Kim Ki-duk

Template:Short description Template:For Template:Family name hatnote Template:Use dmy dates Template:Infobox person Kim Ki-duk (Template:Korean Template:IPA; 20 December 1960Template:Spnd11 December 2020) was a South Korean filmmaker,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> noted for his idiosyncratic art-house cinematic works. His films have received many distinctions in the festival circuit, rendering him one of the most important contemporary Asian film directors.

His major festival awards include the Golden Lion at 69th Venice International Film Festival for Pietà, a Silver Lion for Best Director at 61st Venice International Film Festival for 3-Iron, a Silver Bear for Best Director at 54th Berlin International Film Festival for Samaritan Girl, and the Un Certain Regard prize at 2011 Cannes Film Festival for Arirang. His most widely known feature is Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter... and Spring (2003), included in film critic Roger Ebert's Great Movies. Two of his films served as official submissions for the Academy Award for Best International Feature Film as South Korean entries. He gave scripts to several of his former assistant directors including Juhn Jai-hong (Beautiful and Poongsan) and Jang Hoon (Rough Cut).

Early life and education

Kim was born on 20 December 1960 in Ponghwa, North Kyŏngsang. In 1990, he went to Paris to study fine arts, but instead he spent two years working there on the streets as a portrait painter.<ref>Bitel, Anton (2014). "Edges, Silence and Cycles: A brief guide to the outsider cinema of Kim Ki-duk". In London Korean Film Festival 2014 Brochure, pp. 14–15. Korean Cultural Centre UK. PDF. Also available online at Bitel, Anton (31 January 2015). "Edges, Silence and Cycles: a brief guide to the outsider cinema of Kim Ki-duk". Projected Figures. Link.</ref><ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> He served for five years in the South Korean marine corps, becoming a non-commissioned officer.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Career

After returning to South Korea, Kim began his career as a screenwriter and won first prize in a screenplay contest held by the Korean Film Council in 1995.<ref name="profile">Template:Cite web</ref> In the following year, Kim made his debut as a director with a low budget movie titled Crocodile (1996). The film received sensational reviews from movie critics in South Korea. Ki-duk said that his international breakthrough occurred with The Isle at the Toronto International Film Festival.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> His 2000 film Real Fiction was entered into the 23rd Moscow International Film Festival.<ref name="Moscow2001">Template:Cite web</ref>

In 2003, Ki-duk released Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter... And Spring. The film was praised by numerous critics, including critic Peter Bradshaw, who considered the film to be his masterpiece and one of the great works of modern Korean cinema. "A potent and enigmatic parable which manages to be both serene and gripping at the same time [...] It is that rarest of things - a genuinely spiritual film."<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The film work is included in critic Roger Ebert's Great Movies.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

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),<ref name=":0" /> and at the Venice Film Festival he won for 3-Iron (also 2004).<ref name=":1" /> In 2011, his documentary film Arirang received an award for best film in the Un Certain Regard category from the Cannes Film Festival.<ref name=":2" /> In 2012, his film Pietà received the Golden Lion award at the Venice Film Festival.<ref name=":3" />

Personal life

Assault allegations

In August 2017, an actress referred to as "Actress "A" by prosecutors filed a complaint against Kim Ki-duk through Seoul Central District Prosecutor's Office. In the complaint the actress accused Kim of slapping her face and forcing her to do an unscripted sex scene on the set of his film Moebius. In December 2017, the Seoul Central District Prosecutor's Office fined Kim Ki-duk for $4,450 (KRW 5 million) for physical assault but didn't charge him otherwise citing lack of physical evidence.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

On March 6, 2018, the South Korean TV channel MBC's investigative report show PD Notebook aired an episode titled "Movie director Kim Ki-duk, Master's Naked Face" with more accusations from Actress A and two others (Actress B and C as they mentioned in the show). The actresses accused Kim and his frequent collaborator, actor Cho Jae-hyun of verbal and physical sexual harassment and rape.<ref>Template:Cite webTemplate:Cbignore</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In response, Kim filed false accusation and defamation suits against the accusers and PD Notebook.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

After that, on August 7, 2018, MBC aired a second episode of the PD Notebook show "Master's Naked Face. Aftermath" with more accusations from other actresses and staff members against Kim and Cho. In that episode journalists interviewed a Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency's Special Investigation Unit on Sexual Violence official about the cases. The official explained that the police approached the survivors and established the facts behind accusations but could not indict actor Cho and director Kim because of expired statute of limitation.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

In January 2019, Seoul Central District Prosecutor's Office decided to drop the criminal lawsuits filed by Kim Ki-duk against actresses and PD Notebook because "there was neither proof that actress' initial accusation was false, nor was there evidence that the news show had been programmed with the purpose of defamation".<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

In March 2019 Kim Ki-duk filed another lawsuit in civil court against Actress A and PD Notebook seeking $885,740 (KRW 1 billion) in damages. The lawsuit was ruled by court in defendants' favor on October 28, 2020. The court also ordered Kim to pay legal fees for the defendants.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Animal cruelty allegations

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 after being beaten to death 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."<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

To a U.S. interviewer who suggested that scenes such as these are "very disturbing and [seem] to place an obstacle to the films Template:Sic 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."<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Death

On 11 December 2020, Kim died from complications caused by COVID-19 during the COVID-19 pandemic in Latvia at the age of 59, nine days before his 60th birthday.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Filmography

Year	English title	Director	Producer	Writer	Editor	Notes
1996	Crocodile	Template:Ya		Template:Ya
1997	Wild Animals	Template:Ya		Template:Ya
1998	Birdcage Inn	Template:Ya		Template:Ya
2000	The Isle	Template:Ya		Template:Ya
	Real Fiction	Template:Ya		Template:Ya
2001	Address Unknown	Template:Ya		Template:Ya
	Bad Guy	Template:Ya		Template:Ya
2002	The Coast Guard	Template:Ya		Template:Ya
2003	Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter... and Spring	Template:Ya		Template:Ya	Template:Ya	"He also acts a major role (as the Adult Monk)"<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
2004	Samaritan Girl	Template:Ya	Template:Ya	Template:Ya	Template:Ya
	3-Iron	Template:Ya	Template:Ya	Template:Ya	Template:Ya
2005	The Bow	Template:Ya	Template:Ya	Template:Ya	Template:Ya
2006	Time	Template:Ya	Template:Ya	Template:Ya	Template:Ya
2007	Breath	Template:Ya		Template:Ya
2008	Dream	Template:Ya	Template:Ya	Template:Ya	Template:Ya
	Beautiful		Template:Ya	Template:Ya
	Rough Cut		Template:Ya	Template:Ya
2010	Secret Reunion			Template:Ya		Uncredited
2011	Arirang	Template:Ya	Template:Ya	Template:Ya	Template:Ya	Dramatic documentary about himself
	Amen	Template:Ya	Template:Ya	Template:Ya	Template:Ya	Appears as "Masked Man"
	Poongsan		Template:Ya	Template:Ya
2012	Pietà	Template:Ya	Template:Ya	Template:Ya	Template:Ya
2013	Moebius	Template:Ya	Template:Ya	Template:Ya	Template:Ya
	Rough Play		Template:Ya	Template:Ya
	Red Family		Template:Ya	Template:Ya	Template:Ya
2014	One on One	Template:Ya	Template:Ya	Template:Ya	Template:Ya
	Godsend		Template:Ya	Template:Ya
2015	Stop	Template:Ya	Template:Ya	Template:Ya	Template:Ya
	Made in China		Template:Ya	Template:Ya
2016	The Net	Template:Ya		Template:Ya
2017	Excavator		Template:Ya	Template:Ya
2018	Human, Space, Time and Human	Template:Ya		Template:Ya	Template:Ya
2019	Dissolve	Template:Ya		Template:Ya	Template:Ya
2022	Call of God	Template:Ya		Template:Ya		Released after his death<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

International awards

Lee Jung-jin, Kim Ki-duk and Jo Min-su in the 2012 Venice Film Festival

Year	Award	Category	Nominated work	Result	Ref
2004	54th Berlin International Film Festival	Silver Bear (Best Director)	Samaritan Girl	Template:Won	<ref name=":0">Template:Cite web</ref>
	61st Venice Film Festival	Silver Lion (Best Director)	3-Iron	Template:Won	<ref name=":1">Template:Cite web</ref>
2011	Cannes Film Festival	Un Certain Regard Prize	Arirang	Template:Won	<ref name=":2">Template:Cite news</ref>
2012	Küstendorf Film and Music Festival	"Award for Future Movies"	Pietà	Template:Won	<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
	69th Venice Film Festival	Golden Lion		Template:Won	<ref name=":3">Template:Cite news</ref>
2014	71st Venice Film Festival	The Venice Days Best Film Award	One on One	Template:Won	<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

References

Sources

• Template:Cite web

Bibliography

• Template:Cite journal
• MARTONOVA, A. (2004) Contemporary Korean cinema – production, tradition and… Kim Ki-Duk. – In: The Plum Blossom. Papers from Korean Studies Conference, Sofia University "St. Kliment Ohridski", Centre for Eastern Languages and Cultures, Sofia: Ex-M, p. 129 – 151
• MARTONOVA, (2012) A. To feel HAN (Arirang by Kim Ki-duk) // Kino, No.3, Sofia:p. 49-47, ISSN 0861-4393 [Да чувстваш ХАН ("Ариран" на Ким Ки-док). — Original title in Bulgarian]
• MARTONOVA, A. (2007) The hieroglyph of cinema. Aesthetics and meaning in East Asia movies. Sofia: Panorama Publishing House, 242 pages, Template:ISBN (in Bulgarian)

External links

• Template:IMDb name
• Kim Ki-Duk: the past, the persistent problems and the near future Template:Webarchive About Kim Ki-Duk's 2006 controversial declarations
• Review of Kim Ki-duk's Time Template:Webarchive
• Working Biography