EARLY ACCESS - An invitation to an advanced special screening of the award-winning documentary feature film "Earl." The screening will be presented at the Santa Clara University Performing Arts Center on Saturday, July 19, 2025, at 6:00 PM. OFFICIAL TRAILER

The film profiles the life of the American composer Earl Kim (1920-1998) whose parents were Korean immigrants working the fields of Dinuba, California. His journey in music began with free piano lessons, eventually rising to study with some of the greatest modern composers of the modern era including Arnold Schoenberg. During World War II, Earl served his country as a combat intelligence officer, flying over Nagasaki one day after the atomic bomb was dropped. After returning home, Earl stood up to McCarthyism, refusing to sign the Loyalty Oath while serving as an instructor at UC Berkeley. He went on to teach at Princeton for 15 years and Harvard for 23 years.

In 1965, Earl met with Samuel Beckett, receiving permission to set the writer's literary texts to the composer's music. Beckett later won the Nobel Prize for literature in 1969. The film features musical performances by the renowned Sejong Soloists. This film includes interviews with lifetime artists such as the legendary violinist Itzhak Perlman who recorded an album of the composer's violin concerto with Seiji Ozawa and The Boston Symphony Orchestra.

The film is directed by multiple Emmy Award winner Ty Kim (no relation to the composer) who worked with Ed Bradley and Mike Wallace at the television news magazine "60 Minutes" for years.

The film has been made an official selection of seven festivals so far, and garnered awards including Best Director at the Cannes World Film Festival. This screening is free and open to the public.

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