Photo by Richie Trimble
Na Forest Lim (they/he) is an autistic, queer, and trans artist, film director, and photojournalist practicing sustainable poetic living in Waawiyaatanong, Anishinaabe land.
They were born and raised in Seoul, South Korea. Growing up, visual storytelling called to them, first through the love of immersing themselves in graphic novels that stretched the imagination and then as a creator of manga. Equipped with a small Sony camcorder, originally purchased to document friends, Na opened a portal to examine the larger world around them and became an author through the lens of their camera. Filmmaking and photography is a labor of love and curation of intimacy for everything Na captures. They seek to infuse tenderness as a form of intentional care and counterstory by lifting up narratives of communities who have historically not been granted that privilege such as people of color, immigrants, the disabled, femmes, and queer folx. They highlight their subject's strength, resilience and rich tapestries of varying voices as a tool for people to feel inspired to excavate their power.
Na has directed national broadcast commercials, branded content, documentary-style for clients including MasterCard, Microsoft, General Motors, Ford, Chevy, and Bumble. He is a 2024 Kresge Arts Fellow in Film Directing, focuses on collaborating with other Detroit creatives to archive art and community projects, document creative processes, help with fundraising campaigns, and raise awareness for various individuals and collectives; radicalplay.art
