"Lee Chang Dong Retrospective 4K" Directed by Lee Chang Dong I want you to feel what you can't see on the screen [Director's Interview Vol.344]

We now have a rare opportunity to look back on the career of Korean master director Lee Chang-dong all at once here in Japan. The first special screening, "Lee Chang-dong Retrospective 4K," will feature a total of six films, including his feature-length debut " Green Fish " (1997), his masterpieces " Peppermint Candy " (1999) and " Secret Sunshine " (2007), as well as the director. Lee Chang-dong's new documentary `` Lee Chang-dong: The Art of Irony '' (22), in which he talks about his work, will be screened in 4K all at once.

Prior to this, a Japanese translation of `` The Deer River is Covered in Shit,'' written by Lee Chang -dong when he was a novelist before he became a film director, was published 30 years later. What all works, from novels to movies, have in common is that they delve into the dark side of society, the dark side of individuals, and sensitive subjects such as history, religion, and discrimination, but rather than relying on a simple theme or Arrival. His stance is to tenaciously tell the story.

To commemorate the special screening and the publication of his novel, Lee Chang-dong will come to Japan for the first time in five years in August 2023. We spoke at length about his creative stance, how he handles motifs, and his next work, which movie fans are looking forward to.

Index

• For the first special screening in Japan
• Films, novels, creative approaches
• I want you to feel what you can't see on the screen.
• Lee Chang-dong thinks of “a story that needs to be told”

For the first special screening in Japan

Q: First of all, how do you feel about the fact that this is the first time in Japan that a special screening of the director will be held, and that the 4K restored versions of six films will be screened all at once?

Lee: I'm glad that you created an opportunity like this. This project will actually be the first opportunity to see all of my works in 4K. Restoration work took two months from February to March last year (2022), and after that, there was a special screening at the Jeonju International Film Festival in South Korea in April, where the projector was compatible with 4K. Therefore, the work could not be viewed in 4K quality. Also, although it was screened in 4K at the Lumière Film Festival in France, we were not able to screen all six films.

Therefore, I myself have not yet been able to watch the complete version on a 4K projector. During the restoration, we used DI (digital intermediate) to correct the colors digitally, so I would like to see how it looks on screen. And I'm sure there are people in Japan who have seen my work for a while, and some who are seeing it for the first time. I hope it will be a good experience for both of you.

“Lee Chang-dong: The Art of Irony” (C)MOVIE DA PRODUCTIONS & PINEHOUSE FILM CO., LTD., 2022

Q: In the documentary film `` Lee Chang-dong: The Art of Irony, '' the director himself explains his past works. Why did you decide to explain your work now?

Lee: I was persuaded to leave my surroundings (lol). In particular, we received a very sincere request from director Alain Mazar. Still, personally, I was quite confused. I don't really like explaining my work myself, and I'm the type of person who doesn't like standing in front of a camera. However, I myself sometimes want to take a peek into the world of a film director or artist's work, or take a peek into their life. I thought that I could be one of those people, so this time I gathered up the courage and decided to take the plunge. However, I think it was quite awkward (lol).

Films, novels, creative approaches