Pusan to Spotlight 2 Korean Masters

Two of the most revered Korean filmmakers from the 60s and 70s will receive retrospectives at this year’s 14^th Pusan International Film Festival.  Late master YU Hyun-mok, who passed away this June at the age of 83 will be honored along side director HA Kil-jong, a youth icon of the 70s who died at the early age of 37. 

In the retrospective the directors’ most representative works will screen alongside a rarely seen gems.  YU’s cinematic milestone An Aimless Bullet (1961) and Martyr (1965) will be presented along with Bun-rye’s Story (1971) which has not yet been seen in Korea but newly found prints at the Korea Film Archive have been restored for a special screening. 

HA, most famous for his youth classic, The March of Fools (1975) will have a comprehensive retrospective with all eight of his films screened, including his UCLA graduation film The Ritual For A Soldier (1969).  Other films in the program include I Am Looking For A Wife (1976), The Ascension of Han-ne (1977), The Home Of Stars 2 (1978), and his final feature Byung-tae And Young-ja (1979).

HA was also a very prominent social critic in his day.  PIFF will also exhibit his essays and poems, as well as his early scenarios, gathering them all together in the “HA Kil-chong Collection.” A special seminar will also be held to look back on his spirit and legacy in the film industry.

Nigel D’Sa (KOFIC)