Korea's national film archive marks Hong's 30-year career with chronological screenings
The Korean Film Archive, the country's national film preservation body, will screen every feature directed by Hong Sang-soo next month in a retrospective marking the 30th anniversary of his debut.
Running from May 2 through June 13 at the archive's Sangam-dong headquarters in western Seoul, the program will present all 34 of Hong's features, from his 1996 debut "The Day a Pig Fell into the Well" to his latest "The Day She Returns," which opens in South Korean theaters on May 6.
A fixture of the international arthouse circuit, Hong is known for a distinctive brand of minimalist cinema rooted in everyday settings and long, meandering conversations. He is famous for working with small crews and writing scenes on the morning of each shoot, and in recent years has handled directing, writing, editing, cinematography and scoring duties himself.
His festival accolades include top prizes at Cannes, Locarno and the Berlinale, the last of which has hosted 13 of his films and awarded five of them Silver Bears since 2017.
Each title will screen twice during the program. The first run moves chronologically from his debut to his newest film, while the second reverses that order, allowing audiences to trace his career in either direction.
Several talks and guest appearances are scheduled alongside the screenings. Harvard Film Archive director Haden Guest will join Korean director Kim Hong-joon for a conversation following the screening of "The Day a Pig Fell into the Well." The Cambridge-based archive has staged several Hong retrospectives, most recently its ongoing four-part series "The Seasons of Hong Sangsoo."
Cinematographer Park Hong-yeol, who has shot several of Hong's films including "Hahaha" and "On the Beach at Night Alone," will lead a master class. Actors Song Seon-mi and Park Mi-so, both of whom appear in "The Day She Returns," will take part in a post-screening Q&A alongside film critic Nam Da-eun.
Admission is free. The full schedule is available on the archive's website.
moonkihoon@heraldcorp.com
