leave of absence. In December 2018, the Seoul Administrative Court ruled in his favor, nullifying the university's decision and allowing him to re-enroll to complete his degree. He later studied technology and web development at the City College of San Francisco.
Filmmaking Ang's early documentaries explored migration from rural provinces to the capital. His 2010 documentary short isKWATER followed migrants relocating to the city, resulting in his first his first Ani ng Dangal award.
In 2011, his documentary Water Ghetto, which depicted settlers living along a canal behind Malacañang Palace, screened at the DMZ International Documentary Film Festival.
His documentary Live to Dive (Lusong) followed child scavengers retrieving garbage from Manila Bay. Screening at the 13th Pyongyang International Film Festival in September 2012, the film earned Ang the Best Director award; The Korea Herald reported the event as a rare instance of a South Korea-based foreign student screening a film in North Korea.
He wrote the first draft of Seoul Mates in 2013 while studying at K-Arts. He shot it as a feature in 2014. The film starred Korean actor Ji Soo and premiered at the Cinema One Originals Film Festival in Manila.
In 2015, his short Reason for Existence won grand prize at the Mirvac WA Short Film Festival in Australia.
That year he also directed Paraiso, a documentary about child survivors of Typhoon Haiyan. The film went on to win the Grand Prix at Portugal's 21st CineEco International Festival of Environmental Cinema, followed by the 2016 Special Festival Prize at the 15th Pyongyang International Film Festival and the Mass Media Jury Award at the Baikal International Festival in Russia. According to the Philippine Embassy in Moscow, it was the first Philippine film featured at the ECOCUP International Green Documentary Film Festival, which did result to a subsequent screening at Moscow State University.
Shot entirely on a smartphone, his 2016 mockumentary No Man Is an Island went on to receive the Special Jury Award at the Ulsan New Media Film Festival.
Acting Ang has taken supporting roles in South Korean television and film. Following his appearance in E J-yong's 2016 film The Bacchus Lady, he portrayed a member of the Wabi Tribe in Episode 9 of Arthdal Chronicles (2019). His other television credits include minor appearances in Cheo Yong (2014) as Ikbal, a Filipino worker who witnessed a crime, Tale of Fairy (2018), The Undateables (2018), and The Running Mates: Human Rights (2019).
In addition to screen roles, Ang has performed as an actor and participated in musical productions produced by Salad, a South Korean theater company featuring talent from diverse cultural backgrounds, where he also teaches acting to children of multicultural families, including their productions Masala (2019) and Suklay (2014).
Other work In 2007, Ang founded OBRA Incorporated, a nonprofit in the Philippines. He later established Pinoy Seoul in 2017, serving as an online media portal for Filipino diaspora in South Korea while he was employed as an International Correspondent for the Seoul City Government. Through this platform, he organized the Korea Pinoy International Film Festival in Seongbuk-gu in September 2019, which was recognized by Korea JoongAng Daily as the first Filipino international film festival hosted in Korea.
Filmography Year Title Role Notes 2010 iskWATER Director SEAdocs Documentary short 2010 Water Director ASEAN-Korea Multimedia Competition grand prix 2011 Water Ghetto Director Official Selection of 3rd DMZ Docs 2012 Live to Dive (Lusong) Director Produced by Reel Time of GMA News TV 2014 Cheo Yong Actor OCN TV series 2014 Seoul Mates Director, Writer, Actor Official Selection of Cinema One Originals 20142014Tears of No Dead (우는 남자)ActorFeature film 2015 Reason for Existence Director Mirvac WA Short Film Festival, Australia 2015 Paraiso Director Grand Prix, CineEco 2015 2016 No Man Is an Island Director Short film; also known as Story of No Die 2016 The Bacchus Lady Actor Feature film 2017 The End of April (사월의 끝) Actor Feature film 2018 Tale of Fairy Actor tvN TV series 2018 The Undateables Actor SBS TV Series 2019 Arthdal Chronicles Actor, Language consultant tvN TV series 2019 The Running Mates: Human Rights Actor OCN TV series 2019 The Threshold of Death (사선의 끝) Actor Feature film 2021 Reset (리셋) Actor Short film 2021 Ssanahee Sunjung (싸나희 순정) Actor Feature film
Awards Year Award Work 2010Champion, South East Asian Documentary Awards (SEAdocs)iskWater 2010 Grand Prix, ASEAN-Korea Multimedia Competition Water 20111st Place, Asian Development Bank's My View Video CompetitionWater 2011 Ani ng Dangal presidential award by NCCA isKWATER, Water 2012 Best Director, 13th Pyongyang International Film Festival Live to Dive 2015 Grand Prize, Mirvac WA Short Film Festival Reason for Existence 2015 Grand Prix, 21st CineEco, Portugal Paraiso 2016 Special Festival Prize, 15th Pyongyang International Film Festival Paraiso 2016 Mass Media Jury Award, 15th Baikal International Festival, Russia Paraiso 2016 Ani ng Dangal presidential award by NCCA Paraiso 2018 Special Jury Award, Ulsan New Media Film Festival No Man Is an Island 2018 Indie Bravo!, Philippine Daily Inquirer No Man Is an Island 2019 Film Ambassador, Film Development Council of the Philippines No Man Is an Island 2019 Interactive Media Award – Best Website on Migration, CFO Pinoy Seoul 2022 Migration Advocacy and Media Award, CFO Himself2026Grand Prize, UP Korea Research Center Essay CompetitionFrom Arirang to SEAblings
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