Dir. Kim Ki Duk 김기덕

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August 27, 2012
Darcy Paquet ‏@darcypaquet
Related Korean Article here

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August 29, 2012

Kim Ki-duk's 'Pieta' in competition at Venice
By Rachel Lee, Kwaak Je-yup The Korea Times


Director Kim Ki-duk, left, speaks at a press conference on Wednesday in Seoul. 
Kim’s latest work “Pieta,” starring actress Cho Min-su, center, and actor Lee Jung-jin, 
will vie for the top prize Golden Lion at the 69th Venice Film Festival which kicked off Wednesday. / Yonhap

It’s the time of the year again when the world’s finest film directors and stars flock to an island in north eastern Italy.

The Venice Film Festival, the oldest event of its kind in the world, opened Wednesday on the island of Lido, and veteran director Kim Ki-duk will represent Korea for the main competition.

“I would like to see and learn how other directors look at today’s society,” said Kim at a press conference on Wednesday in Seoul. “It will provide new perspectives.”

“Pieta,” his latest film, is among the 18 films chosen to vie for the top prize Golden Lion in Venice. It is up against some high-profile features by the likes of Terrence Malick, Paul Thomas Anderson and Brian de Palma. The festival opens with “The Reluctant Fundamentalist,” by Mira Nair, an adaptation of the Moshin Hamid bestseller about a Pakistani Princeton graduate dealing with the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.

While declining to give any spoilers during the media event, the 51-year-old director said the new work takes a religious approach to aspects of real life such as fear and trouble.

It is the first time since Park Chan-wook’s “Sympathy for Lady Vengeance” in 2005 that a Korean film will compete for the top prize in the Venice film festival, one of the world’s three most authoritative events along with Festival de Cannes and the Berlinale.

“Pieta” marks Kim’s fourth film to go to Venice since “The Isle” (2000), “Address Unknown” (2001) and “3-Iron” (2004). The last among the three won the Silver Lion, the best director award eight years ago.

“Pieta” is Kim’s 18th feature film and refers to the biblical scene most famously depicted in Michelangelo’s sculpture at St. Peter’s Basilica in Vatican City.

In the film, a heartless loan shark (Lee Jung-jin) is visited by a mysterious woman (Cho Min-su) claiming to be his birth mother. But when she suddenly disappears, he discovers a tragic secret. 

After his 1996 debut with “Crocodile,” Kim is one of the most frequently invited directors to the world’s three most prestigious film festivals. He is also known for his 2003 film, “Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter... and Spring,” which depicted the life of a Buddhist monk and his young protege while encapsulating features of Buddhist philosophy.

Established in 1932, the Venice film festival is the oldest international film festival in the world. In its 69th edition, the Venice Film Festival ends on Sept. 8.

“Pieta” is to open in theaters nationwide on Sept. 6. Runs for 104 minutes. Rated for 18 and over. Distributed by Next Entertainment World (NEW)

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August 30, 2012

Korean shortlists possible Oscar submissions
High hopes for a Best Foreign Language Film nomination
by JANG Sung-ran / KOBIZ



The Korean Film Council (KOFIC) has announced its shortlist films from which it will choose a submission to the 85th Academy Awards, organized by the American Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, which will take place in February 2013. Submitted from August 13th to 17th, the shortlist submissions include IM Sang-soo’s The Taste of Money, KIM Ki-duk’s Pieta, CHOO Chang-min’s Masquerade, YOON Jong-bin’s Nameless Gangster : Rules of the Time and HONG Sang-soo’s In Another Country.

KOFIC stated that since there were only five submissions, they will skip the first round of the usual selection process will not take place and that it will move straight onto the second round, where the quality of the films, the predicted success of the film’s North American release, and the international recognition level of the director and the film are all discussed. The "quality" determination has two components, namely, an assessment by experts from the U.S. (40%) and an assessment from their Korean counterparts (60%).

The final sum of the two selection process will be added up for the final scores. The American selection panel will be made up of three people with expert knowledge of the Oscar selection process and Korean cinema and the selection will begin on 1st September for four days. The main part of the selection process in Korea will be based on the regulations set by Korean Film Council and the panel will comprise of 5 people with expert knowledge of Korean cinema who have no direct connection to the submissions.

The submission criteria for the Academy Awards Foreign Language Film section states that the films have to have been released in Korea between 1st October 2011 and 30th September 2012 and they have to have at least 7 consecutive days of screening at a commercial theater. The films have to have been screened at least three times a day and charging admission fees. Past Oscar submissions from Korea include Mother(2009), A Barefoot Dream(2010) and The Front Line(2011) but none of them won the Oscar.

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August 30, 2012

'Pieta' to represent Korea at Venice Film Festival
By Carla Sunwoo Korea JoongAng Daily



At this year’s Venice Film Festival, “Pieta” will represent Korean cinema as it competes in the Golden Lion Prize segment, which picks the best film of the year out of 18 titles.

Director Kim Ki-duk attended a press conference for his movie on Aug. 29, the day that the Italian film fest kicked off, and answered questions in regards to the Korean film that broke the seven-year dry spell at the renowned event.

This year marks Kim’s fourth representation at the world’s oldest film festival.

There are two other representing Korea this year: “The Weight” and “Invitation,” but they are presented in the non-competing segments.

The ceremony will draw to an end on Sep. 8 and the winner will be awarded with the Golden Lion Prize.

The film opens in Korea on Sep. 6.

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September 5, 2012

Korean morality tale premieres at Venice film fest
The Korea Herald

South Korean director Kim Ki-duk brought his brand of excruciating emotion and troubling imagery to the Venice film festival Tuesday with his condemnation of extreme capitalism in “Pieta”.

The film revolves around a brutal loan shark played by Lee Jung-jin who prowls the back alleys and small workshops of a central area of Seoul that is quickly going out of business and being replaced by skyscrapers.

Kim said at a press conference that he had been inspired by Michelangelo‘s famous “Pieta” statue in the Vatican of a Virgin Mary holding the corpse of her son Jesus Christ as well as the fallout from the current economic crisis.


Actors Cho Min-soo, right, and Lee Jung-Jin arrive for the premiere of the movie 'Pieta' at the 69th edition of the Venice Film Festival in Venice, Italy, Tuesday, Sept. 4, 2012. (AP-Yonhap News)

 
Actor Lee Jung Jin poses for the photo call of the film ‘Pieta’ at the 69th edition of the Venice Film Festival in Venice, Tuesday. (AP-Yonhap News)


Director Kim Ki-duk signs autographs as he arrives for the premiere of the movie 'Pieta' at the 69th edition of the Venice Film Festival in Venice, Italy, Tuesday, Sept. 4, 2012. (AP-Yonhap News)

“I’ve been to the Vatican twice to admire this masterpiece by Michelangelo. The image of this embrace has stayed with me for many years. For me it is an embrace of humanity,” said the pony-tailed 51-year-old director.

“I feel that this movie in particular is a movie dedicated to humankind in a situation of a deep crisis in extreme capitalism,” he said.

“There are three protagonists. The two actors and the third one is money.”

Lee spoke of his apprehension when taking the part, saying: “I was a bit afraid because he works with darkness, with difficulty but it all went very well... I was not asked to play beautiful scenes but to play true scenes.”

Lee‘s character is often compared to an infernal creature by his victims and he enforces a grim Faustian pact -- hobbling the artisans who cannot pay their debts in order to cash in on the insurance they have been forced to take out.

One day a woman claiming to be his mother walks into his life and he tries to change his ways in an emotional crescendo until an ending in which audiences are left wondering whether there can ever be redemption for such a cruel man.

Kim has won awards at the Berlin and Venice film festivals and is known for shooting quickly and on low budgets. This is his 18th feature film.

“Pieta” is one of 18 movies vying for this year’s Golden Lion prize, which will be announced on Saturday. (AFP)

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September 5, 2012

(Movie Review) Kim Ki-duk's 'Pieta' films dark side of capitalism
By Shim Sun-ah YonhapNews

SEOUL, Sept. 5 (Yonhap) -- "Pieta," a bruising but wisely-woven drama by master director Kim Ki-duk, plainly shows how money can destroy humanity and create hellish interpersonal relationships.

   The film opens as a thick chain is lowered from the ceiling. A young man in a wheelchair hangs himself by tying the chain around his neck, and that is the beginning of the tragedy.



Then the unlikely protagonist Gang-do (Lee Jung-jin) appears, a lonely and brutal man working as a debt collector for a loan shark. He cripples clients if they cannot pay their debts by cutting their hands with a machine or pushing them off high buildings to use the insurance payments for their injuries to make up the difference.

   One day, this diabolical man is visited by a mysterious woman, Mi-sun (Jo Min-soo), who claims to be his long-lost mother, apologizing for abandoning him at birth. The man, who has been living for 30 or more years with no family, believing he was abandoned by his parents, initially tries to shun her, treating her harshly. But gradually slipping deep into the mother-son relationship, Gang-do recovers his humanity. Then Mi-sun suddenly disappears and Gang-do is confronted with an enormous secret.

   The title "Pieta" gives the false impression that the film is about trying to find meaning in life through religion. Director-writer-producer Kim, instead, cleverly borrows imagery from Christianity. For instance, the camera repeatedly focuses on a red cross glowing at night on top of a church, so close to where Gang-do lives in Seoul's industrial area of Cheonggyecheon that he can see it whenever he opens a window in his room. The film also alludes to images of Jesus Christ bleeding on a crucifix and the Virgin Mary grieving over her dead son.

   The red cross and new high-rise buildings surrounding the area are in stark contrast to the dark and dilapidated back alleys of the area where Gang-do and most of his clients dwell, showing how hellish this extreme capitalist society is, since people believe money is everything.

   In this human jungle where the winner takes all, Gang-do cannot survive without resorting to violence. The victims -- mostly owners or employees of small-scale industrial workshops teeming with machinery -- curse Gang-do for his merciless deeds, with one couple exchanging abusive language as they blame each other for taking the high-interest loan.



   Starting in the second half of the movie, the revenge switches positions between those who harm others, including Gang-do, and his victims. Although employing no direct physical violence, the revenge on Gang-do is unimaginably cruel and harsh. He then comes to realize how he destroyed other people's lives.

   The director shows that endless human greed can turn the world into a living hell, and all of us may have played a role in driving downtrodden individuals to suicide, even unintentionally, as they compete with others to take more of the pie.

   In many ways, the film is excellent in effectively delivering that message. It is too dry and rough, however, like a documentary film, with occasional zoom-in and hand-held camera work and almost no music. The movie also does not have sophisticated and sensitive scenes that shined in his previously internationally acclaimed works, "Samaritan Girl," (2004) "3-Iron" (2004) and "Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter... and Spring" (2003).

   The abrupt change of Mi-sun from a self-proclaimed mother who initially keeps following Gang-do with sad looks to the incarnation of revenge in the second half is unrealistic. It is hard to imagine how an ordinary woman could perform acts of deception rivaling a professional actress, without being an actual actress.

   "Pieta," the 18th film of the prolific director, opens in local theaters on Sept. 6.

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September 6, 2012

'Pieta' filled with bloody revenge
By Kwaak Je-yup The Korea Times


Cho Min-soo, left, and Lee Jung-jin star in a scene from director Kim Ki-duk’s “Pieta,” which is a strong contender for the Golden Lion prize at the 69th Venice film fest.

What can wash our sins away? In Kim Ki-duk’s “Pieta,” it is our own blood.

Having premiered at the Venice Film Festival and opened in selected theaters in Seoul this week, the latest work by Korean cinema’s enfant terrible may draw reference from Christian art’s depiction of the Virgin Mary cradling the dead body of Jesus but nobody in the film abides by the religious values. They go directly against them, in fact. 

A debt collector goes around the dilapidated industrial area around Cheonggye Stream, downtown Seoul, to cripple the debtors for insurance money. The impoverished victims and their family members resort to suicide and vengeance. There is no room for pity or mercy. If Mary were to star in the film, she would go hang the sons of Jerusalem’s leaders and then kill herself to repent. 

But Kim also puts motherly love at the center of this cesspit, showing how a ruthless loan shark can become a baby when a mother, or in this case, a mysterious visitor who claims to be her appears on the orphan’s doorstep.

The first half, which these two stories make up, is nearly flawless, helped by masterful direction, stunning cinematography and inspired acting. What mars the film is the theme of revenge, which dominates and keeps repeating itself in the second half, up until the end credits.

For the most part, Kim makes sure the film moves at a swift pace, never dragging even with the heavyweight subject. The frightening scenes inside the metal workshops, machines engorging body parts, as well as those at the sickly white apartment building of the protagonist are a visual feat. He may never show the truly bloody scenes but manages to insert very graphic images, those of body parts, meat and fish, to the audience.

Kim is helped by Cho Min-soo, who gives the performance of her lifetime and is deservedly considered a contender for the best actress prize in Venice. Her femme fatale is never exaggerated; neither is her vulnerable persona. Her only fault is the confession scene in the end, where she loses her inscrutability. This is, however, more due to the unrealistic lines written by Kim.

Meanwhile, her co-star Lee Jung-jin is barely adequate as the male lead Kang-do, which literally means a robber in Korean. With the inexplicable black eyeliner in his lashes, he curses like a sailor, but the lines never feel natural to his voice or facial expression. The brutal violence is more suitable, however.

The supporting cast members are universally magnificent; the choice was impeccable. 

The ending, which this reporter will not spoil, is ultimately the film’s downfall. Predictable for a director with a thirst for blood, but it may have been better to end one scene earlier, producing a much more thought-provoking and ambiguous finale to this intense journey.

Instead, as it is now, “Pieta” just shows everyone as revenge-hungry monsters, driven by financially-strapped circumstances. Since his first interviews about this film, the director has openly called this work his critique of overly capitalistic modern society and its capacity to destroy civic virtues and humanity.

But by trying to achieve this goal, he ended the film on a perversely preachy note and robbed the audience of an opportunity to think about the beautifully complex. 

That bloody sacrifice, however, did not save the movie, rather doing just the opposite.

“Pieta” is now showing in selected theaters. Rated 18 and over. Runs for 104 minutes. Distributed by Next Entertainment World (NEW).

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September 6, 2012
Venice gives PIETA a ten-minute standing ovationby JI Yong-jin KOBIZ
Press screening of KIM Ki-duk's latest film heats up Italy  With a nationwide Italian release coming on September 14th, an official screening and press conference for KIM Ki-duk's Pieta was recently held in Venice. Pieta is currently in competion at the 69th Venice International Film Festival and early reviews have generated a heated interest in the film as well as its actors and director. The event successfully introduced the movie to the Italian media, including the Italian national TV news and journalists from major Italian daily newspapers.  Following the screening, the press conference was held presided over by Venice Film Festival Artistic Director Alberto BARBERA, who helped to unearth KIM Ki-duk’s The Isle and Address Unknown before leaving the fest in 2001. Having resumed his duties as festival director this year. BARBERA and KIM had a joyful reunion at Venice thanks to Pieta. When asked about the religious aspects of Pieta, KIM replied that, “There are many performances of Hamlet and Oedipus in Korea, I don’t think it’s a topic that's unfamiliar to the Korean audience.” Actress CHO Min-su was asked about her performance in the film, replying, “I play a woman who claims to be Kang- do's (LEE Jung-jin) mother. However, I thought approaching my character from a maternal perspective would be too easy, so I played my part with the sentiment that Kang-do is simply a man, not my son.” At the press screening of Pieta there was a standing ovation of some ten minutes, which grabbed the attention of international media. A source at the festival said that this has only happened at Venice a handful of times in the past few years. The film also graced the front cover of Venews, the official daily magazine of the festival, desmonstrating the interest that both international buyers and the press have shown in the movie. Onlookers are now focused on the possibility of Pieta grabbing the Golden Lion Award and/or the Best Actress Award at Venice. Winners will be announced at 7pm on September 8th (CET).

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September 6, 2012

Kim Ki-duk returns with brutal revenge tale
By Claire Lee The Korea Herald

Lives of loan shark victims explicitly captured on ‘Pieta’

After “Arirang,” the self-reflective documentary about his personal failings and struggles, director Kim Ki-duk returned to the movie scene with a gruesome revenge tale ― about a cruel debt collector running into a woman who claims to be his mother. 


A scene from Kim Ki-duk’s latest film “Pieta” (NEW)

“Pieta,” which is one of 18 films vying for this year’s Golden Lion prize in Venice, is Kim’s 18th feature-length film. The movie has almost every element that would make an audience uncomfortable and feeling sick: it’s awfully violent, deals with incest and human nature at its worst.

In spite of its utterly violent subject matter, however, the movie is a powerful and moving study of good and evil, longing and belonging, as well as money and contemporary capitalism in its worst form. In the end, no character in the film is evil by nature; Kim’s exploration of affection and conscience, which is deftly interwoven with the movie’s plot of revenge, is also notably exceptional.

The film begins as Kang-do (Lee Jung-jin), a pitiless man who works as a debt collector for a loan shark, visits the run-down industrial slum ― which in fact exists in Cheonggyecheon in real-life Seoul ― where metal laborers suffer from financial destitution and debt. The workers know that their dingy shops will soon disappear because of the city’s redevelopment plans, and the view of Seoul’s downtown, which is packed with high-rise buildings, makes a striking contrast with the dingy neighborhood.

Kang-do collects the money in the most inhumane way possible. If the debtors don’t make their payments, he forces them to purchase work injury compensation insurance. When the mechanics fail to pay what they are due, including the extremely high interest, he does not wait to cripple them. In the presence of their family members, he chops the victims’ fingers off using their work machines, or throws them off a high building to break their legs permanently. Kang-do takes their insurance money, when they become physically disabled. 

Kang-do has never had a family of his own. He does not fear revenge, because he literally has nothing to lose. The man is also completely pitiless when the victims beg in tears, asking him for more time to make the payments, telling him they have a family to take care of. But things change when he runs into a mysterious woman (Cho Min-soo) who claims to be his mother. 

A number of films have dealt with loan shark victims in the past, including director Byun Young-joo’s 2011 thriller “Helpless.” The victims exist in the real-world, very often making the headlines in the news. The slum in Cheonggyecheon, consisting of small machine workshops, really exists. All of the characters in “Pieta” and their tragic stories are believable. After being crippled by Kang-do, the former-mechanics end up being street beggars, or become completely dejected and rely on alcohol. No Korean movie in the past has delved into the issue and the lives of the victims so explicitly, to a degree that it’s hard to watch with eyes open. 


Kim Ki-duk (Yonhap News)

Kim worked as a mechanic at a factory right after graduating from elementary school. He may or may not have been inspired to make this film based on his own experience. But there is rare grasp of human tragedy when Kim explores the relationship between the machine and the human body. Machines are operated by humans, but they are also capable of destroying the human body. 

Cho Min-soo is dominating as the mysterious woman, and her performance makes the character’s vengeful actions convincing. Lee Jung-jin, however, failed to deliver the debt-collector’s vulnerability at times. His character required more skilled and nuanced acting, especially because he transforms into a different person upon running into the woman who later becomes the most important person in his life. He also wears black eyeliner throughout the movie ― which must have been an effort to add the “evil” quality to the character ― but it simply distracts. The make-up makes him look like a K-pop idol. 

Kim also briefly studied theology in his 20s, deeply inspired by Christianity. The director has said the film, as well as its title ― the masterpiece sculpture of Jesus and Virgin Mary by Michelangelo as well as the Italian word for ‘pity’ ― reflects the collective “need to ask for mercy” in this contemporary, capitalist world. Kang-do is no Jesus, and the woman is no Virgin Mary. But everyone is a victim in this movie, including the one who everyone calls “the devil,” and it is hard not to feel sorry for them. Kim has chosen the right title.

“Pieta” opened in local theaters on Thursday. The winner of Golden Lion prize will be announced in Venice on Saturday.

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September 9, 2012

Kim Ki-duk's 'Pieta' wins top film award at Venice
YonhapNews

SEOUL, Sept. 9 (Yonhap) -- South Korean director Kim Ki-duk's drama "Pieta" won the Golden Lion for best film at the 69th Venice Film Festival on Saturday (local time), the festival's Web site said.

   This is the first time that a Korean film has won a top prize from any of the world's three largest film festivals -- Venice, Cannes and Berlin.

   

Kim delighted the audience at the awards ceremony by singing the traditional Korean folk song "Arirang" on stage to thank the jury, according to foreign press reports.

   "I express my endless thanks to all actors, actresses and staff who took part in this movie," the 51-year-old director was quoted as saying. "I also would like to honor all of you who chose 'Pieta' at this film festival."

   He added in a written interview with South Korean media outlets that because of the high level of interest shown by Italian fans and critics he had hoped for the coveted Golden Lion award this year.

   "There was considerable interest in the movie by Italian fans and I frankly thought Pieta had a chance," he said. The director said that he believed the award should be considered as recognition given to the South Korean movie industry as a whole.

   Jo Min-su, the film's lead actress who was on stage together with the director, said as tears of joy streamed out of her eyes that she is more happy because it is the first time that the Golden Lion award has been given to a Korean film.

   Judges of this year's Venice Film Festival later revealed that Jo had also been the jury's favorite for best actress, but was excluded due to a rule that the recipient of the best film award cannot receive any other awards.

   "At a reception held after the festival, some judges and organizers of the festival revealed that a vote had actually picked Jo for best actress and that it was an anonymous vote," an official from a South Korean film investor and distributor said.

   The movie is about a ruthless young debt collector who gradually changes after a mysterious woman who claims to be his long-lost mother visits him, apologizing for abandoning him at birth. But the woman suddenly disappears and the man is confronted with an enormous secret.

   The film, whose title was inspired by Michelangelo's masterpiece sculpture "Pieta," is Kim's 18th in total since debuting in 1996 with "Crocodile."

   Kim won prizes at Venice and Berlin for "3-Iron" and "Samaritan Girl" both in 2004. He is also known for his 2003 film, "Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter... and Spring," which depicted the life of a Buddhist monk and his young protege while encapsulating features of Buddhist philosophy.

   The director, who once said he was a "monster who grew on his inferiority complex" acquired his art through self-learning and only received middle school education. He worked as a laborer in factories before going to Paris to study about film. After his return, he started writing scenarios for movies and received his first recognition in 1996 and debuted as director a year later.

   During the Venice festival, the Silver Lion for best director went to Paul Thomas Anderson for "The Master." The film also earned him a joint best actor award for Joaquin Phoenix and Philip Seymour Hoffman.

   The best actress award went to Israeli actress Hadas Yaron for her role in Rama Burshtein's "Fill the Void."

   Two other South Korean films received praise and out-of-competition awards.

   Jeon Kyu-hwan's film "The Weight" won the Queer Lion award while Yoo Min-young's "Invitation" secured the Orizzonti award for Best Youtube Short Film.

   Local film critics said that Kim's award is noteworthy because it is the result of continuous efforts by South Korean directors and producers to compete on the global scale.

   "It is unusual for the Venice Film Festival jury to give the top award to an Asian film, but it should raise the overall stature of the event in the eyes of the world," a Korean film expert said. He added that Kim is well-known in Europe as a "star director," and there was really no other film in Venice this year that received as much attention as "Pieta."

South Korean film made its global debut when director Kang Dae-jin's "Mabu" won the Silver Bear award at the 1961 Berlin International Film Festival 

In the past 50 years the local film industry has been receiving notice for its distinct creations and world class performers, with many awards being won from the late 1980s onwards.

   Im Kwon-taek's "Sibaji," or Surrogate Woman, received fame when its leading role played by Kang Soo-yeon was honored with the Volpi Cup Best Actress award at Venice.

   This was followed by Jang Sun-woo's "Passage of the Buddha" also known as the "The Avatamska Sutra" grabbing the Alfred Bauer Award at the 1994 Berlin International Film Festival and more recently Park Chan-wook's "Thirst" securing the Grand Jury Prize at the 2009 Cannes Film Festival.

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September 9, 2012

Former laborer becomes acclaimed filmmaker
By Claire Lee The Korea Herald

Kim Ki-duk, who became the first Korean auteur to win the top prize at Venice with his gruesome morality tale “Pieta,” has long been considered an “outsider” in the local film industry.

From the very beginning, he was nothing like any of the other filmmakers in the scene. He never went to film school, and never worked as an assistant for established filmmakers ― which was considered the “right way” of breaking into the industry. His life story, filled with drama and struggles, however, is nothing short of a film script. 

Born in Bonghwa, North Gyeongsang Province, to impoverished parents, Kim moved to Gyeonggi Province with his family at age 9. His father was a former military solider who fought in the Korean War, while his mother was a housewife.


Kim Ki-duk shows the Golden Lion he won for his movie “Pieta” at the awards photo call during the 69th edition of the Venice Film Festival in Venice, Italy, Saturday. (AP-Yonhap News)

When he graduated from elementary school, his parents, who could not afford to send him to an ordinary middle school, made him attend an unauthorized agriculture training institution. 

After spending a number of years at the institute, Kim started working as a mechanic in a factory as a young teenager. He continued working as a factory laborer until he joined the Marines to serve his military duty in his 20s.

After being released from the Marines, Kim briefly volunteered for a school for visually impaired children while studying theology to become a priest. A number of Kim’s works, such as “Pieta,” “Amen” (2011) and “Samaritan Girl” (2004), have Christian undertones about salvation and morality ― which may have been driven from his experience during his 20s. 

In 1990, at the age of 30, Kim moved to Paris without any plans. There, he worked as a street painter while studying art by himself. It was during his stay in Paris that he saw two films that changed his life: Jonathan Demme’s 1991 thriller “The Silence of the Lambs” and French director Leos Carax’s 1991 drama “Les Amants du Pont-Neuf (Lovers on the Ninth Bridge).” “The Silence of the Lambs” was in fact the first movie Kim had ever watched in his life; he had never seen any films in a theater before. 

In 1993, he returned to Seoul and started writing screenplays. It has been reported that he didn’t even know the spelling system of Hangeul, the Korean alphabet, when he first started writing the film scripts. In spite of the odds, however, he won a film script contest run by the Korean Film Commission for a piece titled “Jaywalking.” The script was never made into a film.

Kim released his first feature-length film “Crocodile” in 1996. His early works, including “Wild Animals,” “Birdcage Inn” and “The Isle,” were often called eccentric and disturbing by local critics for their almost misogynist content as well as extremely violent subject matter. He gradually became one of the most significant filmmakers in contemporary Korean cinema, however, after winning a number of awards from prestigious international film festivals. Kim’s works have been noted for their unconventional style as well as for exploring the extremes of the human experience.

Kim won the Best Director award at the Berlin International Film Festival for his 2004 drama “Samaritan Girl,” and won the equivalent prize at Venice for “3-Iron” in the same year. 

Kim disappeared from sight after the release of his 2008 film “Dream,” and did not make any money from “Rough Cut” ― another 2008 film in which Kim participated as its writer and producer ― as its distributor went bankrupt. 

His 2011 gut-wrenching cinematic self-portrait, titled “Arirang,” featured his perceived failings as a director after going through traumatic events while making “Rough Cut” and “Dream,” and a series of “betrayals” by his colleagues in the film industry. The film won a coveted sidebar prize at Cannes Film Festival last year.

“Pieta” is Kim’s 18th feature-length film. It has been reported that Kim, as a young mechanic, used to work at a factory near Cheonggyecheon, Seoul, which makes an appearance as an industrial slum in the award-winning movie.

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September 10, 2012

Outsider Kim Ki-duk's 'Pieta' Wins Top Prize in Venice
ChosunIlbo

'Pieta,' Kim Ki-duk's tale of violence and poverty, won the Golden Lion at this year's Venice film festival. Kim spent just W100 million (US$1=W,130) making the film, a fraction of the average cost of a Korean film these days. 

This is the first time a Korean film won the top prize at one of the world's top three film festivals at Venice, Cannes and Berlin. Accepting the prize, Kim thanked the actors, staff, film festival officials and Italian fans before bursting into a rendition of the traditional Korean song "Arirang."

Kim said he sang the song because he wanted to show people around the world about something essentially Korean.


Director Kim Ki-duk reacts as his film "Pieta" wins the Golden Lion award at this year's Venice film festival on Sunday. /AP-Yonhap

Kim (52) wore a pair of worn-out shoes and hanbok or traditional Korean dress modified for comfort when he stepped on stage. The outfit looked grungy in the grand surrounding next to festival president Paolo Baratta, who sported a tuxedo. Kim lives in a cottage deep in the mountains without plumbing or a kitchen and pitches a tent in the house in the winter to ward off the cold.

He only completed junior high school. Since debuting with "Crocodile" in 1996, Kim has been an outsider in the movie industry with no training or experience in the business. His early films were criticized as amateurish and crude due to their lack of technique. With the exception of "Bad Guy," which attracted 700,000 viewers, most of his films were unpopular in Korea and he had a hard time finding investors to finance them.

If he attracted any notice it was of the negative kind, for extreme violence and alleged misogyny in such films as "Isle," or "Address Unknown," which show a woman mutilating herself, and "Bad Guy," where a college girl is kidnapped and sold as a prostitute. 

The dialogue is often raw and crude. "A common characteristic of Kim's movies is that good and bad overlap or switch places," said movie critic Oh Dong-jin. "It's rare to find characters in Korean movies who are neither bad nor good."


Director Kim Ki-duk poses with the Golden Lion at this year's Venice Film Festival on Sunday. /AP-Yonhap

Kim remains on the fringes of Korea's movie scene. Not only do audiences stay away, critics are also divided. When "Bow" drew a mere 1,000 moviegoers in 2005, Kim vowed never to release a movie in Korea again. He was once arrested by police who mistook him for a homeless man a year after he won the best directing awards at the Berlin and Venice film festivals.

But abroad he has a solid reputation, especially in Europe, where critics habitually rave about his genre-busting work. There is more freedom of expression there and his radical themes are seen as refreshing. Oh said the Asian mentality that pervades the films also helps. "The ethical ambiguity of Kim's characters and their strange ways of expressing themselves are viewed as exotic in Europe," he added.

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September 11, 2012

Golden Lion Winner's 'Shabby' Outfit Cost W2 Million
ChosunIlbo

Director Kim Ki-duk poses after winning the Golden Lion at the Venice film festival on Sunday. /AP-Yonhap

The loose hanbok-style outfit donned by director Kim Ki-duk when he won the Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival cost W2 million, and his worn-out shoes are from a designer brand (US$1=W1,130).

There were mutterings in the Korean press that Kim had seemed to make little effort for the event, but it seems his fashion sense is merely ahead of the times.

The hanbok is from a shop in Insa-dong that specializes in natural fabrics. "Kim bought a hemp top and cotton pants about two weeks ago saying he was going to attend a film festival," a staffer at the shop told the Chosun Ilbo. "The entire outfit costs a little more than W2 million, with the top priced at W1.5 million and the pants around W700,000. We originally made the outfit for women, but the large size has made it popular with men too."

The stylishly worn-looking shoes were from Spanish brand Camper. "The shoes come from our 2010 Falll/Winter collection and costs W328,000 a pair," a staffer at Camper told the Chosun Ilbo. "They're actually made to be worn like slippers and many people mistake them for being worn down, but Kim knew exactly how to wear them."

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September 11, 2012

Kim Ki-duk says memory of teen years hit him at most honorable moment in Venice
YonhapNews

SEOUL, Sept. 11 (Yonhap) -- Director Kim Ki-duk said Tuesday that he thought of his teen years as a factory laborer when he received the Golden Lion award at this year's Venice International Film Festival for his latest film "Pieta."

   "That was no other person but me," Kim said during a news conference held at a Seoul movie theater in celebration of his award win. "The memory of myself carrying a heavy box of copper at Cheonggyecheon as a 15-year-old boy sprang to my mind at that moment."

The Cheonggyecheon industrial area near Dongdaemun market in central Seoul is the setting of the movie about a ruthless young debt collector who gradually changes after a mysterious woman who claims to be his long-lost mother visits him.

   The dark and dilapidated back alleys of the area where the lead male character Gang-do and most of his clients dwell is also where the 51-year-old director spent his youth as a factory laborer.

   Kim returned home Monday after attending the 69th Venice film festival along with the film's lead actor and actress Lee Jung-jin and Jo Min-su.

   He, however, showed the humbleness to ascribe the honor to the local film industry.

   "As I said before in Venice, I think this prize was given in honor of the many good Korean movies that have begun to be introduced on international stages and are bearing many fruits from seeds planted in the 1990s," he said.

   He thanked all his fans who have silently supported him.

   Kim became the first South Korean movie director to win a top prize from any of the world's three largest film festivals -- Venice, Cannes and Berlin.

   Debuting in 1996 with "Crocodile," Kim won the best director awards for "3-Iron" at Venice and for "Samaritan Girl" in Berlin both in 2004. He is also known for his 2003 film, "Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter... and Spring."

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September 13, 2012

Golden Lion Winner Explains 'Shabby' Venice Outfit
ChosunIlbo

Film director Kim Ki-duk, who won the Golden Lion award for best picture at the 69th Venice International Film Festival with his latest film "Pieta," held a press conference upon his return to Korea along with starring actors Cho Min-soo and Lee Jung-jin on Tuesday. 

"Perhaps those cinema fans who have silently lent me their support over the years would be the most delighted" that he won the award, he said. "When I go abroad, I'm often told that my films are popular in Europe, but not in Korea. But I always stress that this is not the case, and that there are also fans who love my films in Korea."

Cho added, "I heard that 'Pieta' isn't being screened in many theaters in Korea, but people can only understand why it won the Golden Lion by watching it."

When asked if the movie was a social commentary on capitalism in Korea, Kim said, "I could say that it is about capitalism in its extreme form. What I wanted to say was that our lives, our families, and human beings in general are being destroyed by money. I wanted to depict the tragedy caused by materialism."


Director Kim Ki-duk is flanked by actors Lee Jung-jin (left) and Cho Min-soo 
at a press conference in Seoul on Tuesday after returning from the Venice Film Festival.

Kim also took the opportunity to explain his choice of wardrobe for the award ceremony, which looked rustic but turned out to be quite expensive.

"The top cost me W1.5 million and the pants W600,000. I made a big mistake. I had to show up a TV program before going to Venice, but all I had was a pair of shorts and a sweat-soaked T-shirt. So I went shopping in Insa-dong, where I thought I could pick something suitable for around W100,000 and W200,000. When I saw the actual price tags, my heart sank, but I was really pressed for time as I had to hurry back to the studio.



"Since the outfit cost a lot of money, I decided to wear it to all the film festivals I attend for the next year. That also goes for the shoes. I bought them after Cannes, and I've worn them every day for a year. Some people wear more expensive clothes to a single dinner, but I have just one outfit to last me a year at big occasions. Isn't this a forgivable sin?"

It was later revealed that Cho was a strong contender for the Best Actress award in Venice, but due to new selection criteria that any one film can only win one major award, she was left out of the running.

"I'd be lying if I said I wasn't disappointed. But the warmth of the people who held my hand when I came down from the stage, and the words of encouragement I got, with people telling me I had to make the sacrifice because the film itself was so good, and deserved the Golden Lion, were consolation enough," she said.

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September 13, 2012

'Pieta' to compete for Oscar's best foreign film award
YonhapNews

SEOUL, Sept. 13 (Yonhap) -- "Pieta," winner of the best film award at this year's Venice International Film Festival, will be submitted to the Foreign Language Film section of the Academy Awards to represent Korean cinema, a government commission said Thursday.

   The Korean Film Commission said the new film by director Kim Ki-duk was chosen with a unanimous decision by its jury members to be an entry to the 85th Academy Awards set for February.

   

Four other competitors were "The Taste of Money" (2012) by director Lim Sang-soo, "In Another Country" (2011) by director Hong Sang-soo, "Nameless Gangsters" (2012) by director Yoon Jong-bin and "Gwanghae: the Man Who Became the King" (2012) by director Choo Chang-min.

   Several South Korean films have been up for the Best Foreign Language Film award in recent years but none was formally nominated.

   The film commission explained that "Pieta" is based on South Korean reality but carries a universal message that extreme greed and poverty can destroy families and other human relationships.

   Meanwhile, the movie had drawn 170,000 moviegoers as of Wednesday, boosted by the winning of the Venice prize.

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September 14, 2012
Park Chan-wook: "I knew it. Kiim Ki-duk finally made it."Celebrates at CGV Movie Collage Cinema Talkby JANG Sung-ran KOBIZ
PARK Chan-wook, at ‘CGV Movie Collage Cinema Talk’ event commemorating the opening of CGV Yeouido on September 12th, celebrate KIM Ki-duk’s accomplishment of winning the Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival. He said, “When I　heard the news, I thought, ‘He finally made it.’ I was not surprised at all. Since I knew very well what his reputation was like in Europe, I even thought ‘This is later than what I thought.’” When asked, “Aren’t you jealous because he received the greatest prize at one of world’s 3 best film festivals before you?”, he answered with a smile saying, “I can win one, too.” PARK received the Grand Prize of the Jury with Old Boy in 2004 and a Jury Prize with Thirst in 2009, both at the Cannes International Film Festival(He was a co-winner of two Jury Prizes in 2009; one was given to him and the other to Andrea ARNOLD). PARK mentioned Heiri, Paju, where KIM and he both live in, by saying, “Not only as another Korean director but also as a neighbor living in the same space, same village, I truly congratulate him. We even put up a banner saying ‘Congratulations’ at the village.” PARK recently finished post-production of Stoker, his first Hollywood film starring Nicole KIDMAN and Mia WASIKOWSKA. He is back in Korea now and working on the script of a Korean film. Stoker is going to be released in North America and Korea in March next year. In the mean time, at an interview on telephone with an MBC’s radio program ‘SON Seok-hee’s Siseonjipjung’, KIM said, “If my film makes a box-office hit, I’ll make 2 duplicates of my trophy and give them to two leading actors (CHO Min-su and LEE Jung-jin) each.” He then joked, “Because of the regulation limiting the Golden Lion winner from winning another award, CHO lost her chance to win. So I’m thinking if I should take a wing out of my trophy and give it to her.” As of September 12th, Pieta has been plated 1,026 times at 290 screens all over in Korea and have sold 171,522 tickets. I has exceeded the half of the break-even point (250,000 tickets) in 6 days since it was released.

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September 14, 2012

'Pieta' headed to Academy Awards
By Lee Hyun-jae, Intern reporter The Korea Herald



Director Kim Ki-duk’s Venice International Film Festival prize-winning “Pieta” has been selected as Korea’s entry to the 85th Academy Award’s foreign film section, the Korean Film Council announced on Thursday.

A total of five films, including “Taste of Money” by director Im Sang-soo, “In Another Country” by director Hong Sang-soo, “Nameless Gangster” by Yun Jong-bin and “Masquerade” by Choo Chang-min applied to the film council to be considered as Korea’s entry to the Academy Awards. “Pieta” was chosen unanimously, the Korean Film Council said in a statement. 

The overall quality of the film, the possibility of distribution in the U.S., and level of awareness of the film as well as of the director were considered in reviewing the films for submission to the American Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

A number of Korean films, namely “Mother,” “A Barefoot Dream” and “The Front Line,” were previously submitted to the academy but failed to win awards.

“Pieta” opened in theaters on Sept. 6 and has attracted 171,522 viewers as of Thursday afternoon. The Academy Awards will be presented in February 2013.

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September 14, 2012

Will 'Pieta' Win Korea Its First Oscar Nomination?
ChosunIlbo

The Korean Film Council has selected director Kim Ki-duk's latest film "Pieta," which won the best film award at this year's Venice Film Festival, as an entry for the Foreign Language Film category of the 2013 Academy Awards, the council said Thursday. 

Korean films have been submitted to the Academy Awards since 1963, but have never been nominated. The Oscar nominations will be decided next January.

"Pieta" was chosen among five Korean films released this year including "The Taste of Money" by Im Sang-soo, "In Another Country" by Hong Sang-soo, "Nameless Gangster" by Yoon Jong-bin and "Masquerade" by Choo Chang-min.

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September 13, 2012
The 'Korean Invasion': This is Just the BeginningKpopStarz.com
Singer PSY's 'Gangnam Style' and director Kim Ki Duk's 'Pietà' are currently influencing both Korea and the world.
The original Hallyu movement, which was led by Super Junior, Girls Generation, Wonder Girls and other idol groups, has been augmented to include even more Korean dramas and now it seems to be reaching yet another high point. 
Ultimately it was Psy, an older and more experienced singer, who was able to break into the world markets and a director known to be an outsider even in the Korean film industry, Kim Ki Duk, who won the highest honor at the Venice Film Festival, an internationally famous and respected film festival. They are not the players that are the most representative of Korean culture but this means that representativeness isn't the issue at hand. 
The ways to publicize and market pop culture is changing every day and at this point, the stage for K-Pop and Korean culture to grow is getting bigger. Hallyu isn't a movement because its representative of Korea but it will simply become a trend that will be spreading worldwide. 
Even amidst a turbulent relationship with Japan, Jang Keun Suk's popularity is continuing and actresses like Bae Doo Na and Kim Yunjin are being recognized worldwide and in Hollywood. Ultimately this means that if the content is right and the skills are there, it's possible to seize the opportunities that launch Korea and Korean culture in to the world spotlight. 
In this vein, that's why the 'Korean Invasion' is just beginning. 
'Pietà' and its win is an amazing feat for a Korean artist but its influence on Korean mainstream film is unknown. Kim Ki Duk was never known for his commerciality or financial success but by winning this award, he drew over 100,000 audiences to his movie, which was unheard of for him. Until now, an award at a foreign film festival didn't mean much but now it's moving the masses. 
Some people believe that this will allow more directors to aspire to be like Kim Ki Duk and make art-house movies that may win awards internationally. Though he was almost exclusively loved in Europe, his Golden Lion award may earn him the possibility to be considered for the Foreign Film category for the Academy Awards, where a Korean film has never set foot. This is an incredibly fresh take and an exciting possibility for Korean film and its future. 
On the other hand, Psy's "Gangnam Style" has reached over 140 million views since its release 60 days ago on YouTube. His success was never imagined or even expected. However, he has recently signed with Scooter Braun, appeared at the MTV VMAs and was invited to the LA Dodgers to show his dance. He has recently made appearances on many primetime talk shows, indicating his amazing rise in popularity in the US. 
Though most experts believe that Psy will simply be a one-hit-wonder, he has already made Korean pop culture history and testifies to the fact that it's really the content that appeals to world audiences. It proves that an artist no longer has to depend on a large management label to be globally successful. Like Kim Ki Duk and Psy was never the epitome of mainstream Korean pop culture. In a music industry now dominated by idol groups, Psy's music style and performance style have always been unique and entertaining. 
Despite the big management companies' efforts to propel its idol groups like Super Junior and the Wonder Girls into stardom worldwide, it was never as successful as Psy's. Though he is managed by YG Entertainment, the fact that he was managed by them did not contribute to his success. This was purely content-based success and whether he will be a one-time deal or a continuing artist is a question yet to be answered. 
If Psy and Kim Ki Duk became overnight stars, Jang Keun Suk has emerged as the best Hallyu star in Asia for the best two years. In Japan, his popularity is now beyond Bae Yong Joon and his fame has spread to China and other parts of Southeast Asia. With his 2010 drama, "You're Beautiful," he was aiming for international markets with his acting, his singing and dancing. 
He hasn't had a hit project since that drama but he has continually been holding concerts and events in foreign countries and has huge amounts of fans everywhere. In China, Jang Keun Suk's Weibo account now reaches 5,000,000 followers and this is the highest number of followers for a non-Chinese celebrity. His management company says, "International fans know that he is Korean but whether there are diplomatic problems between the countries, it doesn't seem to bother them that he is Korean. His fan appeal is incredibly unique and also stable."
Meanwhile in Hollywood, Kim Yunjin, Lee Byung Hun and Bae Doo Na are waving the Korean flag.
Kim Yunjin was touted for being a member of a hit drama series called "Lost" and now is in the process of filming a new ABC drama called "Mistresses." For "Mistresses" her name is second on the credits. 
Lee Byung Hun is currently filming "RED 2" after his success in the "G.I. Joe" series and seems to continue appearing in blockbusters. 
Bae Doo Na was recently seen in the trailer for the Wachowski Siblings' sci-fi blockbuster "Cloud Atlas" as one of the lead roles and she was spotted on the red carpet for the Toronto International Film Festival, promoting the event. "Cloud Atlas" includes Tom Hanks, Halle Berry, Hugh Grant, Susan Sarandon and other A-list stars. Even among them, Bae Doo Na received raving reviews from critics in Toronto.
Experts say that many Korean actors who have potential to be entertainers and step beyond the language boundaries, may have more possibilities in the international markets in the future.