Italian Premiere | Out of Competition
South Korea, 2024, 89’, Korean
Directed by: Kim Lyang
Screenplay: Kim Lyang
Cinematography (color): Jung Seung-wook
Music: Verda Maro
Cast: Kim Dong-ho, Im Kwon-taek, Lee Jano-ho, Lee Chang-dong, Kore-eda Hirokazu, Zo In-sung
Walking in the Movies, directed by Kim Lyang, is a 2024 documentary that profiles Kim Dong-ho, the founder of the Busan International Film Festival (BIFF) and a pivotal figure in the ascent of Korean cinema. The film delves into Kim’s transition from a senior civil servant to a passionate advocate for film, highlighting his unwavering dedication and creative vision that have significantly influenced the cinematic landscape. Through interviews with renowned directors such as Im Kwon-taek, Lee Chang-dong, and Kore-eda Hirokazu, as well as actors like Park Jeong-ja and Zo In-sung, the documentary offers an intimate exploration of Kim’s enduring impact on the film industry.
In 1996, he transformed South Korea into a hub for Asian cinema, providing a platform for emerging and established filmmakers. Under his leadership, BIFF became a prestigious festival, attracting international attention and fostering cross-cultural exchange. His advocacy for independent films and diverse storytelling helped elevate Korean cinema beyond its commercial blockbusters, encouraging artistic innovation. Kim’s work also played a crucial role in strengthening diplomatic and economic ties through film, bridging South Korea with international audiences. Beyond BIFF, he mentored young filmmakers and supported film education, ensuring the industry’s continued growth. His influence extends beyond Korea, as he is recognized globally for his contributions to film culture. His legacy remains vital to South Korea’s cinematic prominence on the world stage.
A true game changer, Kim’s legacy spanned worldwide, from the Cannes red carpet, to the inception of this very film festival, to the global auteur pathways of Bong Joon Ho, Park Chan-wook, and the hundreds of Korean creatives that have left an indelible mark on the global stage, and the big screen. Mr. Kim Dong-ho was the recipient of the Golden Mulberry Award for Lifetime Achievement at FEFF15 in 2013.
Kim Lyang
Kim Lyang directed three feature length documentaries based on the geopolitical and anthropological perspective: that of the border, and the conditions of life and habitation it engenders between the two Koreas or in a region of Eurasia. Her constant concern has been to understand and show how we can live, inhabit and think in the face of a critical situation. It is embodied in her acute sense of cinematographic composition (camera work, attention to atmosphere, shaping of time) and staging of conversations, in which the camera plays the role of an active witness. Her original vision of the world and humanity is always linked to her sensitivity to space, both geopolitical and intimate.
FILMOGRAPHY
2017 – Resident Forever
2020 – Forbidden Fatherland
2024 – Walking in the Movies