Author: Yurim Oh

Park Chan-wook is Korea’s leading filmmaker and the first Korean director to win the Grand Prix of The Jury at the Cannes Film Festival 2004. Old Boy alone gathered more than 20 awards on the international film festival circuit. Park is a producer of Bong Joon-ho’s upcoming Snow Piercer. To celebrate Stoker, his Hollywood directorial debut, The Korea Society and MoMI (Museum of the Moving Image) proudly co-present a Park Chan-wook retrospective. We include the famous “Vengeance Trilogy,” ambitious short film projects, and his first international break: JSA: Joint Security Area. Korean with English subtitles.

This retrospective is made possible by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Andrew Cuomo and the New York State Legislature.

THURSDAY – SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 28-MARCH 3, 2013

Museum of the Moving Image
35th Avenue at 37th Street, Astoria
The Museum of the Moving Image

Directions:
From Midtown, 10 min. taxi from The Korea Society or N/Q Train outbound to 36th Avenue

Stoker (98 min) 2013     

Thursday, February 28 | 7:00 PM

Courtesy of Fox Searchlight. With Mia Wasikowska, Nicole Kidman, Matthew Goode. The eagerly awaited new film by director Park Chan-wook is an English-language thriller rife with the sort of style and atmosphere that makes his other movies nothing short of modern classics of the genre. In the film, India (Mia Wasikowska), upon the death of her father, finds herself sharing a Southern gothic mansion with her mother (Nicole Kidman) and her mysterious-yet-charming Uncle Charlie. This special screening, followed by a discussion with Park Chan-wook.

Old Boy (120 min) 2003     

Friday, March 1 | 7:00 PM

With Choi Min-shik, Kang Hye-jung, Yu Ji-tae, and Oh Dal-soo. After 10 years when the original ‘Old Boy’ is made, Spike Lee’s another ‘Old Boy’ will be released October, 2013. The leading actor, Josh Brolin says that ‘We are just going to make a different version but have respect to the initial story and premise’. Old Boy tells the story of a man who is locked in a room for over decade without knowing the reason, and after released from the cell, he tries to find the answer. Since it alarmed people when it won ‘Grand Jury’ award at Cannes in 2004, it has been selected one of the best movies ever made by numerous prestigious film magazines and critics.

PARK CHAN-WOOK SHORTS PROGRAM     

Saturday, March 2 | 3:00 PM

Never Ending Peace and Love (Mid-geo-na mal-geo-na chandra-ui gyungwoo)
2003, 28 min. With Ji-hyeon Lee, Dal-su Oh. This is part of the omnibus film series If You Were Me presented by National Human Rights Commision of Korea. Based on true story of an illegal foreign worker who was mistreated by people’s ignorance and indifference.

Three Monsters; Cut
2004, 30 min. With Kang Hye-jung, Lee Byeong-heon, Yeom Jung-Ah. He is rich, talented, and successful film director. Nothing lacks in his life and even he has beautiful pianist wife. One night, vicious intruder takes her hostage, and threatens him to cut his wife’s fingers if the director doesn’t kill the child. The director finds himself entangled in a horrific dilemma.

Night Fishing (Paranmanjang)
2011, 33min. With Lee Jung-hyun, Oh Kwang-rok. Ambitiously Park and his brother/co-director Chan-kyong shot this short film with iPhone4, and it won Best Short Film-Golden Bear Award at Berlin International Film Festival 2011, and Best Motion Picture (Noves Visions) at Sitges Film Festival 2011. The film set up is somewhat eerie and ghostly spiritual. It explores shamanistic ritual to reconnect the world of the dead. Actress Lee Jung-hyun plays multi roles, and her performance mesmerizes in the role.

J.S.A.:Joint Security Area (108 min) 2000     

Saturday, March 2 | 6:00 PM

With Kim Myeong-su, Lee Young-ae, Lee Byung-hun, Song Kang-ho. This is his third feature films, and was one of the highest grossing films ever made in South Korea. By this success, he actually started to receive huge attention from critics and audiences. Based on the novel by Park Sang-yeon, Joint Security Area is considered one of the most well made films described the tension in the political and military affairs of North and South Korea through well constructed story. Two North Korean soldiers are killed in the Joint Security Area of the Demilitarized Zone(DMZ). And major Sophie Jang was dispatched to investigate this case from Swiss. As political tensions rise at the Joint Security Area, the investigation begins to take some very intrigued turns.

Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance (121 min) 2002     

Sunday, March 3 | 3:00 PM

With Song Kang-ho, Shin Ha-kyun, Bae Doo-na. Park majored philosophy at the university, and he used to be quite reputational film critic before turning into filmmaker himself. He says he always wanted to create a hard-boiled Asian thriller in a darker, and realistic way, and this depressive, and brutally nihilistic psychological thriller is without any doubt, one of the best films made in Korea. As reflected his shrewd political point of view, the story satires dysfunctional system of law enforcement and public security. Desperate to pay for his sister’s kidney operation, Ryu kidnaps his wealthy boss’ daughter. Nothing goes according to plan, however, and what ought to have been easy money soon turns into blood money. After the kidnapping goes awry, Ryu and his girlfriend struggle to run away from the father of daughter, who’s determined to take vengeance.

Sympathy for Lady Vengeance (112 min) 2005     

Sunday, March 3 | 6:00 PM

With Lee Young-ae, Choi Min-shik. Park casted his persona, Choi Min-shik (Old Boy) as the villain in the last episode of Vengeance trilogy. Oscar-winner Charlize Theron is set to step into Lee Yong-ae’s shoes as she takes on the titular character in a remake of this movie. At the age of 20, Geum-ja is imprisoned for thirteen years for allegedly kidnapping and murdering a six-year-old boy. For thirteen years, she is a model prisoner, earning nickname ‘Kind Geum-ja’, as she wins over her cell mates’ sympathies, helping them one by one until the day she is released. But from the very moment she walks away from prison, she begins her plan for vengeance, which she has been drawing up meticulously.