Im Kwon-taek (born December 8, 1934) is one of South Korea's most renowned film directors. In an active and prolific career, his films have won many domestic and international film festival awards as well as considerable box-office success, and helped bring international attention to the Korean film industry. As of spring 2015, he has directed 102 films.

Early life

Im Kwon-taek was born in Jangseong,

Jeollanam-do South Jeolla Province (; ''Jeollanam-do''; ), also known as Jeonnam, is a province of South Korea. South Jeolla has a population of 1,902,324 (2014) and has a geographic area of located in the Honam region at the southwestern tip of the Korean ...

and grew up in

Gwangju Gwangju () is South Korea's sixth-largest metropolis. It is a designated metropolitan city under the direct control of the central government's Home Minister. The city was also the capital of South Jeolla Province until the provincial offic ...

. After the

Korean War {{Infobox military conflict , conflict = Korean War , partof = the Cold War and the Korean conflict , image = Korean War Montage 2.png , image_size = 300px , caption = Clockwise from top: ...

, he moved to

Busan Busan (), officially known as is South Korea's most populous city after Seoul, with a population of over 3.4 million inhabitants. Formerly romanized as Pusan, it is the economic, cultural and educational center of southeastern South Korea ...

in search of work. He then moved to

Seoul Seoul (; ; ), officially known as the Seoul Special City, is the Capital city, capital and largest metropolis of South Korea.Before 1972, Seoul was the ''de jure'' capital of the North Korea, Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea ...

in 1956, where Jeong Chang-hwa, director of '' Five Fingers of Death'' (1972), offered him room and board for work as a production assistant. Jeong recommended him for directing in

1961 Events January * January 3 ** United States President Dwight D. Eisenhower announces that the United States has severed diplomatic and consular relations with Cuba (Cuba–United States relations are restored in 2015). ** Aero Flight 311 ...

Career

Im's directorial premiere was with the

1962 Events January * January 1 – Western Samoa becomes independent from New Zealand. * January 3 – Pope John XXIII excommunicates Fidel Castro for preaching communism. * January 8 – Harmelen train disaster: 93 die in the wo ...

film, ''

Farewell to the Duman River ''Farewell to the Duman River'' ( 두만강아 잘 있거라 ''Dumanganga jal itgeola'') is a 1962 South Korean film. Directed by Im Kwon-taek in his directorial debut, it became a huge hit, establishing his reputation as a director and ensuring h ...

'' (''Dumanganga jal itgeola''). Before 1980 he was known primarily as a commercial filmmaker who could efficiently direct as many as eight genre pictures a year, helping to fulfill the quota for domestic pictures set by the governmen

His desire to make more artistically satisfying films began to show itself with his 1978 in film, 1978 film ''Jokbo'' (''Genealogy'' or ''The Family Tree''), but the turning point of his career came with the

1981 Events January * January 1 ** Greece enters the European Economic Community, predecessor of the European Union. ** Palau becomes a self-governing territory. * January 10 – Salvadoran Civil War: The FMLN launches its first major off ...

film ''

Mandala A mandala ( sa, मण्डल, maṇḍala, circle, ) is a geometric configuration of symbols. In various spiritual traditions, mandalas may be employed for focusing attention of practitioners and adepts, as a spiritual guidance tool, for e ...

''. From this point his films have been regarded as art-house cinema, and have been regularly shown at international film festivals, and have won numerous awards. Im has continued to explore themes from Korea's past while also focusing on the Korean cultural identity in modern times. Among Im's most notable recent films are '' Sopyonje'' (1993) and '' Chunhyang'' (2000), both of which concentrate on the traditional Korean musical art of

pansori ''Pansori'' () is a Korean genre of musical storytelling performed by a singing, singer and a Pansori gosu, drummer. The term ''pansori'' is derived from the Korean words ''pan'' (Hangul: 판) and ''sori'' (Hangul: 소리), the latter of which ...

. The latter film was also based on a traditional Korean legend. Apart from being a critical success, ''Sopyonje'' was also a success at the box office, becoming the first domestic film to draw over a million viewers in

alone. ''

Chihwaseon ''Chi-hwa-seon'' or ''Chwi-hwa-seon'', (also known as ''Painted Fire'', ''Strokes of Fire'' or ''Drunk on Women and Poetry''), is a 2002 South Korean drama film directed by Im Kwon-taek about Jang Seung-eop (commonly known by his pen name, Owon), a ...

'' (2002) was also a critical success, earning him Korea's first Best Director award at the

Cannes Film Festival The Cannes Festival (; french: link=no, Festival de Cannes), until 2003 called the International Film Festival (') and known in English as the Cannes Film Festival, is an annual film festival held in Cannes, France, which previews new films ...

. Im Kwon-taek was awarded an Honorary Golden Bear award at the

Berlin Film Festival The Berlin International Film Festival (german: Internationale Filmfestspiele Berlin), usually called the Berlinale (), is a major international film festival held annually in Berlin, Germany. Founded in 1951 and originally run in June, the festi ...

in 2005. Im Kwon-taek's status, brought on by the critical success of his films, overlapped with a period of the film movement called "New Korean Cinema" or "Korean New Wave". Along with other directors, such as Park Gwang-su and Jang Sun-woo, Im is recognized as one of the founding figures of the movement, which gained international critical recognition and acclaim for Korean Cinema. In April 2007, Im released his 100th film '' Beyond the Years'', an informal sequel to ''Sopyonje''. In November 2007 the French government announced that it would make Im a knight of the

French Legion of Honor The National Order of the Legion of Honour (french: Ordre national de la Légion d'honneur), formerly the Royal Order of the Legion of Honour ('), is the highest French order of merit, both military and civil. Established in 1802 by Napoleon B ...

. In 2013, a museum dedicated to Im opened in Busan, on the Dongseo University Centum City Campus. A documentary on Im, '' Cloud, Encore'' (2018) by well-known film critic-turned-director Jung Sung-il, will made its world premiere at the 23rd Busan International Film Festival in 2018.

Personal life

He married the actress Chae Ryeong ( ko), who appeared in several of his films. Their two sons Im Dong-joon and Im Dong-jae (the latter uses the

stage name A stage name is a pseudonym used by performers and entertainers—such as actors, comedians, singers, and musicians. Such professional aliases are adopted for a wide variety of reasons and they may be similar, or nearly identical, to an individu ...

Kwon Hyun-sang Im Dong-jae (born July 2, 1981), better known professionally as Kwon Hyun-sang, is a South Korean actor. Career Kwon Hyun-Sang made his acting debut in the 2008 horror movie '' Death Bell'', which was followed by supporting roles in several f ...

) are also active in the film industry.

Filmography

Accolades

Asian Film Awards Asian may refer to: * Items from or related to the continent of Asia: ** Asian people, people in or descending from Asia ** Asian culture, the culture of the people from Asia ** Asian cuisine, food based on the style of food of the people from Asi ...

: **Lifetime Achievement Award * Asia Pacific Film Festival **Special Jury Award ''Chunhyang'' (2000) **Best Director and Best Film ''Sibaji'' (1987) *

Berlin International Film Festival The Berlin International Film Festival (german: Internationale Filmfestspiele Berlin), usually called the Berlinale (), is a major international film festival held annually in Berlin, Germany. Founded in 1951 and originally run in June, the festi ...

Golden Bear The Golden Bear (german: Goldener Bär) is the highest prize awarded for the best film at the Berlin International Film Festival. The bear is the heraldic animal of Berlin, featured on both the coat of arms and flag of Berlin. History The win ...

: ''

Gilsoddeum ''Gilsoddeum'' is a 1986 South Korean drama film directed by Im Kwon-taek. It was entered into the 36th Berlin International Film Festival The 36th annual Berlin International Film Festival was held 14–25 February 1986. The festival opene ...

'' (nominated) (

1986 The year 1986 was designated as the International Year of Peace by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 **Aruba gains increased autonomy from the Netherlands by separating from the Netherlands Antilles. **Spain and Portugal enter ...

) **Golden Bear: '' The Taebaek Mountains'' (nominated) (

1995 File:1995 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: O.J. Simpson is acquitted of the murders of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman from the year prior in "The Trial of the Century" in the United States; The Great Hanshin earthquake strike ...

) ** Honorary Golden Bear (2005) *

** Best Director ''Chihwaseon'' (2002) *

Grand Bell Awards The Grand Bell Awards (), also known as the Daejong Film Awards, is an awards ceremony presented annually by The Motion Pictures Association of Korea for excellence in film in South Korea. The Grand Bell Awards retains prestige as the oldest co ...

(Korea), Best Director **''Testimony'' (''Jungon'') (1974) **''Jokbo'' (Genealogy/Family Tree) (1979) **''Mandala'' (1981) **''Ticket'' (1986) **''Yeonsan ilgi'' (''Diary of King Yonsan'') (1988) *Hankuk Play and Film Arts Awards (Korea), Best Director **''Wangshibri'' (''A Byegone Romance'') (1976) **''Nakdongkaneun heureuneunga'' (''Commando on the Nakdong River'') (1976) **''Angae maeul'' (''Village in the Mist'') (1983)

Hawaii International Film Festival The Hawai'i International Film Festival (HIFF) is an annual film festival held in the United States state of Hawaii. HIFF has a focus on Asian-Pacific cinema, education, and the work of new and emerging filmmakers. HIFF’s primary festival is h ...

**Best Feature Film ''Chunhyang'' (2000) * International Film Festival of India **Lifetime Achievement Award * Korean Film Critics Awards, Best Director **''Gilsoddeum'' (''Gilsodom'') (1986) **''Ticket'' (1986) * 16th Moscow International Film Festival **Golden St. George: '' Come Come Come Upward'' (1989) (nominated) *

Busan International Film Festival The Busan International Film Festival (BIFF, previously Pusan International Film Festival, PIFF), held annually in Haeundae-gu, Busan (''also'' Pusan), South Korea, is one of the most significant film festivals in Asia. The first festiv ...

**Netpac Award ''Chunhyang'' (2000) **The Asian Filmmaker of the Year (2021) *

San Francisco International Film Festival The San Francisco International Film Festival (abbreviated as SFIFF), organized by the San Francisco Film Society, is held each spring for two weeks, presenting around 200 films from over 50 countries. The festival highlights current trends in in ...

**Akira Kurosawa Award (1998) *

Shanghai International Film Festival The Shanghai International Film Festival (, French: ''Festival international du film de Shanghai''), abbreviated SIFF, is one of the largest film festivals in East Asia. "China's biggest film festival" according to the Hollywood Reporter. Ne ...

** Golden Goblet - Best Director ''Seopyeonje'' (1993) *

Singapore International Film Festival The Singapore International Film Festival (SGIFF) ( Chinese: 新加坡国际电影节) is the longest-running film festival in Singapore. Founded in 1987, the festival has a focus on showcasing international films and providing a global platform fo ...

**2001 Silver Screen Award - Best Asian Director ''Chunhyang'' (2000) **2014 Silver Screen Award - Honorary Award

Notes

External links and references

*
Page about the Korean New Wave at asianinfo.org
* *

a
asianfilms.org
* *, p. 342-343.
Naver Cast - Im Kwon-taek

Doosan Encyclopedia - Im Kwon-taek
{{DEFAULTSORT:Im, Kwon-taek 1936 births Chevaliers of the Légion d'honneur Living people South Korean film directors People from Jangseong County Cannes Film Festival Award for Best Director winners Fellini Gold Medalists Honorary Golden Bear recipients Recipients of the Ho-Am Prize in the Arts Best Director Paeksang Arts Award (film) winners