Kim Ki-duk

Hangul	김기덕
Hanja	金基德
Rr	Gim Gi-deok
Mr	Kim Ki-dŏk

Kim Ki-duk (; born December 20, 1960) is a South Korean filmmaker noted for his idiosyncratic "art-house" cinematic works. His films have received many distinctions in the festival circuit. He is not related to the Kim Ki-duk who directed Yonggary in the 1960s. He has given scripts to several of his former assistant directors including Jeon Jae-hong (Beautiful) and Jang Hun (Rough Cut).

Biography

Kim Ki-duk was born on December 20, 1960 in Bonghwa in Kyongsang province, South Korea. He studied fine arts in Paris from 1990 to 1993. After returning to South Korea, Kim began his career as a screenwriter and won the first prize in a scenario contest held by Korean Film Council in 1995. In the following year, Kim made his debut as a director with a low budget movie titled Crocodile (1996). The movie received sensational reviews from movie critics in South Korea.

In 2004, he received Best Director awards at two different film festivals, for two different films. At the Berlin International Film Festival, he was awarded for Samaritan Girl (2004), and at the Venice Film Festival he won for 3-Iron (also 2004).

Controversy

The British Board of Film Classification delayed the release of Kim Ki-duk's The Isle (2000) in the United Kingdom because of instances of animal cruelty in the film. Concerning scenes in which a frog is skinned alive and fish are mutilated, the director stated, "We cooked all the fish we used in the film and ate them, expressing our appreciation. I've done a lot of cruelty on animals in my films. And I will have a guilty conscience for the rest of my life."

To a U.S. interviewer who suggested that scenes such as these are "very disturbing and [seem] to place an obstacle to the films reception, or... distribution, to other countries", Kim said, "Yes, I did worry about that fact. But the way I see it, the food that we eat today is no different. In America you eat beef, pork, and kill all these animals. And the people who eat these animals are not concerned with their slaughter. Animals are part of this cycle of consumption. It looks more cruel onscreen, but I don't see the difference. And yes, there's a cultural difference, and maybe Americans will have a problem with it - but if they can just be more sensitive to what is acceptable in different countries I'd hope they wouldn't have too many issues with what's shown on-screen."

Filmography

{|class="wikitable" !Year !English title !Korean title !Transliterated title |- |rowspan=2|1996 |Crocodile |악어 |Ag-o |- |Wild Animals |야생동물 보호구역 |Yasaeng dongmul bohoguyeog |- |1998 |Birdcage Inn |파란 대문 |Paran daemun |- |rowspan=2|2000 |The Isle |섬 |Seom |- |Real Fiction |실제 상황 |Shilje sanghwang |- |rowspan=2|2001 |Address Unknown |수취인 불명 |Suchwiin bulmyeong |- |Bad Guy |나쁜 남자 |Nabbeun namja |- |2002 |The Coast Guard |해안선 |Haeanseon |- |2003 |Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter... and Spring |봄, 여름, 가을, 겨울 그리고 봄 |Bom yeoreum gaeul gyeoul geurigo bom |- |rowspan=2|2004 |Samaritan Girl |사마리아 |Samaria |- |3-Iron |빈 집 |Bin-jip |- |2005 |The Bow |활 |Hwal |- |2006 |Time |시간 |Shi gan |- |2007 |Breath |숨 |Soom |- |2008 |Dream |비몽 |Bimong |}

Additional credits

Beautiful (2008, writer/producer)

Rough Cut (2008, writer/producer)

See also

List of Korea-related topics

List of Korean film directors

Korean cinema

Contemporary culture of South Korea

Kim Ki-duk (born 1934)

References

Notes

Bibliography

External links

Kim Ki-Duk: the past, the persistent problems and the near future About Kim Ki-Duk's 2006 controversial declarations

Kim Ki-Duk's Two Trilogies

Review of Kim Ki-duk's Time

Working Biography

Category:Silver Bear for Best Director recipients Category:Surrealist artists Category:South Korean film actors Category:South Korean film producers Category:South Korean film directors Category:South Korean screenwriters Category:1960 births Category:Living people