Hikone, Where Our Farewell Meets
Film
The Sea of Warmth
Film
The Days We Looked Away
Film
ABOUT
PADO began with a mission to bring bold, powerful stories to light—stories that might otherwise never find their audience.
As a filmmaker and creator myself, I've experienced firsthand how crucial it is to have steadfast support and guidance throughout the creative journey. It was this belief that inspired me to establish PADO, creating an environment where artists' visions are fully respected and realized.
We go beyond production, offering distribution services and script submissions.
Our mission is to discover fresh voices and help them reach wider audiences. For artists with unique visions and stories, we provide comprehensive support spanning both production and distribution.
The name PADO—which means "wave" in Korean—draws inspiration from the constant motion and transformative power of ocean waves. Waves aren't merely ripples; they're forces that create new currents and ceaselessly communicate with the world. We aim to spread the essence and values of Korean culture globally through the medium of film, creating new waves of influence.
We welcome artists with bold stories to tell and passionate creators wondering where to begin.
Through the PADO website, you can submit scripts, request production services, or inquire about distribution. We are committed to helping your stories become waves that resonate throughout the world.
Founder
Junwoo Kang was born in South Korea and raised between South Korea, Hungary, and the United States. Having moved frequently throughout his youth, Junwoo developed an early sensitivity to the gaps between languages, people, and homes. These dislocations have deeply shaped his storytelling—centering on memory, loss, and the fragile ways we try to hold onto one another.
Junwoo studies Symbolic Systems with a concentration in neuroscience at Stanford University, where he also minors in English literature. His academic work explores the architecture of the mind, encompassing memory, perception, and language, while his creative work translates that inquiry into emotionally charged narratives on screen. He has conducted research in cognitive science and psychiatry, working in Stanford’s Cognitive Tools Lab under Dr. Judith Fan and Fung Lab under Dr. Lawrence Fung, as well as in the Laboratory of Molecular Neuropsychiatry at Korea University. His research background informs not only how he understands characters, but how he approaches storytelling as both a scientific and emotional exercise.
Junwoo’s directorial work includes Hikone, Where Our Farewells Meet (2024), a cross-cultural featurette filmed in collaboration with the city of Hikone, Japan; The Sea of Warmth (2025), a quiet meditation on grief and grandfatherhood set in San Francisco; and The Days We Looked Away (2025), a psychological crime drama rooted in silence and complicity. He is currently in pre-production for his first feature film, When I Was Still a Son.
In 2024, he founded PADO, a Seoul-based independent film company dedicated to nurturing emotionally resonant cinema while giving full creative control to artists. Through PADO, Junwoo seeks to tell stories that are at once intimate and expansive—films that stir, reflect, and stay.
CONTACT
Ready to move the world through film?
With PADO, your vision becomes reality.