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The Late Korean Film Director KIM Ki-young Revived in Paris

On the 29^th of November, 2006, the “Retrospective of Director KIM Ki-young” opened to enthusiastic French audience at the famed Cinémathèque Française, Paris. The Korean Film Council and the Cinémathèque Française co-hosted this retrospective, as a part of several other events celebrating 120 years of diplomatic relationship between Korea and France. It will last until December 24, 2006. It is the biggest retrospective of the late film director KIM Ki-young to date. 18 films out of surviving 22 films will be shown on screen for the duration of the event. This tribute is particularly note-worthy because the audience will be treated to 10 other feature and short films, that were directed by young and upcoming Korean directors. Not surprisingly, there are a number of internationally acclaimed hits such as < Sympathy for Lady Vengeance > and < The Flower Island >. It will be rather intriguing to analyze the relationship between Mr. KIM Ki-young’s cinematic imaginary and the current Korean films, and to draw a lineage from the old master.

Director KIM Ki-young was a successful box-office hit maker all the while instilling his unique personal touch on his films. However, he was under-estimated in the international scene even though his works cried otherwise. It was in 1997 when KIM Ki-young’s 8 films were screened at the Pusan International Film Festival as a retrospective. As a result of this, his name was introduced to the global scene. The very next year, he was to have another retrospective at the Berlin International Film Festival and see himself getting proper respect. Unfortunately, he passed away from a terrible accident just before the tribute.

There were several notable figures who were presented at the Cinémathèque Française this year. They were: Mr. KIM Hong-joon who paid homage to the giant of Korean film by making a documentary entitled “2 or 3 Things That I Know about KIM Ki-young : Directors Talking about KIM Ki-young”, Mr. LEE Hwa-si who starred many of Mr. KIM Ki-young’s films and was seen as the ultimate ‘persona’ of Director KIM Ki-young’s films, Mr. BONG Joon-ho who directed Korean box office smash, < The Host > and self-proclaimed KIM Ki-young maniac, The late director’s son Mr. KIM Dong-yang, and Miss E.J. TAE attending as a representative from Korean Film Council.

The opening film < Iodo > raised anticipation as a crowd of 250 filled the seats in the theatre.  The French media and audience’s interest in the Korean representatives continued during the reception after the film. During the interview session which was held all day long the following day, there were many questions regarding KIM Ki-young’s unique personal style reflected in his works. ‘The Liberation’, one of the most credential daily papers in France, made this event its headline. Moreover, BONG Joon-ho, the director of < The Host > showed up himself. < The Host > has been in theatres in France with an impressive track record since November. Therefore, general interest from the media and audience was kept aloft.

Newly made documentary < Two or Three Things that I Know about KIM Ki-young: Directors Talking about KIM Ki-young > by KIM Hong-joon was screened on the 2^nd of December, 2006. The film strongly appealed to the audience by juxtaposing interview footages of 20 Korean film directors who were only too eager to share their up close and personal moments with Director KIM Ki-young and their appreciation towards his films. Most of the audience was deeply touched by witnessing the life of a man who was so full of talent and personal trait. It always saddens us to witness a sudden demise – in this case, because of an accidental fire - of an energetic man who worked until his very last moment.After the screening of < Two or Three Things that I Know about KIM Ki-young: Directors Talking about KIM Ki-young >, a panel discussion was held under the moderation of Mr. Jean-François RAUGER, programme director at the Cinémathèque française. More than 100 people filled the venue with Mr. KIM Hong-joon, Mr. BONG Joon-ho, Mr. LEE Hwa-si and Mr. KIM Dong-yang. The place was flooded with numerous questions from varied angles regarding Mr. KIM Ki-young’s point of view. There was ample opportunity for the French audience to have a better understanding on KIM Ki-young’s cinematic perspective and his personal self.

Up until now, < Burying Old Alive > has not been released to the general admission due to the loss of approximately 20 minutes of footage. It was pity because < Burying Old Alive > was full of KIM Ki-young’s signature traits such as the use of extensive props and convention-breaking studio shooting. Therefore, this film was an obvious example which shows KIM’s artistic taste and one-of-the-kind cinematic image resulted from that taste. As an initiative for the < Retrospective of Director KIM Ki-young > this year, the Korean Film Council made a new print containing explanatory subtitles where original footage was lost. The < Retrospective of Director KIM Ki-young > included the first overseas screening of < Burying Old Alive > and the film enjoyed a great audience reaction. Aside from the success of < Burying Old Alive >, late night screenings of < Story of Ban Gum-yon >, < The Soil >, and < The Woman of Fire 82 > on Wednesday and Thursday boasted high admission rates on average of 50 people or more considering the screenings took place during weekdays. Additionally, the Cinémathèque française programme director Jean-François RAUGER attended almost every screening with the general audience, showing a high level of interest in KIM Ki-young’s works.

The < Retrospective of Director KIM Ki-young > at the Cinémathèque Française started on the 29^th of November, 2006, and is scheduled to last until the 24^th of December, 2006. It is expected that this revision of director KIM Ki-young will give the late Korean director a chance for a much deserved re-evaluation globally, and furthermore, be a stepping-stone for the world to appreciate the beauty and ingenuity of his works.