Today, Kim Ki-Duk is the most famous South Korean filmmaker in the world. Despite the fact that he began his career quite late, on the account of a talented figure there are a lot of popular films and prestigious awards. Kim Ki Duk is considered one of the most brilliant cinema gurus, each work of which turns into a real revelation for the viewer. And many fans are interested in his life and work.
Biography: Kim Ki-Dook - a boy from the province
Today he is known as a movie genius. But not all of his fans know that he was born in one of the South Korean provinces under the name Kensan-Pukto, in the small village of Sobenni. After some time, the family moved to Seoul. His date of birth is December 20, 1960. Kim was a pretty problem child. Soon, his parents sent him to an agricultural school.
However, the young man did not complete his education, and at the age of seventeen he went to work at the factory. Here he stayed for three years, after which he joined the army. When the guy was 20 years old, he became part of one of the units of the Korean Marines, where he served for five years.
Upon returning from service, Kim Ki Duk spent almost two years in the church for the blind. Here he prepared to become a priest. Nevertheless, the confessor did not work out of him, since at that time his long-standing passion for painting woke up. To gain experience and become famous, the guy goes to Paris, where, since 1990, he studies fine arts. After 1992, he traveled for some time in different countries of Europe, where he exhibited his works as an artist.
The first samples in the cinema
For the first time, Kim Ki Dook saw a movie when he was 32 years old. It was at that time that he realized that cinema and cinema was his true recognition. Soon, he wrote the script for the film entitled "The Artist and the Criminal Sentenced to Death." For this work, he received the encouragement and award of the Institute of Scriptwriters.
And in 1996, the first film, âCrocodile,â was released, which showed viewers and critics what director Kim Ki Duk was. A tough but touching story will tell a love story between a ruthless robber eking out a miserable existence under a bridge and a gentle, fair girl who decided to take her own life. This work was truly innovative and deserved a lot of positive feedback.
First successful films and first awards
In 1998, two works by a popular director were released at once. The film "Wild Animals" is the story of two completely different, but at the same time, similar to each other people. By the way, the shooting of the picture was carried out in France, and some actors are played by French actors.
The second film, entitled âBirdcage Hotelâ, will allow the viewer to watch the life of a girl of easy virtue, Yin-s, who, after the destruction of the red light district, decides to move to another city and continue to earn a living by selling her own body.
In 2000, another work appeared that made Kim Ki Duk even more popular. The erotic drama, saturated with scenes of violence and passion, has passed for scandalous and extraordinary. The story of Hwi Jin, the mistress of houseboats, and a former policeman has become a real symbol of crazy love. For this film in 2000, its creator received the award of the Venice International Film Festival. And a year later, the director was awarded at the International Film Festival in Moscow. He also received two awards at the Oporto Film Festival and won the Golden Crow.
Already in 2001, Kim Ki-Duk offers the public two of his works: âReal Fictionâ and âAddress Unknownâ. By the way, âReal Fictionâ is quite an experimental film that was shot by ten movie cameras in just two hundred minutes.
"Bad guy" and worldwide recognition
In the same 2001, the premiere of a new, but no less impudent and scandalous film by Kim Ki Dook called "The Bad Guy." This is a cruel love story of a young gangster who decided to take revenge on the girl who rejected him by making her a sexual slave. The drama that unfolds on the screen does not allow you to look away.
And this work, of course, assigned the director the title of an unusual and extraordinary person. In 2002, at the Catalan International Film Festival, he won the Orient Express award. In the same year in the Republic of Korea, Kim Ki-Duk received the Big Bell Award. The film also won the Asian Film Festival Grand Prix in Japan.
"Spring, summer, autumn, winter ... and spring again"
If you are interested in the best films of Kim Ki-Duk, then you should definitely not miss one of his most famous and popular paintings entitled âSpring, Summer, Autumn, Winter ... and Spring Againâ, which premiered in 2003.
A film with a leisurely plot, in which scenes of cruelty remain behind the scenes, is a kind of Buddhist prayer that explains the features of Eastern philosophy. All living things are subject to a certain cycle - everything is once born, grows, develops, reaches the limit, and finally dies. And man is no exception.
In 2003, the film received four awards at the Locarno International Film Festival. In the same year, she won the Audience Award at the San Sebastian Film Festival. And two years later, the film received the prestigious Golden Condor award from the Argentine Film Critics Association.
Kim Ki Dook: filmography
Naturally, after success, new projects began to appear, each of which in the circle of experts is considered a real masterpiece. In 2004, a painting entitled âThe Samaritan Womanâ was released, which tells the story of two schoolgirls trying to save some money on a trip to Europe, engaging in prostitution. Kim Ki-Doo won the Silver Bear Award for directing at the 2004 Berlin Film Festival. In addition, he was nominated for the Golden Bear Award.
In the same year 2004, the drama âEmpty Houseâ was released, telling about the strange relationship between a vagabond who lives in empty houses and a woman saved by him from beating her husband. The painting won four awards at the Venice Film Festival, as well as the Fipressi Prize at the San Sebastian Film Festival.
In 2005, a new drama called âStretched Bowstringâ appeared. This is the story of an old man who lives on a boat with a young girl and is preparing to make her his wife. But his plans were not destined to come true, as a young fisherman appears in their life.
In 2006, a new film, Time, was released, the plot of which tells about a young couple whose feelings have already cooled down. In order to keep her husband, a woman decides to change her appearance.
A year later, Kim Ki-Duk pleased his fans with a new drama called "Sigh." This film tells about a young housewife who, for strange reasons, seeks a meeting with a suicide prisoner and becomes his mistress.
And in 2008, the premiere of two more films: âThe Unmounted Filmâ and âDreamâ.
New works of the ingenious director
Of course, Kim Ki-Doo is not going to stop there - almost every year there are new works. In 2012, a thriller from a talented director called Pieta was presented at the
Cannes Film Festival , in which the author tried to explain that for the most part social problems are more or less connected with money. And the main character of the picture is Lee Kang Do, who earns money by taking out debts from people, and often in a very cruel way. The man does not feel remorse for the crimes committed by him, since the only measure of assessment for him is money. But everything changes when a woman appears in the life of a bandit, claiming that she is his mother.
And in 2013, Moebius appeared. The film Kim Ki Dook devoted to the problems of marital relations. The premiere took place at the Venice Film Festival. To date, this picture is considered one of the most provocative works of the famous director.
What films did he star in?
Naturally, in most of his films, Kim Ki Dook acted as a director. It is his hand and fantasy that the script belongs to each picture he created. In most films, he is also a producer, and sometimes a cameraman.
But in some of his paintings he also acts as an actor. In particular, in the film "Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter ... and Spring Again" he replaced the actor and played the Young Monk in the last two episodes. And in the movie "Sigh", he appears as the head of the prison. Kim also starred in two films in 2011 - "Amen" and "Ariran."
Kim Ki Duk films and their features
In fact, all the films of the famous director are more or less provocative. They are full of violence (even if not open and frank, then at least emotional), but at the same time, there is almost always a certain amount of hope.
Of course, every work by Kim Ki Duk makes the viewer not only watch, but also feel, empathize. And, of course, do not forget that the stories carry a lot of importance, provide an opportunity to understand and look not only at a personâs life, but also at his feelings and ability to develop or degrade. Even if there is not a single remark in the film, it still remains extremely emotional.