Park Hoon-jung discusses his approach to screenwriting and directing, prioritising story and character over genre, drawing inspiration from Korean society and politics, and embracing budget constraints. He reflects on violence, power structures, collaboration with directors, adapting scripts to actors, and the evolution of his craft from writer to filmmaker. [Read More]
Category: Interviews and features (page 4)
A visit to the British Museum’s Samsung Digital Discovery Centre
“There are few museums in the world who are doing work with young people on the scale we are doing:” Shouvik Datta discovers how Samsung is helping the British Museum to engage with a younger audience. I was recently checking the website of the British Museum, when I came across with interest and surprise the … [Read More]
Choi Seung-ho interview: Norigae – where justice fails
Director Choi Seung-ho discusses Norigae’s origins in real-world abuse scandals, its critique of sexual coercion and lenient sentencing, and the choice to portray injustice through a sombre tone. He addresses funding constraints, casting challenges, and how lighting, music, and explicit scenes serve the film’s social and moral intent. [Read More]
Ha Jung-woo interview: curiosity and craft, running and eating, acting and directing
Ha Jung-woo discusses his character-building process, research-driven acting, and transition into directing. He reflects on action and drama roles, collaboration with directors, balancing acting and filmmaking, painting as emotional release, and navigating independent and studio cinema, while sharing insights from films including The Chaser, The Berlin File and The Terror Live. [Read More]
Lee Joon-ik interview: clowns, kings and wounded souls
A group conversation with The King and the Clown director Lee Joon-ik on filmmaking without formal training, the role of history and humour in Korean cinema, artistic risk, and why healing human wounds lies at the heart of his work. [Read More]
Lee Joon-ik interview: Hope, humanity and the weight of filmmaking
Director Lee Joon-ik explains why Hope/소원 drew him back to filmmaking, outlining its aims to address crimes against children, strengthen legal punishment, and highlight victim support. He discusses reshaping the script, working sensitively with child actor Lee Re, and portraying trauma through shared family and community perspectives. [Read More]
Kang Woo-suk interview: showing the reality of Korean cinema
Director Kang Woo-suk reflects on Korean cinema’s growing freedom to address once-taboo subjects, his recurring focus on social “enemies,” and the primacy of story over character. He discusses adapting webtoons, balancing action and drama in Fists of Legend, and producing films he believes need to exist. [Read More]
Kim Sung-su interview: “Flu” – when disaster feels real
Director Kim Sung-su explains why Flu uses a disease outbreak as a realistic disaster scenario, grounded in recent epidemics and historical trauma. He discusses national self-interest during crises, depictions of Korean and US responses, the symbolic role of leadership, and prioritising entertainment while embedding social themes. [Read More]
Kim Jee-woon interview: “perhaps I’m a workaholic”
Kim Jee-woon explains his continued return to short films as a space for experimentation, genre exploration, and constant creative work. He discusses making a romantic comedy short, the challenges of screening shorts in Korea, and contrasts between Korean and Hollywood production systems shaped by his experience on The Last Stand. [Read More]
Jules Suo interview: “some real heartfelt questions”
Director Jules Suo discusses developing Dosi from her short 528 New York, drawing on immigrant experience, multicultural New York life, and humanist cinema influences, while navigating independent production, casting across Korea and the US, and funding a first feature through Kickstarter. [Read More]
Choi Min-sik interview: “I don’t like the hammer”
Choi Min-sik reflects on screen quotas and cultural diversity, his director-led approach to choosing roles, and portraying extreme characters through empathy. He discusses violence as social commentary, collaboration with auteurs, international work, historical roles, actor responsibility, and sustaining Korean cinema beyond commercial imperatives. [Read More]
Min Byung-woo interview: cinema on a smartphone
Director Min Byung-woo discusses creating Cats and Dogs, Korea’s first feature-length smartphone film, blending romance with animal metaphors, using animation and webtoons, and the possibilities iPhone filmmaking offers independent cinema amid industry and budget constraints. [Read More]
Kim Joo-il interview: a defector reflects on life in the North and on cinematic realities
Kim Joo-il reflects on his defection from North Korea and critiques South Korean cinema’s “distorted” portrayals of the North. He details the absence of concepts like “human rights” under state brainwashing, advocates for refugee status for defectors in China, and describes North Korean film as a tool for regime-led propaganda and psychological indoctrination. [Read More]
Ryoo Seung-wan interview: stars, spies and a divided city
Ryoo Seung-wan discusses star power, casting strategy and realism in The Berlin File, explaining Berlin’s symbolism as a divided city, his action-scene preparation, views on foreign markets, writing habits, limited interest in Hollywood, genre influences, and balancing commercial filmmaking with personal priorities. [Read More]