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Now Nova Media is famous for the re-release of Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, but it was originally a big player in the production market of DVD and Blue Ray.

You are right. The office in Seongnam, outside of Seoul, produces DVDs and Blue Rays, and I do the distribution and online business in Seoul.

How long have you been in the film industry?

I started my career in video business in 1985, and later on, moved onto art film import and distribution. Major films include the Three Colors series and Microcosmos, a nature documentary. And by the time when the video market was moving toward DVD, I established DVD Ani (the original company of Nova Media), a DVD company, mostly working on Japanese animation which released Galaxy Express 999, Bonobono and Cowboy Bebop. It was also when I launched DVD Review, a DVD magazine. However, this market was heavily undermined by illegal download and the industry went through a lot of difficulties. I was kind of exhausted too, so it now has been 5 years since I handed the DVD and Blue Ray section over to KIM Hyung-woo, the co-president, and I am in the film import and distribution sector again.

Tell us how Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind was re-released. 

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind did so badly in 2005 when it was first released that the import company had to close down. Later on I bought the distribution rights and re-released it. At first, I was planning on opening it small, in 20-30 screens, aiming at 30,000 or so admissions. However the PR experts around me with more than 10 years of experience responded positively than I expected. Expecting about 50,000 viewers, I made a little more investment in P&A. But once the film was mentioned by celebrities as one of their favorite films, this film began to receive a lot of attention. In addition, thanks to CGV, the multiplex chain to release this film exclusively, it was released in more than 100 screens. Also, it was advantageous for us that there was no big melodrama in the theater at that time.

I guess the great performance of re-released movies may affect the derivative rights market.

Among Nova Media's DVD and Blue Ray films, several had better attention thanks to re-release. They are A Better Tomorrow, Infernal Affairs, Love Letter and Amelie, to name a few. When you love a film, you want to own it. However, the response in the online derivative market like IPTV and Naver N store is quite another thing. In fact, I guess, the situation is different in each film, from one to another. For example, Sue, Mai & Sawa: Righting the Girl Ship, a Japanese movie that I imported, did not do well in theaters but the online sales is steady. It is always in the screening list of Japanese film screening events and the viewers are increasing by word of mouth. Besides, the online performance of Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind is not that good, compared to the great response in theaters. That's may be because those who want to see it have already seen it in theaters, and it has been in the VOD market since for so long. Further, I haven't released the cable and TV rights at all, because the reason why I re-released this film at all was to let the audience see it again in theaters. To tell you the truth, I don't like download market either, so it was after a while that I started the Naver N Store download service.

You have been in the film derivative rights market for the past 30 years. There are a variety of online platforms today, and I wonder what you think of such change.

First of all, the DVD market is now almost obsolete. However the Blue Ray market is kind of stable, although small, thanks to devoted movie fans. The online market is the heart of today's derivative rights market, and is now static. You may think more platforms mean more sales, but it is not exactly so. Each platform has its limit, and you have to know it clearly. In my personal opinion, the platform where mid sized films may have some sales share, will be the final winner. 

As the theaters are suffering from screen monopoly and polarization of box office, many companies plan on changing their path to the online market.

The online market is certainly advantageous in the sense that viewers have better opportunity to watch the film. However, art films are more dependent on the frequency of exposure. So if you import an art film only having the online market in mind, without theater release, it can be more dangerous.  

Re-releasing has become more frequent than before. What advice would you give to those fellow distributors dreaming of the success of Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind?

These days art film rights have become more expensive than in the past, which means even art films have to be released like mainstream films. In the past an art film was considered successful just with 100,000 or so viewers, but today, it would be a failure. The same goes for re-release films. They are not doing so well, except those re-released at the end of last year, like Love Letter, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind and Love Actually. The rule of thumb is that, once something goes well this time, it gets harder next time. However, I believe that you should have a different mind set with art films. To be sure, art films also can have big size release, but it is not a good idea to approach it with just box office success in mind. I wish you would think it precious, like jewelry, and cherish it, adjust it, and let the audience discover the true value of the film like you did. When you re-release a movie, you must have this precious mind set of rediscovering the film with a feeling of reminiscence. 

What is your next line-up?

I am not in a hurry. In art film, you must pick the best one in its kind. So to speak, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind was one of the best in the melodrama genre, the same for Amelie. You gotta have a good film. You can't fabricate success just by PR and distribution.