DMZ Docs, Seoul Art Cinema to present 1960s-70s docu retrospective
Joint program revisits Direct Cinema and Cinema Verite through landmark works
The DMZ International Documentary Film Festival (DMZ Docs) announced Tuesday it is teaming up with Seoul Art Cinema to present "Museum of Reality: Innovations in Documentary of the 1960s-70s," a special screening series running Friday to May 4.
Held on weekends at Seoul Art Cinema in Jung-gu, Seoul, the three-week program will feature 10 feature-length documentaries rooted in direct cinema and cinema verite — landmark movements that helped reshape the genre through their emphasis on spontaneity and everyday realism.
Among the list are Jean Rouch and Edgar Morin's "Chronicle of a Summer" (1961), widely credited with pioneering interview techniques central to modern documentary, and Chris Marker and Pierre Lhomme's "The Lovely Month of May" (1963). American entries include Robert Drew's seminal works "Primary" (1960) and "Crisis: Behind a Presidential Commitment" (1963), renowned for bringing journalistic immediacy to political subjects.
The lineup also features works from Drew Associates, a documentary collective founded by Robert Drew that championed Direct Cinema in the US. Highlights include Richard Leacock and D.A. Pennebaker's "1 P.M." (1971), which grew out of an unfinished collaboration with Jean-Luc Godard, Pennebaker's "Don't Look Back" (1967), and the Maysles brothers' "Salesman" (1969) and "Grey Gardens" (1976).
Barbara Kopple's Oscar-winning "Harlan County U.S.A." (1976) follows a coal miners' strike in Kentucky, while "Acadia, Acadia?!?" (1971) by Michel Brault and Pierre Perrault explores questions of identity and cultural autonomy in Canada's Acadian region.
'In an era marked by war and deepening social divides, the creative force of documentary filmmaking feels more relevant than ever. Documentaries of the 1960s and '70s can serve as a vital compass for understanding the world we live in,' said Kang Jin-seok, programmer at DMZ Docs.
The program includes four post-screening discussions after "Acadia, Acadia?!?" Saturday, "Harlan County U.S.A." Sunday and both "Chronicle of a Summer" and "1 P.M." April 27.
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Korea Herald
15-04-2025
- Korea Herald
DMZ Docs, Seoul Art Cinema to present 1960s-70s docu retrospective
Joint program revisits Direct Cinema and Cinema Verite through landmark works The DMZ International Documentary Film Festival (DMZ Docs) announced Tuesday it is teaming up with Seoul Art Cinema to present "Museum of Reality: Innovations in Documentary of the 1960s-70s," a special screening series running Friday to May 4. Held on weekends at Seoul Art Cinema in Jung-gu, Seoul, the three-week program will feature 10 feature-length documentaries rooted in direct cinema and cinema verite — landmark movements that helped reshape the genre through their emphasis on spontaneity and everyday realism. Among the list are Jean Rouch and Edgar Morin's "Chronicle of a Summer" (1961), widely credited with pioneering interview techniques central to modern documentary, and Chris Marker and Pierre Lhomme's "The Lovely Month of May" (1963). American entries include Robert Drew's seminal works "Primary" (1960) and "Crisis: Behind a Presidential Commitment" (1963), renowned for bringing journalistic immediacy to political subjects. The lineup also features works from Drew Associates, a documentary collective founded by Robert Drew that championed Direct Cinema in the US. Highlights include Richard Leacock and D.A. Pennebaker's "1 P.M." (1971), which grew out of an unfinished collaboration with Jean-Luc Godard, Pennebaker's "Don't Look Back" (1967), and the Maysles brothers' "Salesman" (1969) and "Grey Gardens" (1976). Barbara Kopple's Oscar-winning "Harlan County U.S.A." (1976) follows a coal miners' strike in Kentucky, while "Acadia, Acadia?!?" (1971) by Michel Brault and Pierre Perrault explores questions of identity and cultural autonomy in Canada's Acadian region. 'In an era marked by war and deepening social divides, the creative force of documentary filmmaking feels more relevant than ever. Documentaries of the 1960s and '70s can serve as a vital compass for understanding the world we live in,' said Kang Jin-seok, programmer at DMZ Docs. The program includes four post-screening discussions after "Acadia, Acadia?!?" Saturday, "Harlan County U.S.A." Sunday and both "Chronicle of a Summer" and "1 P.M." April 27.
Korea Herald
26-02-2025
- Korea Herald
DMZ Docs showcases Park Soo-nam's unflinching lens
Zainichi filmmaker's lifetime documenting Japanese wartime atrocities takes center stage The DMZ International Documentary Film Festival (DMZ Docs) will mark the 80th anniversary of Korea's liberation from Japanese colonial rule with a retrospective of Zainichi Korean filmmaker Park Soo-nam's complete works. This first-ever comprehensive showcase runs online Feb. 28-March 28 and will make all five of her documentaries freely accessible via the docuVoDA platform. A second-generation Korean Japanese, or Zainichi, Park has devoted her career to chronicling the forgotten victims of Japanese wartime atrocities. Born in 1935 in Mie Prefecture and raised in Yokohama, she made her directorial debut in the 1980s, focusing on the narratives of Korean survivors of the atomic bombs, military sex slavery and forced labor. "In 2025, the 80th anniversary of liberation, we continue standing with the comfort women who suffered as sex slaves, and we remain outraged by the exploitation of forced laborers," said DMZ Docs Programmer Kang Jin-seok. "Yet we often overlook how these histories survive through documentation. Park's five films powerfully demonstrate how records create memory." Featured films at the retrospective include: Park's debut work "The Other Hiroshima: Korean A-bomb Victims Tell Their Story" (1986), which captures testimonies of Korean atomic bomb victims; "Song of Arirang – Voices from Okinawa" (1991), which documents the Koreans forced into military service and sexual slavery during the 1945 Battle of Okinawa; "Nuchigafu" (2012), which unearths war memories previously kept silent; and "The Silence" (2016), winner of the White Goose Award at the 8th DMZ Docs. "The Silence" documents the survivors of Japanese military sexual slavery during World War II, including Bae Bong-gi, who first brought the issue to public attention in the 1980s, and Lee Ok-sun, who was imprisoned at age 17 in a Manchurian "comfort station." The documentary resonated deeply in both Korea and Japan for moving beyond mere documentation to examine the power structures that silenced the victims. Park's latest work, "Voices of the Silenced" (2024), created with her daughter Park Ma-ui, revisits 30,000 meters of 16mm footage Park has accumulated throughout her career. The Korean Independent Film Association named it last year's top independent film. The 17th DMZ International Documentary Film Festival runs Sept. 11-17, 2025, in Goyang and Paju in Gyeonggi Province. The festival, established in 2009 and situated less than 20 kilometers away from the heavily fortified inter-Korean border, focuses on documentaries promoting "peace, coexistence and reconciliation." Filmmakers can submit entries until April 30 for the International Competition and May 23 for the Korean Competition, with various categories offering prizes ranging from 3 million won ($2,100) to 15 million won ($10,500).
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Korea Herald
16-12-2024
- Korea Herald
[Beyond the Screen] Indie films losing ground amid shifting cinema trends
Actor Lee Dong-hwi, known for his indispensable supporting roles in the mega-hit blockbusters 'Extreme Job' (2019) and 'The Roundup: Punishment' (2024), recently starred in the independent film 'Will We Get Married?,' which opened on Oct. 23. Despite a production budget of approximately 1 billion won, Lee accepted little to no payment for his work. The film's break-even point (BEP) of 100,000 admissions was high for an indie movie. 'I've been doing a lot of indie films because many projects struggle to launch due to production costs. By joining these projects, I can help attract investment, create jobs and support films that resonate with people,' Lee said during a promotional event for the film. Lee's perspective highlights the challenges that indie filmmakers in South Korea face. Shrinking audiences, limited screens Korean Film Council data shows that audiences for local indie and art films reached just 1.14 million in 2023, a mere 40 percent of the pre-pandemic 2019 figures. For indie films, a break-even point of 10,000 admissions is considered strong -- comparable to the 10 million benchmark for commercial films. However, experts argue that 10,000 admissions are insufficient to recoup production costs. Out of the 103 indie and art films released this year as of October, only five surpassed 10,000 admissions: 'Picnic,' 'Kim Dae Jung Must Not Die,' 'The Origin of Miracles,' 'Ms. Apocalypse,' and 'FAQ.' This is far below the success of foreign art films released during the same period, such as 'Anatomy of a Fall" (100,000), 'Dogman' (47,000), and 'May December' (32,000). 'A 10,000-admissions BEP is symbolic and not financially viable. Indie production costs now range between 300 and 400 million won, requiring a BEP of at least 50,000 admissions to recoup expenses,' said Jo Gye-young, CEO of indie film marketing firm Feel & Film. The number of screens dedicated to indie and art films has dwindled. Currently, only 62 theaters across South Korea specialize in these films, down from 72 in 2019. The closure of historic single-screen venues like Seoul Art Cinema and Daehan Cinema has exacerbated the problem. Multiplex chains, including CGV, have also reduced their commitment to indie films, closing 14 CGV Arthouse locations in recent years. By November, only 25 remained, mostly located in or near Seoul. This limits the number of screenings per film to around 30-35 showings. 'Indie films are rarely given prime-time slots or multiple daily screenings, which reduces their exposure,' said Won Seung-hwan, director of Indiespace, South Korea's first cinema dedicated to indie and art films. According to Won, an indie film released in a theater will get 30-35 screening opportunities. 'It simply means that limited screenings mean less audience interaction.' Financial struggles for indie filmmakers Lee Jae-bin, marketing team leader at Pan Cinema, an indie and art film distributor, emphasized that the Korean Film Council (KOFIC) is crucial for the industry's distribution and production cycle. 'Without KOFIC's support, the system doesn't function,' Lee said. Pan Cinema's Oct. 23 release 'Heavy Snow,' starring Han So-hee and Han Hae-in, faced significant challenges due to the absence of KOFIC funding. The film applied for a KOFIC subsidy but was denied, forcing a rushed release. KOFIC's budget for indie film production fell from 11.7 billion won in 2023 to 7 billion won in 2024, and funding for animated films was eliminated. Distribution and marketing subsidies also dropped from 2.2 billion to 1.4 billion won. 'Marketing fees alone, which include posters, press conferences, online promotion and event moderation, typically cost 50-100 million won,' Lee explained. 'Limited promotion means fewer viewers.' 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