I might make a movie on India’s vibrant history: Kim Jee-woon

GOA: South Korean director

Kim Jee-woon

’s latest film, The Age of Shadows, was the closing film of the 47th International Film Festival of India. The internationally acclaimed filmmaker, whose movie is representing

South Korea

at the 89th Academy Awards in the best foreign film category, talks about the importance of history in the Korean film industry, the growing influence of

Hollywood

and inspirations from India.

The Age of Shadows is a thriller based in an era when Korea was under Japanese occupation. How much importance is given to history in Korean cinema?

The story is based on a true incident which happened in 1923 and it is depicted as it happened in reality. The importance of history lies in the fact that the incident, which was a failed attempt by Korean freedom fighters, was still inspiring enough to motivate other people. We tried to make it as real as possible.

Korean cinema is acclaimed internationally. As a director, what are the peculiar hallmarks of good Korean movie, which you keep in mind while making one?

Korean filmmakers make their movies keeping in mind the quality followed in Europe and Hollywood. Bearing this in mind, our cinematography, camera work, story and acting is at a par with our competitors. If we consider all these points, a film has to be interesting, qualitative and dynamic in nature. Unlike other parts of the world, Korean directors enjoy complete freedom in choosing their respective teams.

Indian filmmakers have complained that there is an overt influence of corporate houses and distributors in filmmaking which, at times, leads to the compromising of content. How is the situation in Korea in this regard?

It has been quite a while since I have been making films and I don’t feel the influence of any distributor or producer. The situation is slightly different with new directors, as they are sometimes influenced by external factors. The general idea in Korea is that if someone tries to influence the content or making of a film, it is not entertained in a positive manner. Marketing teams do give suggestions during post-production sometimes. As a director, it is up to us not to get influenced by such things. But, I feel we are slowly shifting towards a more Hollywood-like industry.

The Korean peninsula has been a point of contention between the two countries since partition. Can cinema be used as a ladder to bridge the gap between North and South Korea and initiate a healthier communication between the two populations?

The current South Korean president is against any dialogue with the North Koreans. The Korean film fraternity is always open to bridge the gap between the two countries. If the next president of our country is more open to have a friendly relationship with the North, we are ready to contribute towards that effort.

Culturally, India and Korea are like chalk and cheese and this is true for their respective film industries as well. What is the one thing you would like to take from the Indian film industry?

I have been unable to catch up with Indian cinema for a while, but in my early years, many of Satyajit Ray’s work impacted and influenced me. I recently watched Robot and liked the portrayal of human emotions. India has a lot of stories yet to be explored. India’s rich, vibrant history, as well as its independence struggle, interest me a lot. I might even make a film based on this.

BY Sidharth Bhardwaj