“THE LAUGHING MUSHROOM”
A Collaborative Project by Ash Suh and Maya Han
A new animation of an old Korean folktale
about Buddhist nuns hunting for mushrooms
ABOUT THE PROJECT
Laughing Mushroom (aka Laughing Jjim) is a new short animated film in development and targeted for its premiere in NYC around Chuseok (Autumn 2026). Co-created by Maya Han and Ash Suh, it is based on an ancient Korean folktale about an adventurous group of Buddhist nuns who, during a festival, wander off to forage nearby. They find some enticing mushrooms and bring them back to their temple where they prepare a large delicious pot of “beoseot jeongol” or mushroom stew. Soon afterwards, they experience uncontrollable giggles and giddiness, having consumed “laughter mushrooms,” or mildly psychoactive fungi. The film closes with the nuns joyfully dancing and laughing.
Beyond its accessible charm and humor, this film playfully uses mushrooms as a window onto eye-catching yet lesser-seen aspects of Korean culture: its rich Buddhist and mycological traditions (culinary, shamanistic, and medicinal). It also offers a glimpse into the communal spaces of foraging and cooking, and the earthy delight in the deliciousness of the everyday, not just the divine. Transcending the well-known darkness and traumas of Korean history, this film presents its lighter side in its scenes of matrisocial merriment. Circumventing 3D animation’s heavily commercial applications, this film is an experimentation with digital techniques in order to expand its language, to create a warmer animated look that bridges the gap between handicraft and digital art, to underscore the craft at the heart of traditional Korean art.
ABOUT THE ARTISTS
Artists Ash Suh (she/they), an animator, and Maya Han (she/her), a filmmaker who has studied Buddhism in Korea, are the co-creators and co-directors of Laughing Mushroom (aka Laughing Jjim.) Through this project, these Korean American artists present a fresh, fun, and illuminating glimpse into the richness of their cultural background to new audiences, to celebrate the spirit of delight, collaboration, and community at the heart of both Korean culture and their own artistic process.