“Joint Security Area” and “Oldboy” director Park Chan-wook is again combining forces with his younger brother Park Chan-kyung, famous for directing art house films, to create the brothers’ latest PARKing CHANce production “Seoul, Our Movie.”
The upcoming documentary film is to be created from video submissions about Seoul from people around the world, non-professionals included. The directors will take these film submissions and edit them to create the video project, making it the first time the brothers will be using amateur footage of people’s experiences in the city to create a full documentary.
Film directors and brothers Park Chan-wook (left) and Park Chan-kyung speak about their new documentary film project “Seoul, Our Movie” at a press conference in Seoul on Tuesday. (Yonhap News)
“Why? Because Seoul is our hometown,” said Chan-wook at a press conference held in a coffee shop in Seoul on Tuesday.
“This is not a promotional video of the city where we are looking to depict the sweet, touristy side of Seoul,” the director went on to explain. “We want to create a project that shows the real story of Seoul, right down to the grit of the working man.”
The documentary will be split into three distinct sections: “Working in Seoul,” “Made in Seoul” and “Seoul.” The first section is intended to portray people’s experiences working in the city, while “Made in Seoul” encompasses everything from music to artifacts to Seoul-specific activities. The final “Seoul” section will include clips that capture the visual aspects of the city.
“Obviously, through our film we want to show off the beauty of Seoul, but that is not the core of this project,” said Chan-kyung. “This is about depicting people’s real experiences in the city, which is why we decided to split the film into three specific categories.”
The brothers have set no limits on the content of submissions. Whether it be the city’s landscape, tourist attractions, everyday life or even the not-so-pleasant aspects of the city, the brothers are looking to compile a wide range of perspectives of their hometown.
“If you want to share a sad story, or a story showing the darker side of the city, it doesn’t matter. We welcome all your different angles,” said Chan-kyung.
“Video submissions are not just for foreigners living in Seoul or those who are or were here traveling. We also want to encourage Korean citizens to participate in our project,” said Chan-wook.
The directors predict that the film in its entirety will be about an hour long. The brothers asked that submissions be less than five minutes long. However, clips of even just two seconds are more than welcome. The deadline is Nov. 9.
“‘What does it mean to live in Seoul?’ This is the message I hope to portray in our film,” said Chan-wook.
For more information regarding the “Seoul, Our Movie” project, visit www.youtube.com/seoulourmovie.
By Julie Jackson (juliejackson@heraldcorp.com)
