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CHOA Featured on The Atlantic Selects

Choa, a female Korean ice hockey player, from behind, just about to step onto the ice during a game, as the only woman on South Korea’s men’s team.
CHOA on The Atlantic Selects

CHOA, a short documentary I co-directed with Adam Hobbs, was featured on The Atlantic Selects. The film follows Choa Choi and was shot in Seoul. The documentary stays close to Choa’s daily life and experience on the ice. Rather than framing her story as a statement, the film observes how she moves through sport, space, and expectation.

Breaking Barriers on the Ice

When Choa first played ice hockey, others often doubted her because she was a woman. Early on, this changed how opponents reacted to her. Over time, however, her confidence and style of play shifted those assumptions. As she became more direct and physical on the ice, attitudes followed. The film captures this change through action rather than explanation.

Beyond the Rink

Choa’s story also reaches beyond Seoul. When she moved to the United States for high school, she joined a team that had never included a player from Asia. Hockey became a way for her to test herself in a new environment. CHOA follows these moments without adding commentary. Instead, it allows her reflections and movement to shape the narrative.

Making the Film

Adam Hobbs and I worked closely together on CHOA. We shared directing and filming roles throughout the process. This back-and-forth helped keep the production flexible and responsive. The project was developed in collaboration with Underwood International College of Yonsei University. This setting supported a small and focused way of working.

Why The Atlantic Selects Matters

The feature on The Atlantic Selects brought the film to a wider audience. It placed CHOA within a broader conversation about sport, identity, and representation. For us, the recognition confirmed that a quiet and observational approach can still resonate. The film does not aim to resolve questions. Instead, it leaves space for viewers to reflect.

Looking Back

CHOA remains a film about presence and persistence. It observes how Choa Choi navigates expectation, discipline, and belonging through sport. By keeping the focus close and the process simple, the documentary allows her story to unfold on its own terms.

A night shot of the northern center of Seoul, featured in the documentary CHOA, highlighting a sole woman on a South Korean men's ice hockey team.
Choa, a female Korean ice hockey player, poised to take a shot on the ice during a game as the only woman on South Korea’s men’s team.
Light streams through the window into a Yonsei University classroom where Choa, the only woman on South Korea's men's ice hockey team, studies for her degree when not on the ice.
Choa, a female Korean ice hockey player, heads into the changing room to gear up for practice at the ice rink in Seoul, South Korea, as the sole woman on the men's team.