Shawn Ku is a U.S.

choreograph Choreography is the art or practice of designing sequences of movements of physical bodies (or their depictions) in which motion or form or both are specified. ''Choreography'' may also refer to the design itself. A choreographer is one who cr ...

er and

motion picture A film also called a movie, motion picture, moving picture, picture, photoplay or (slang) flick is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, feelings, beauty, or atmospher ...

director Director may refer to: Literature * ''Director'' (magazine), a British magazine * ''The Director'' (novel), a 1971 novel by Henry Denker * ''The Director'' (play), a 2000 play by Nancy Hasty Music * Director (band), an Irish rock band * ''D ...

. He has also danced on Broadway, and acted in an

independent Independent or Independents may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups * Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in the New Hope, Pennsylvania, area of the United States during the early 1930s * Independe ...

feature-length film. Inspired by his family's personal connection to the Virginia Tech shooting and unexpected death of a visiting friend, Shawn Ku developed his 2010 film '' Beautiful Boy'' from those experiences.

Personal life

Ku went to

Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of high ...

as a chemistry pre-medical major and was accepted to

Columbia Columbia may refer to: * Columbia (personification), the historical female national personification of the United States, and a poetic name for America Places North America Natural features * Columbia Plateau, a geologic and geographic region in ...

medical school A medical school is a tertiary educational institution, or part of such an institution, that teaches medicine, and awards a professional degree for physicians. Such medical degrees include the Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS, MB ...

, before beginning his entertainment career.

Credits

*'' Samsara'' (2001) - actor *'' Making Tracks'' (2002) - choreographer *'' Pretty Dead Girl'' (2004) - writer, director *''

The American Mall ''The American Mall'' is a 2008 MTV musical film that debuted on August 11, 2008. Overview Produced by the same team behind Disney's ''High School Musical'' film series, ''The American Mall'' is conceptually very similar, as it focuses on severa ...

'' (2008) - choreographer, director *'' Beautiful Boy'' (2010) - writer, director *'' A Score to Settle'' (2019) - director

References

External links

* American film directors American choreographers Living people American people of Chinese descent Harvard University alumni Year of birth missing (living people) {{US-film-director-stub