Kim Ki-duk: Love It or Leave It

Click here for the preview of Korea's submission Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter…and Spring for the 2004 Academy Award

Interview with Kim Ki-duk
March 19, 2004
Interviewed and transcribed by Minnie Chi
Translated by Sun-Young Moon and Minnie Chi

Kim Ki-duk, an autodidact in film, has gained critical praise for his work. Kim had no formal education in film and only a rural primary education before he spent the youth of his life working in factories and serving in the military. He developed a love for painting and moved to Paris to study fine arts when his military service ended. Consequently, this prompted the beginning of his artistic career in which he began by selling his paintings on the streets.

He soon discovered a passion for cinema, dove in and conquered. His first film Crocodile debuted in 1996 and since then, Kim Ki-duk has produced at a rapid pace of over one film per year. Many of his films are inspired by personal life experiences as well as reflections of South Korean and world society. His cinematic storytelling is a unique and visually captivating exploration of the essence of human nature. His current film, Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter…and Spring he says “intend[s] to portray the joy, anger, sorrow and pleasure of our lives through four seasons and through the life of a monk who lives in a temple on Jusan Pond surrounded only by nature.” The film is artfully and cinematically breathtaking in its tranquil nature setting through which Kim portrays the transitions of enlightenment and rebirth within the universal cycle of life.

APA: You've made quite a number of films in the last few years – nearly at the speed of one film per year. How do you explain your prolific pace of filmmaking?

Kim Ki-duk: So far, I've made 10 films in the last 8 years. I don't know about tomorrow or what will happen in the future. Today is the most important day – that's my life philosophy. I live day to day and do my very best in the present moment. I'm writing a few stories right now so if one of them is made into a movie, then I will have produced 11 films (in the last 8 years). I don't have specific plans for further filmmaking. I just try to write consistently when I have time. And I don't like to make films for the purpose of getting funds or investments (like commercial films). I get inspirations from daily life and by meeting different people.

APA: The Korean media can be very brutal. How do you handle censorship issues and media controversy? For instance, your recent film Samaria got some heat for its provocative promo poster...

Kim Ki-duk: In regards to, Samaria (Samaritan Girl), like all my other films, they're not very popular among the general audience in Korea. But there are those who follow my work. Samaria is just being released in Korea. So far, about 200,000 people have watched my films. Media controversy and criticism are not important to me because no matter what, every individual will have a different point of view, and I respect that. For instance, there is a saying that a pearl has no meaning to a pig, so in that sense, I could be the pig and the public is the pearl, or vice versa. That's how I think of it.

APA: What do you wish to achieve as a filmmaker? What is your agenda or philosophy?

Kim Ki-duk: I make films for those who I can make an impression on and for those who are interested in my work, not for people who are not interested or do not even care. It will only be a waste of time for those people to watch my films. Most importantly, I do not make films to serve the audience. I don't try to entice viewers to watch, understand, or even like my films. That is not my purpose. Many filmmakers try to satisfy and please viewers but that's not my job.

APA: How was your experience at the Berlin Film Festival 2004, especially after winning a coveted award for Samaria? It seems that European audiences really embrace your work.

Kim Ki-duk: I already forgot about winning the Silver Bear Award at this year's Berlin Film Festival. I've also forgotten the meaning behind winning that award. But the fact that the film, Samaria, was well received and appreciated by European viewers basically tells me that I have an outlet for my future films. I think now, there is an audience in Europe that understands my work. I consider Europe a place that will give me opportunities to make more films.

APA: What do you anticipate with the release of Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter…and Spring in the U.S.?

Kim Ki-duk: Because the U.S. film market sticks to its own taste of Hollywood-style movies, I'm very curious about how American audiences will respond to Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter…and Spring, and what it is about this film that will move them. There may be some American audiences that are tired of domestic films so I expect that Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter…and Spring will be, in a sense, a breath of fresh air.

I think American viewers will be attracted to this film because it's not a Korean film per se, but rather about a universal human experience, which is what will inspire or move people. If the American audience understands and openly receives this film, it's likely that other countries will as well, since the U.S. sets universal standards. In my opinion, Americans have a more rectangular and rigid perception of things whereas Asians have a circular or round perception.In my personal opinion, that is.

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