Life in the long take: retiring PIFF director dreams of third life
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Retiring PIFF director dreams of third life
By Lee Hyo-won
Busan in autumn blooms with a joie de vivre like no other. This Cannes of Asia hosts a film festival that never sleeps, as moviegoers linger by the beach long after the film credits roll.
But just 60 years before, the crisp sea breeze was oppressed by desperation and fierce survival, as scores of displaced war refugees migrated south — Kim Dong-ho, a Gangwon Province native raised in Seoul, recalled his first encounter with the city as a teenage boy.
The founding director of the Pusan (Busan) International Film Festival (PIFF) had to peddle his way through the Korean War (1950-53) years in the seaside neighborhood, and decades later he found himself fighting a different struggle: persevering to realize a vision few believed in. In the mid-1990s South Korea was barely recognized on the world cinema map — let alone even at home — and the idea of launching an international film festival — particularly outside the cultural capital of Seoul — was scoffed at as an absurd idea.
Korean cinema is now an important part of the international cinema scene, and PIFF has long taken root as one of the world's most noted film events. The 15th edition, which opens Thursday through Oct. 15, will mark the finale of Kim's 16-year tenure.
"It feels like marrying off a daughter I raised with care", Kim, a soft-spoken gentleman with kind, smiling eyes, told The Korea Times. "PIFF has grown into Asia's largest film festival, and I can resign with reassurance. It's a great pleasure and fortune that I can leave with such a rewarding feeling".
Nostalgic reminiscing, however, seemed to be the last thing on his mind; it was just before Chuseok and the PIFF Seoul office in Myeong-dong was vacant, but the national holiday that falls just before the opening always meant cramming in as much work as possible for Kim.
Nevertheless the 73-year-old took the time to reflect upon the festival's history — which sheds light on its future outlook. "PIFF has grown into a large, multifaceted film festival but the problem is sustainable development. It cannot lose its unique color", he said.
In 1994, the Pesaro Film Festival in Italy held a special showcase of 30 Korean films, and local cineastes and film professors in Busan were inspired to launch an international film festival there. They sought the help of Kim, a civil servant at the time, but most people opposed the idea. "I refused to yield and poured in all my energy into preparing it. Funding was the biggest problem but I was determined to make it happen", he said.
He managed to scrape up 2.2 billion won for the inaugural edition, but there were worries that the festival would cease to be a one-time event. A proactive, systematic development of programs as well as an accompanied growth in the Korean cinema industry allowed PIFF to find a niche.
"We initiated the Pusan Promotion Plan (PPP) our third year to help discover new promising Asian films and directors. We also became a window into Korean cinema from overseas — we held a retrospective of Kim Ki-young's oeuvre and the Berlin Film Festival took notice of this and spotlighted Kim the following year. We benchmarked other film festivals but also adapted them accordingly and created our own models", he said.
"We enjoyed an interactive growth with the overall Korean cinema boom, as more homegrown films were recognized for their artistic merit abroad and their local box office domination rate grew dramatically".
It was, moreover, the thriving spirit of the festival — exciting works by emerging directors that speak to youths of all ages — allows Pusan to stand apart. "Talking about movies all night long over a bottle of soju on Hauendae Beach, there's nothing quite like it in the world", he said.
A new media center is awaiting opening next year. "PIFF will finally have its own media center, and it seems appropriate that it meets a fresh new start under new wings. The only thing that I wish I could have seen, however, was seeing PIFF turn into a stable foundation, with a 100-billion-won fund that would ensure things to run smoothly. But I plan to help out and have faith that the festival will continue to grow", he said.
Kim has spent more than half a year abroad during the past 16 years. And most of the limited time he has had in Korea was based in Busan. "Busan isn't even my second home; I'm virtually a Busan native", he said, his palate having turned completely local. How will he live without a regular dose of Halme Bokjip (Granny's Blowfish House) soup?
He looks forward to savoring something new. "I feel like I've lived two lives, one as a civil servant and then a second as a film administrator. I'm ready for my third life, as an artist", he said. He plans to pick up calligraphy, painting and art history, and even direct his own movie. "I think I might go around with an HD camera and take still shots, and I'm sure I'd be inspired to shoot something", he said.
For more information about PIFF, visit http://www.piff.org
_____________________
Kim Dong-ho, the founding director of the Pusan (Busan) International Film Festival (PIFF), peaks to The Korea Times in Seoul on Sept. 17. The 15th edition, which opens Thursday through Oct. 15 in the southern port city, marks the finale of his 16-year tenure as the PIFF director. / Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chul
By Lee Hyo-won
Busan in autumn blooms with a joie de vivre like no other. This Cannes of Asia hosts a film festival that never sleeps, as moviegoers linger by the beach long after the film credits roll.
But just 60 years before, the crisp sea breeze was oppressed by desperation and fierce survival, as scores of displaced war refugees migrated south — Kim Dong-ho, a Gangwon Province native raised in Seoul, recalled his first encounter with the city as a teenage boy.
The founding director of the Pusan (Busan) International Film Festival (PIFF) had to peddle his way through the Korean War (1950-53) years in the seaside neighborhood, and decades later he found himself fighting a different struggle: persevering to realize a vision few believed in. In the mid-1990s South Korea was barely recognized on the world cinema map — let alone even at home — and the idea of launching an international film festival — particularly outside the cultural capital of Seoul — was scoffed at as an absurd idea.
Korean cinema is now an important part of the international cinema scene, and PIFF has long taken root as one of the world's most noted film events. The 15th edition, which opens Thursday through Oct. 15, will mark the finale of Kim's 16-year tenure.
"It feels like marrying off a daughter I raised with care", Kim, a soft-spoken gentleman with kind, smiling eyes, told The Korea Times. "PIFF has grown into Asia's largest film festival, and I can resign with reassurance. It's a great pleasure and fortune that I can leave with such a rewarding feeling".
Nostalgic reminiscing, however, seemed to be the last thing on his mind; it was just before Chuseok and the PIFF Seoul office in Myeong-dong was vacant, but the national holiday that falls just before the opening always meant cramming in as much work as possible for Kim.
Nevertheless the 73-year-old took the time to reflect upon the festival's history — which sheds light on its future outlook. "PIFF has grown into a large, multifaceted film festival but the problem is sustainable development. It cannot lose its unique color", he said.
In 1994, the Pesaro Film Festival in Italy held a special showcase of 30 Korean films, and local cineastes and film professors in Busan were inspired to launch an international film festival there. They sought the help of Kim, a civil servant at the time, but most people opposed the idea. "I refused to yield and poured in all my energy into preparing it. Funding was the biggest problem but I was determined to make it happen", he said.
He managed to scrape up 2.2 billion won for the inaugural edition, but there were worries that the festival would cease to be a one-time event. A proactive, systematic development of programs as well as an accompanied growth in the Korean cinema industry allowed PIFF to find a niche.
"We initiated the Pusan Promotion Plan (PPP) our third year to help discover new promising Asian films and directors. We also became a window into Korean cinema from overseas — we held a retrospective of Kim Ki-young's oeuvre and the Berlin Film Festival took notice of this and spotlighted Kim the following year. We benchmarked other film festivals but also adapted them accordingly and created our own models", he said.
"We enjoyed an interactive growth with the overall Korean cinema boom, as more homegrown films were recognized for their artistic merit abroad and their local box office domination rate grew dramatically".
It was, moreover, the thriving spirit of the festival — exciting works by emerging directors that speak to youths of all ages — allows Pusan to stand apart. "Talking about movies all night long over a bottle of soju on Hauendae Beach, there's nothing quite like it in the world", he said.
A new media center is awaiting opening next year. "PIFF will finally have its own media center, and it seems appropriate that it meets a fresh new start under new wings. The only thing that I wish I could have seen, however, was seeing PIFF turn into a stable foundation, with a 100-billion-won fund that would ensure things to run smoothly. But I plan to help out and have faith that the festival will continue to grow", he said.
Kim has spent more than half a year abroad during the past 16 years. And most of the limited time he has had in Korea was based in Busan. "Busan isn't even my second home; I'm virtually a Busan native", he said, his palate having turned completely local. How will he live without a regular dose of Halme Bokjip (Granny's Blowfish House) soup?
He looks forward to savoring something new. "I feel like I've lived two lives, one as a civil servant and then a second as a film administrator. I'm ready for my third life, as an artist", he said. He plans to pick up calligraphy, painting and art history, and even direct his own movie. "I think I might go around with an HD camera and take still shots, and I'm sure I'd be inspired to shoot something", he said.
For more information about PIFF, visit http://www.piff.org
_____________________
Kim Dong-ho, the founding director of the Pusan (Busan) International Film Festival (PIFF), peaks to The Korea Times in Seoul on Sept. 17. The 15th edition, which opens Thursday through Oct. 15 in the southern port city, marks the finale of his 16-year tenure as the PIFF director. / Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chul
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