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Korean director’s movie well received by Cannes audiences

Korean director’s movie well received by Cannes audiences

Posted May. 16, 2016 07:33,   

Updated May. 16, 2016 07:38

한국어
Yeon Sang-ho looked somewhat excited when met at a place near the Grand Theatre Lumiere in Cannes, France, on Saturday afternoon (local time). The 38-year-old director’s movie "Train to Busan (Bu San Haeng)" was invited to the “midnight screening section” of the 69th International Cannes Film Festival on Friday.

The movie starts with a scene where Seok-woo (starring Gong You), a fund manager and single daddy, takes a KTX bullet train to Busan to take his daughter to her mother. At the very same time, people turn into zombies after being infected by an unknown virus, which eventually paralyzed the country. The train where Seok-woo was boarded was no exception, survivors struggling and turning into monsters. In the official screening, audiences applauded and cheered whenever they felt thrilled or watched some action scenes. “When the movie ended, the audiences cheered taking a gesture like a zombie sticking to the window in the movie," Yeon said. "It was fun in itself because of people’s reaction.”

Yeon has produced gloomy independent animations with critical perspectives such as "The King of Pigs" (2011) and "The Fake" (2013). "Train to Busan" was his first live-action movie and the most expensive movie (it cost around 7 billion won or 5.98 million U.S. dollars). “While an animation movie can crystallize my imagination, I cannot watch the final deliverable until it is completed,” Yeon said. “It was fun while working because a live action movie allows me to watch the deliverable on the very day when it is filmed, and many people share their ideas in the process.”

When asked why he chose a “zombie movie,” a genre that has not been attempted in Korea, as his first live action movie, he said, “Zombies are a kind of a crowd that have become others. I thought it can be a genre and has social implications at the same time.” He added, “I tried to strike a balance by allowing many people to have fun and enjoy the message.”



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