Kim's Video
Directed by David Redmon, Ashley Sabin2023 89mDocumentary, History
6.971%75%
Since 1987, and for almost three decades, New York cinephiles had access to a vast treasure trove of rare films thanks to Kim's Video, a small empire run by Yongman Kim, an enigmatic character who amassed more than fifty thousand VHS tapes.
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Cast of Kim's Video
Kim's Video Ratings & Reviews
- Kevin WardJuly 4, 2025Those of you that know me at least 1 degree beyond my letterboxd facade, probably know that I’m an obsessive movie collector. In college, I had a large bookcase packed with all my VHS (yes I said VHS. DVD had not surpassed VHS as the dominant film medium, yet). People in my dorm would always come by to borrow movies. I even had a primitive checkout system on my computer to track who had all my movies. I’ve made the transitions from VHS to DVD to Blu-ray. But when my kids were very young and their grubby little fingers were scratching up all my Blu-Rays, I finally switched over to digital. I still obsessively collect, though. Still like finding those hard to find extended cuts, special editions, festival films, etc. etc. Even though this film was more of an ode to physical media, I felt a massive connection to this story. I may not have 55,000 titles, but I have a number to shoot for now. 😁 An interesting bit of niche viewing. It’s probably stretched a bit thin even at just under 90 minutes long or so. Worth checking out if you’re at all interested.
- Matthias_812June 8, 2025Less about the legendary store itself and the state of physical media and more about a man's obsession with cinema and what happened to the massive eclectic collection. I was not prepared for the extreme situations this collection was tied up with- being boxed up to sit in shitty conditions hidden from the public in a small Italian town for years to having ties with the mafia and the collection being stolen back through a heist plot ripped straight from Argo.
- SpoonsNovember 25, 2024A fascinating and downright bonkers deep dive into the fate of what many consider the “greatest” collection of bootleg movies ever assembled. Part love letter to cinephiles, part investigative mystery, the film quickly spirals into a wild ride filled with twists, turns, and—believe it or not—hints of organized crime that elevate the story from quirky to downright cinematic. The documentary masterfully blends humor with intrigue, peeling back the layers of this legendary collection’s journey, which starts in a humble New York video store and winds its way into unexpected, shadowy territory. As the filmmakers dig deeper, the narrative takes surreal turns, revealing shocking truths that could rival the plots of the very movies in the collection. What makes Kim’s Video so compelling is how it captures the obsessive nature of film lovers while intertwining it with the high stakes and secrecy of under-the-table dealings. The shadowy involvement of organized crime adds an unexpected tension, transforming what could have been a niche curiosity into a larger-than-life story of passion, power, and the lengths people will go to for art—or profit. This film will resonate with fans of investigative docs like Searching for Sugar Man or The Art of the Steal, blending eccentric characters with jaw-dropping revelations. A must-watch for cinephiles and anyone who loves a mystery with a splash of the underground!
