Song Il-gon (born January 1, 1971) is a South Korean
film director and
screenwriter known for his internationally award-winning early
short film
A short film is any motion picture that is short enough in running time not to be considered a feature film. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences defines a short film as "an original motion picture that has a running time of 40 minutes ...
s, and later feature films such as ''
Spider Forest'' (
2004) and ''
Feathers in the Wind'' (
2005). Long more popular abroad than in South Korea, Song was the first Korean filmmaker to win an 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 o ...
.
Life and career
Song Il-gon was born in
Seoul
Seoul (; ; ), officially known as the Seoul Special City, is the capital and largest metropolis of South Korea.Before 1972, Seoul was the ''de jure'' capital of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea) as stated iArticle 103 of ...
on January 1, 1971. He studied Fine Arts at the
Seoul Institute of the Arts
Seoul Institute of the Arts is a prominent educational institution specializing in the Arts located in Ansan, Gyeonggi Province, South Korea. The school has nurtured many graduates who are actively working in art related fields within Korea as ...
.
After graduation he applied to study film in the
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...
. His visa application was rejected by that country, and Song instead attended the
National Academy of Film in
Łódź
Łódź, also rendered in English as Lodz, is a city in central Poland and a former industrial centre. It is the capital of Łódź Voivodeship, and is located approximately south-west of Warsaw. The city's coat of arms is an example of cant ...
,
Poland
Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populou ...
. He was only the second Korean student to study at this institution which is known for prominent alumni such as
Roman Polanski
Raymond Roman Thierry Polański , group=lower-alpha, name=note_a ( né Liebling; 18 August 1933) is a French-Polish film director, producer, screenwriter, and actor. He is the recipient of numerous accolades, including an Academy Award, tw ...
and
Krzysztof Kieślowski
Krzysztof Kieślowski (; 27 June 1941 – 13 March 1996) was a Polish film director and screenwriter. He is known internationally for '' Dekalog'' (1989), ''The Double Life of Veronique'' (1991), and the ''Three Colours'' trilogy (1993
–1994 ...
.
Unable to deal with specifically Korean themes or history while in Poland, Song turned to themes influenced by psychology and Western mythology.
Beginning in
1998
1998 was designated as the ''International Year of the Ocean''.
Events January
* January 6 – The ''Lunar Prospector'' spacecraft is launched into orbit around the Moon, and later finds evidence for frozen water, in soil in permanently s ...
, Song's short films began attracting international attention. ''Liver and Potato'' (1998) took its inspiration from the
biblical story of
Cain and Abel. ''The Dream of the Clowns'' (also 1998) was filmed at a Polish
circus
A circus is a company of performers who put on diverse entertainment shows that may include clowns, acrobats, trained animals, trapeze acts, musicians, dancers, hoopers, tightrope walkers, jugglers, magicians, ventriloquists, and unicyclis ...
. Both of these films were shown at international film festivals, and both were released at short-film specialty theaters in South Korea. Song became the first Korean to win an 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 o ...
with his short film ''Picnic'' (''Sopoong'',
1999
File:1999 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The funeral procession of King Hussein of Jordan in Amman; the 1999 İzmit earthquake kills over 17,000 people in Turkey; the Columbine High School massacre, one of the first major school shoot ...
), which was given the
Jury Prize for Best Short Film. This film was also given the Grand Prix at the
Melbourne International Film Festival.
Back in Korea, Song was asked by the Seoul International Media Art Biennale (Media City Seoul) to make a 50-second video clip to be screened on electronic billboards for one month. He made ''Flush'', about a teenage girl committing
abortion
Abortion is the termination of a pregnancy by removal or expulsion of an embryo or fetus. An abortion that occurs without intervention is known as a miscarriage or "spontaneous abortion"; these occur in approximately 30% to 40% of pre ...
in a public toilet. Even though Song had shown the screenplay to the government before filming, the authorities censored and removed the short after one day for its
taboo
A taboo or tabu is a social group's ban, prohibition, or avoidance of something (usually an utterance or behavior) based on the group's sense that it is excessively repulsive, sacred, or allowed only for certain persons.''Encyclopædia Britannica ...
subject.
Song's first feature film was ''
Flower Island'' (
2001), a story about three women with psychological wounds traveling together to an island that is said to have magical healing powers.
The film was successful internationally, winning prizes at the
Venice Film Festival
The Venice Film Festival or Venice International Film Festival ( it, Mostra Internazionale d'Arte Cinematografica della Biennale di Venezia, "International Exhibition of Cinematographic Art of the Venice Biennale") is an annual film festival h ...
and the
Fribourg International Film Festival
The Fribourg International Film Festival (FIFF) is an annual film festival in Fribourg, Switzerland. It is focused on selected films from Asia, Africa and Latin America. The Grand Prize is the main award of the Fribourg International Film Festival ...
among others. Afterward Song took an acting role in director Park Kyung-hee's debut film, ''A Smile'' (''Miso'',
2004).
''
Spider Forest'' (
2004), Song's second feature film, was not successful in the South Korean domestic market, either with audiences or critics.
But it was Song's first film to be given a
region-1 DVD release in the U.S.
Song's next feature film, ''
Feathers in the Wind'' was originally planned as a 30-minute short as part of
omnibus film ''1.3.6'', but major South Korean production studio
CJ Entertainment
CJ Entertainment (Hangul: CJ 엔터테인먼트) is a South Korean film production and distribution company under CJ ENM. The company operates as a film production company, film publishing house, investment and exhibition.
History
During early 1 ...
gave Song funds to make the work into a feature for individual release. The resulting film was Song's first domestic success, with some Korean critics acclaiming it as the best romance ever filmed in Korea. ''The Magicians'' (
2005) also began as a 40-minute short, one-third of the 2005
Jeonju Digital Project ''Talk to Her''. Song expanded the experimental digitally shot film into a 96-minute feature done entirely in one
tracking shot
A tracking shot is any shot where the camera follows backward, forward or moves alongside the subject being recorded. In cinematography, the term refers to a shot in which the camera is mounted on a camera dolly that is then placed on rails ...
.
In February 2007, Song was reported to be working on a film with the working title of ''Telephone Girl''. An adaptation of the
stage play ''Telephone Modern Girl'', the film was to deal with Korea during the 1920s and 1930s, when the country was modernizing
under Japanese occupation. However in January 2008, Song was reportedly in pre-production for a
period
Period may refer to:
Common uses
* Era, a length or span of time
* Full stop (or period), a punctuation mark
Arts, entertainment, and media
* Period (music), a concept in musical composition
* Periodic sentence (or rhetorical period), a concept ...
horror film set during the
Joseon Dynasty
Joseon (; ; Middle Korean: 됴ᇢ〯션〮 Dyǒw syéon or 됴ᇢ〯션〯 Dyǒw syěon), officially the Great Joseon (; ), was the last dynastic kingdom of Korea, lasting just over 500 years. It was founded by Yi Seong-gye in July 1392 and r ...
entitled ''Sahwa'' ("Royal Massacre"). This film was scheduled to begin shooting in March 2008. Celebrated 1990s actor
Moon Sung-keun
Moon Sung-keun (born May 28, 1953) is a South Korean actor and politician. He has won three Blue Dragon Film Awards, two Baeksang Arts Awards, and two Chunsa Film Art Awards for Best Actor.
Career
Moon was born in Tokyo, Japan. His father was ...
was reported to be playing the lead role as a king dealing with murder as well as problems of a supernatural nature. These projects did not push through.
In 2009 Song turned to
documentaries
A documentary film or documentary is a non-fictional motion-picture intended to "document reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction, education or maintaining a historical record". Bill Nichols has characterized the documentary in term ...
, telling the story of the Korean
diaspora in
Cuba
Cuba ( , ), officially the Republic of Cuba ( es, República de Cuba, links=no ), is an island country comprising the island of Cuba, as well as Isla de la Juventud and several minor archipelagos. Cuba is located where the northern Caribbea ...
in ''Dance of Time''. He also contributed the titular short film to ''Sorry, Thanks'', an
omnibus film dealing with the profound relationships people establish with their pets.
''
Always'', which opened the 2011
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 ...
, was his first mainstream film. Inspired by
Charlie Chaplin's ''
City Lights'', Song said he wanted to make a "conventional love story which takes place in today's urban city."
Song shot the documentary ''Forest of Time'' in
Yakushima
is one of the Ōsumi Islands in Kagoshima Prefecture, Japan. The island, in area, has a population of 13,178. Access to the island is by hydrofoil ferry (7 or 8 times a day from Kagoshima, depending on the season), slow car ferry (once or twic ...
,
Japan, a
UNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. It ...
World Heritage Site
A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNESCO for h ...
that is said to have inspired
Hayao Miyazaki
is a Japanese animator, director, producer, screenwriter, author, and manga artist. A co-founder of Studio Ghibli, he has attained international acclaim as a masterful storyteller and creator of Japanese animated feature films, and is widel ...
's animated film ''
Princess Mononoke
is a 1997 Japanese animated epic historical fantasy film written and directed by Hayao Miyazaki and animated by Studio Ghibli for Tokuma Shoten, Nippon Television Network and Dentsu. The film stars the voices of Yōji Matsuda, Yuriko Ishida ...
''.
Filmography
* ''Liver and Potato'' (
short film
A short film is any motion picture that is short enough in running time not to be considered a feature film. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences defines a short film as "an original motion picture that has a running time of 40 minutes ...
, 1998)
* ''The Dream of the Clowns'' (
short film
A short film is any motion picture that is short enough in running time not to be considered a feature film. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences defines a short film as "an original motion picture that has a running time of 40 minutes ...
, 1998)
* ''Picnic'' (
short film
A short film is any motion picture that is short enough in running time not to be considered a feature film. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences defines a short film as "an original motion picture that has a running time of 40 minutes ...
, 1999)
* ''Flush'' (
short film
A short film is any motion picture that is short enough in running time not to be considered a feature film. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences defines a short film as "an original motion picture that has a running time of 40 minutes ...
, 2000)
* ''
Flower Island'' (2001)
* ''
Spider Forest'' (2004)
* ''
Feathers in the Wind'' (2005)
* ''The Magicians'' (2006)
* ''Dance of Time'' (2009)
* ''Sorry, Thanks'' (
short film
A short film is any motion picture that is short enough in running time not to be considered a feature film. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences defines a short film as "an original motion picture that has a running time of 40 minutes ...
, 2011)
* ''
Always'' (2011)
* ''Forest of Time'' (2012)
Awards
Wins
* 1997
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 i ...
: Certificate of Merit Film & Video - Short Documentary, ''The Dream of the Clowns'' (
1997
File:1997 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The movie set of ''Titanic'', the highest-grossing movie in history at the time; '' Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone'', is published; Comet Hale-Bopp passes by Earth and becomes one of ...
)
[List of awards based on ]
* 1999
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 o ...
: Grand Prize of the Jury Best Short Film, ''Picnic'' (
1999
File:1999 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The funeral procession of King Hussein of Jordan in Amman; the 1999 İzmit earthquake kills over 17,000 people in Turkey; the Columbine High School massacre, one of the first major school shoot ...
)
* 1999
Melbourne International Film Festival: Grand Prix, ''Picnic''
* 2000 Aspen Shortsfest: Best Short Film Special Jury Award, ''Picnic''
* 2001
Pusan 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 festi ...
: Audience Award and
FIPRESCI Prize
The International Federation of Film Critics (FIPRESCI, short for Fédération Internationale de la PRESse CInématographique) is an association of national organizations of professional film critics and film journalists from around the world fo ...
New Currents, ''
Flower Island'' "For its remarkable direction in creating the interior universe of three women, and for its fine performances."
* 2001
Venice Film Festival
The Venice Film Festival or Venice International Film Festival ( it, Mostra Internazionale d'Arte Cinematografica della Biennale di Venezia, "International Exhibition of Cinematographic Art of the Venice Biennale") is an annual film festival h ...
'CinemAvvenire' Award Best First Film, ''Flower Island''
* 2002
Fribourg International Film Festival
The Fribourg International Film Festival (FIFF) is an annual film festival in Fribourg, Switzerland. It is focused on selected films from Asia, Africa and Latin America. The Grand Prize is the main award of the Fribourg International Film Festival ...
: FIPRESCI Prize, ''Flower Island'' "For its sensitive portrait of three human destinies, within an accomplished and mature cinematographic grammar."
Nominations
* 1999
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 o ...
Golden Palm Best Short Film, ''Picnic'' (1999)
* 2004
San Sebastián International Film Festival
The San Sebastián International Film Festival ( SSIFF; es, Festival Internacional de San Sebastián, eu, Donostia Zinemaldia) is an annual FIAPF A category film festival held in the Spanish city of Donostia-San Sebastián in September, in ...
: Golden Seashell, ''
Spider Forest'' (2004)
References
External links
Song Il-gonat Korean Film Biz Zone
*
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Song, Il-gon
1971 births
South Korean film directors
South Korean screenwriters
Łódź Film School alumni
Seoul Institute of the Arts alumni
People from Seoul
Living people