By APA Staff
USC honors Kang Je-gyu at its 2008 Korean Film Festival, where the director fielded questions from Shiri fans.
With artistic, action-packed movies such as Tae Guk Gi: The Brotherhood of War and Shiri, director Kang Je-gyu strives to promote change in the Korean film industry. Released in 1999, Shiri became a major smash in its home country and garnered praise for rejuvenating the previously-languid Korean film business. Kang won the Special Jury Award at the 1999 Asia-Pacific Film Festival for his work on Shiri. Kang has since relocated to Hollywood and is currently working on a sci-fi film. The University of Southern California recently honored Kang as "a leading figure in the Korean cinematic Renaissance" by hosting screenings of both films and holding a Q&A session with the celebrated director. Kang answered the some of the audience's questions via an English-speaking translator.
Intro by Michelle Tang
Transcription by LiAnn Ishizuka
January 19, 2008
University of Southern California
Q: Was Shiri intended to portray North Koreans in a positive light?
Kang Je-gyu: There were two ways the film was received in Korea. One was that it was a well-made commercial film. Two, [that] the idea of the ideology was made well.
Q: This film was not only an action film, but it also seemed to be a blending of different genres like romance and comedy…
Kang: The blending was conscious because I wanted to make a film with a total package. To have the audiences listen to a story about North and South Korea, I made it an action film. It would be easier to digest and understand.
Q: Why was there no kung fu in the film?
Kang: First off, Korea has something similar to kung fu -- tae kwon do. But the reason why I didn't include any martial arts was because I wanted to clear some of the prejudices that people have of Korean/Asian film. I wanted to present [Shiri] like a film in Europe. Kung fu films are not the only reason [Asians] make films.”
Q: How deliberate was the color scheme of the film?
Kang: Aesthetics of the film was intentional. The blue and red hues were used to express the emotions of the actors.
Q: Do you approach a film differently if you're catering it to a Korean audience as opposed to an American audience?
Kang: Korean audiences are very hard to please. They expect a lot. If it's a horror film, it also has to have some type of message. All directors feel the same about the challenge to satisfy Korean audiences. American audiences are easier to please in that they are more accepting of different cultures.
Q: What was filming the soccer tournament scene in Shiri like? How did you manage to capture the energy of a large crowd while filming?
Kang: We had to actually pretend to be a TV crew, during the Olympics/World Cup. And we had to hide the actor in the bathroom [in between filming], before people started noticing him. We had to continually hide him and then call him out.
Q: What drives you to make films?
Kang: I like to change things. As you know, I don't make many films. I want to change the Korean film industry and the stereotypes of it. I want to change myself through these films. When I was making Tae Guk Gi, I asked myself, why do people make war? We are all equal and all the same as humans.
Published: Friday, February 22, 2008
