After shooting his 21st film
Stop in Japan with Japanese actors,
KIM Ki-duk is considering a similar move with Korea’s western neighbor, having announced his intentions to make a film in China during a press conference held in Beijing this week.
During the announcement, the veteran auteur expressed his desire to make a period film in the country, adding that “I want to make a secretive story about time and space.” He elaborated on the long gestation of the idea, stating that “It took about 10 years to complete the screenplay.” He also mentioned young Chinese filmmakers such as JIA Zhangke and LOU Ye as influences, and when prodded to reveal which local actresses he would like to work with, he said “I came up with actresses like GONG Li and ZHANG Ziyi.”
Representative of a local Chinese film production company also taking part in the press conference dropped hints that the director could star as well as direct the new project.
Following its debut at the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival earlier this year, KIM’s
Stop is currently on the festival circuit, and playing this week at the
Busan International Film Festival. Over his 20-year career, the controversial filmmaker has earned numerous major accolades at prestigious international events, most notably becoming the first Korean director to earn the top prize at one of the Cannes, Berlin or Venice International Film Festivals, after he picked up the Golden Lion at the Venice with
Pieta in 2012.