Filmmaker Im Kwon-taek Stages One-person Rally
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On July 3, filmmaker Im Kwon-taek has become the 146th person to stage a one-person rally to protest the domestic screen quota cut in front of the Kyobo Building in Gwangwhamun, downtown Seoul.
He said, "What has kept me alive as a filmmaker so far was the screen quota. It also inspired me to publicize Korean films at international film festivals".
Im's protest criticizing the government's cut of the domestic screen quota and consequently the future of the domestic film industry drew some 300 citizens and journalists.
Officials from the Kyobo Building set up barricades in front of the building to prevent accidents. A committee for preserving the quota said film industry insiders and actors who had previously staged one-person rallies would join Im's strike. But only 30 of the 146 participants joined the rally, with Ahn Sung-ki being the only actor to join the strike.
Im said that as the oldest filmmaker in the country he didn't know whether to be happy or sad to see so many people watch his rally. He also added that the screen quota cut will not shatter the domestic film industry gradually, but rapidly because there are no protective devices left whatsoever.
Im warned against any public misunderstanding that filmmakers and actors are protesting the quota cut only to ensure their own well-being, and stressed that the protest is not aimed only at protecting the film industry but the country's right to culture as a whole.
In conclusion, he urged the government to restore the domestic screen quota, citing many dangers associated with the cut, such as a possible fatal blow it could deal to up-and-coming filmmakers in the future.
He said, "What has kept me alive as a filmmaker so far was the screen quota. It also inspired me to publicize Korean films at international film festivals".
Im's protest criticizing the government's cut of the domestic screen quota and consequently the future of the domestic film industry drew some 300 citizens and journalists.
Officials from the Kyobo Building set up barricades in front of the building to prevent accidents. A committee for preserving the quota said film industry insiders and actors who had previously staged one-person rallies would join Im's strike. But only 30 of the 146 participants joined the rally, with Ahn Sung-ki being the only actor to join the strike.
Im said that as the oldest filmmaker in the country he didn't know whether to be happy or sad to see so many people watch his rally. He also added that the screen quota cut will not shatter the domestic film industry gradually, but rapidly because there are no protective devices left whatsoever.
Im warned against any public misunderstanding that filmmakers and actors are protesting the quota cut only to ensure their own well-being, and stressed that the protest is not aimed only at protecting the film industry but the country's right to culture as a whole.
In conclusion, he urged the government to restore the domestic screen quota, citing many dangers associated with the cut, such as a possible fatal blow it could deal to up-and-coming filmmakers in the future.
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