ANG LEE [Taiwan Director]

Ang Lee (born October 23, 1954) is an Academy Award-winning film director from Taiwan.Many of Ang Lee's films have focused on the interactions between modernity and tradition. Some of his films have also had a light-hearted comic tone which marks a break from the tragic historical realism which characterized Taiwanese filmmaking after the end of the martial law period in 1987. Lee's films also tend to draw on deep secrets and internal torment that come to the surface, such as in the gay-themed films The Wedding Banquet (1993) and Brokeback Mountain (2005) [won the Academy Award for Best Director], the martial arts epic Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000) (nominated for Academy Award for Best Director), and the comic book adaptation Hulk (2003).

Ang Lee was born in the town of Chaochou in Pingtung, a southern agricultural county in Taiwan. He grew up in a household that put heavy emphasis on education and the Chinese classics. Both of Ang Lee's parents moved to Taiwan from mainland China following the Nationalists' defeat in the Chinese Civil War in 1949. Lee's father, a native of Jiangxi Province in southern China, imbued his children with studying Chinese culture and art, especially calligraphy.

Lee studied in the prestigious National Tainan First Senior High School where his father was a former principal. He was expected to pass the annual Joint College/University Entrance Examination, the only route to a university education in Taiwan. But after failing the Exam twice, to the disappointment of his father, he entered a three-year college, National Arts School and graduated in 1975. After finishing the mandatory military service, Lee went to the U.S. in 1979 to study at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, where he completed his bachelor's in theater in 1980. During graduate school, Lee finished a 16 mm short film, Shades of the Lake (1982), which won the Best Drama Award in Short Film in Taiwan. Lee remained unemployed for six years. During this time, he was a full-time househusband, while his wife Jane Lin, a molecular biologist, was the sole breadwinner for the family of four. This arrangement, an embarrassment in Chinese culture, put enormous pressure on the couple, but with Lin’s support and understanding, Lee did not abandon his career in films but continued to generate new ideas from movies and performances. He also wrote several screenplays during this time.In 1990, Lee submitted two screenplays, Pushing Hands and The Wedding Banquet, to a competition sponsored by Taiwan’s Government Information Office, and they came in first and second respectively. Hsu, a first-time producer, invited Lee to direct Pushing Hands, a full-length feature that debuted in 1991.Pushing Hands (1992) was a success in Taiwan both among critics and at the box office. It received eight nominations in the Golden Horse Film Festival, Taiwan’s premier film festival. Inspired by the success, Hsu collaborated with Lee in their second film, The Wedding Banquet (1993), which won the Golden Bear in the Berlin Film Festival and was nominated as the Best Foreign Language Film in both the Golden Globe and the Academy Awards. In all, this film collected eleven Taiwanese and international awards and made Lee a rising star.Lee's first two movies were based on stories of Taiwanese Americans, and both were filmed in the US. In 1995, Hsu invited Lee to return to Taiwan to make Eat Drink Man Woman, a film that depicts traditional values, modern relationships, and family conflicts in Taipei. The film was once again a box office hit and was critically acclaimed. For a second consecutive year, Lee’s film received the Best Foreign Language Film nomination in both the Golden Globe and Academy Awards, as well as in the British Academy Award. Lee's dramas opened the door to Hollywood for him. In 1995, Lee directed Columbia TriStar's British classical Sense and Sensibility. The switching from Taiwanese to British films did not stop Lee from claiming awards in the film festivals. Sense and Sensibility made Lee a second time director of the Golden Bear film in the Berlin Film Festival, and it was nominated in 7 Academy Awards and won the Best Adapted Screenplay by Emma Thompson. It also won the Golden Glob Award for Best Motion Picture - Drama. Excited about the opportunity to fulfill his childhood dream, Lee assembled a team from Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Mainland China for Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000). The film was a surprising success worldwide. With Chinese dialogue and English subtitles, the film became the highest grossing foreign film in many countries, including the United States and the United Kingdom, and was nominated for Best Picture, Best Foreign Language Film, and Best Director at the Academy Awards. It ended up winning Best Foreign Language Film and three technical awards.In 2003, Lee returned to Hollywood to direct Hulk, his first big-budget movie. Even though the film was based on a comic book superhero and was filled with obligatory CGI special effects, Lee used the genre to tell the tortuous story between a father and his son. The movie was a disappointment amongst both critics and audiences. After the setback, Lee considered retiring early, but his father encouraged him to continue making movies.Lee decided to take on a small-budget, low-profile independent film based on Annie Proulx's Pulitzer Prize-finalist short story, Brokeback Mountain. The film showcased Lee's skills in probing depths of the human heart.After Brokeback Mountain, Lee returned to a Chinese topic. His next film is Lust, Caution, which is adapted from a short novel by a Chinese author Eileen Chang. The story was written in 1950 loosely based on an actual event that took place in 1939-1940 in Japanese occupied-Shanghai, China, during World War II.

Lee lives in Larchmont, New York.

Lee's film Brokeback Mountain (2005) won the Golden Lion (best film) award at the Venice International Film Festival and was named 2005's best film by the film critics.It also won best picture at the 2005 Broadcast Film Critics Association, Directors Guild of America, Writers Guild of America (Adapted Screenplay), Producers Guild of America and the Independent Spirit Awards as well as the Golden Globe Award for Best Motion Picture — Drama, with Lee winning the Golden Globe Award for Best Director. Brokeback also won Best Film and Best Director at the 2006 British Academy Awards (BAFTA). In January 2006, Brokeback scored a leading eight Academy Award nominations including Best Picture and Best Director, which Lee won. He is the first Asian director to do so.

In 2007, Lee's film Lust, Caution earned him a second Golden Lion, making him one of only two directors to have ever won Venice's most prestigious award twice.

Se, jie [Lust, Caution]

China / 2007

Language : Mandarin

Director : Ang Lee

Sè, Jiè is an erotic espionage thriller directed by Academy Award-winning Taiwanese director Ang Lee, based on the short story of the same name published in 1979 by Chinese author Eileen Chang. The film is Lee's second to win a Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival.
The film adaption and the story are said to be loosely based on an actual event that took place in 1939-1940.

Ang Lee underlines his ability to master any genre with Lust, Caution, a sexually explicit tale of wartime romance, intrigue and betrayal that’s based on a short story by renowned Chinese author Eileen Chang.
But anyone anticipating Lee’s version of Basic Instinct or The Lover had best think again, as the director has once again woven a deeply complex tale around a pretty straightforward narrative device.
It’s Shanghai, 1942, and a society woman (Tang Wei) walks into a cafe and makes a phone call. Events immediately cut back to 1938 when we see that the woman is actually a drama student named Wong Chia Chi who has been recruited by her patriotic colleagues to help with the assassination of a top Japanese collaborator, Mr Yee (Tony Leung), who has been responsible for the deaths of countless Chinese rebels.
Wong must therefore become Mrs Mak and gain Yee’s trust by befriending his wife (Joan Chen) and then draw him into an affair. But events don’t quite go as planned and the plot takes a number of years, before culminating in a shocking decision.
Lee maintains that he was drawn to the project because of the way the source material placed female sexuality against patriotism – and he explores this in a number of fascinating ways.
The central relationship between Wei and Leung is therefore extremely compelling, as each attempts to gain the upper hand at a time when no one can be trusted and attitudes are constantly changing.
For Wei’s character in particular, her blossoming sexuality gives rise to unexpected power and it’s how she uses it that gives the film its dramatic thrust late on.
Both Wei and Leung are excellent – the former making one of the boldest screen debuts you’re likely to witness in a long time, while the latter (a Hong Kong acting legend) displaying a hitherto untapped darkness to his on-screen persona. The sex scenes between them are extremely explicit, but far from erotic, and seldom make for comfortable viewing – merely adding to the heightened state of tension that exists throughout.
As with many of Lee’s films, however, there’s a tendency to over-indulge and the generous running time (in excess of two and a half hours) will certainly deter some from seeing it, as will some of the extreme content.

The film premiered at the Venice Film Festival, where it won the Golden Lion, the second such award for Ang Lee.After the movie's premiere, director Ang Lee was displeased that Chinese news media (and those from Taiwan) had greatly emphasized the sex scenes in the movie.The version to be released in the People's Republic of China has been cut by about 7 minutes (by the director himself) to make it suitable for younger audiences, since China has no rating system.After the premier of the movie, Taiwan removed the film as its best foreign film Oscar entry, because some key crew members were not locals.

Awards:

The film swept the 2007 Golden Horse Awards by winning seven Awards, including Best Actor, Best Feature Film and Best Director.

Also won Satellite Award for the Best Motion Picture, Foreign Film Category.

At Venice Film Festival 2007 Ang Lee won the 'Golden Lion' and Rodrigo Prieto won 'Golden Osella' for the 'Best Cinematography'.

Perfume: The Story of a Murderer

German / 2006

Director: Tom Tykwer

Patrick Suskind’s novel 'Perfume: The Story Of A Murderer' became a publishing phenomenon after it first appeared in 1985, selling over 15 million copies worldwide.
But the book, which chronicles the life of the brilliant and murderous perfumer Jean-Baptiste Grenouille, has been deemed unfilmable by many because of its graphic content.
Several directors have been linked to the project (from Ridley Scott to Tim Burton), yet it’s German filmmaker Tom Tykwer who finally brings it to the big screen.
The result remains vigorously faithful to the source material and, as a result, is likely to divide audiences straight down the middle, especially in light of its jaw-dropping finish.
But it’s a bold and often brilliant piece of work that rewards morbid fascination with some cracking performances and a truly unique experience.

Set in 18th Century Paris, the film picks up as Jean-Baptiste Grenouille is born and immediately abandoned in undignified circumstances in the middle of a fish market.
Saved from near-certain death, Grenouille grows into a man (played by Ben Whishaw) with a super-refined sense of smell, despite being odourless himself, who finds work as an apprentice to master perfumer Baldini (Dustin Hoffman).
As he develops an obsession with bottling female scent, however, he heads to perfume capital Grasse, where he turns to murder to pursue his infatuation only to raise the attention of a wealthy merchant father (Alan Rickman), who suspects his own daugher (Rachel Hurd-Wood) is at risk.

Tykwer’s film may sound like an 18th Century version of a Hannibal Lecter movie but it neatly sidesteps such easy comparisons to maintain an identity all of its own.
Visually, it’s quite astounding, offsetting the stale stench of the Paris backstreets (shot in dour greys) with the lush colours of the fragrant French countryside.
Such contrasts serve to make the violence more abhorrent but crucially Tykwer’s camera never lingers over the more graphic nature of the deaths (unlike the novel), pausing only to allow Grenouille the chance to admire each new scent.
As a result, audiences will find themselves enthralled by the direction the story takes them in, as well as stunned by the audacious spectacle of its conclusion.

AWARDS:

German Film Awards 2007

Best Cinematography (Beste Kamera/Bildgestaltung) : Frank Griebe
Best Costume Design (Bestes Kostümbild) : Pierre-Yves Gayraud
Best Editing (Bester Schnitt) : Alexander Berner
Best Production Design (Bestes Szenenbild) : Uli Hanisch
Best Sound (Beste Tongestaltung) : Stefan Busch
Outstanding Feature Film (Programmfüllende Spielfilme)


European Film Awards 2007

Best Cinematographer: Frank Griebe
Prix d'Excellence : Uli Hanisch [for the production design]


Bavarian Film Awards

Best Director (Regiepreis) : Tom Tykwer
Best Production Design (Beste Ausstattung): Uli Hanisch

MAJID MAJIDI Iranian Director

Majid Majidi was born in Tehran in 1959. At the age of 14 he started acting in amateur theater groups. He then studied at the Institute of Dramatic Arts. After the Iranian Revolution in 1979, his interest in cinema brought him to act in various films, most notably Mohsen Makhmalbaf's Boycott [1985] and Teer Baran [1986] by Ali Azghar Shadaravan. His debut as a Director and Screenwriter is marked by Baduk (1992), film that was presented at the Quinzaine of Cannes [Directors Fortnight] and won several awards nationwide. Majidi was the only Iranian director who has been nominated for an Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film with the film Children of Heaven in 1997. He lost the award to the Italian film Life Is Beautiful by Roberto Benigni.But, the film won the Best Film at Montreal International Film Festival.Majidi then directed The Color of Paradise (1999) which also won the Best Film award at Montreal International Film Festival. This film has also been selected as one of the best 10 films of year 2000 by Time Magazine and the Critics Picks of the New-York Times. Baran (2001) has won several major awards worldwide, again the Best Film at the Montreal World Film Festival and nominated for the European Film Academy Award. The Willow Tree (2005; alternate English title: One Life More) doesnt claimed any international awards but, won four awards at the 2005 Fajr Festival in Tehran.He also directed a feature-length documentary titled Barefoot to Herat which chronicles life in refugee camps and the city of Herat during and after the anti-Taliban offensive of 2001. Barefoot to Herat has won the Fipresci Award at Thessaloniki Festival.

Majjid Majid has received the Douglas Sirk Award in 2001, and the Amici Vittorio de Sica Award in 2003.

Majid Majidi was one of five international film directors invited by the Chinese government to create a documentary short film to introduce the city of Beijing, in preparation for the 2008 Olympics.

Filmography:

Explosion (Enfejar) (1981) - documentary short
Hoodaj (1984) - short
Examination Day (Rooz-e Emtehan) (1988) - short
A Day with POWs (Yek Rooz Ba Asiran) (1989) - documentary short
Baduk (1992) - debut feature
The Last Village (Akhareen Abadi) (1993) - short
Father (Pedar) (1996) - feature
God Will Come (Khoda Miayad) (1996) - short
Children of Heaven (Bacheha-ye Aseman) (1997) - feature
The Color of Paradise (Rang-e Khoda) (1999) - feature
Baran (Rain) (2001) - feature
Barefoot to Herat (Pa berahneh ta Herat) (2002) - documentary
Olympics in the Camp (Olympik Tu Urdugah) (2003) - documentary short
The Willow Tree (Beed-e Majnoon) (2005) - feature
Peace, Love, and Friendship (2007) - documentary short
Kashmir Afloat - in production.

Rang-e khoda [1999] A Majid Majidi Film

The Color of Paradise [Rang-e khoda] is about a blind boy who sees with clarity and his sighted father who is blind to the beauty in his own family. It is a film made from a deeply spiritual point of view, but it never proselytizes, it never preaches. It tells with sophisticated simplicity a not so simple story of faith and unconditional love and the sadness that comes to one who falls short in both. Mohammad (Mohsen Ramezani) is eight years old and resides at a school for the blind in Tehran, where director Majid Majidi lingers to provide a sense of the lives of these children, cooperatively leading one another about, learning to read and write in Braille. In an extraordinary scene Mohammad finds a baby bird on the ground. With gentleness and determination he climbs a tree to replace the chick in the nest from which it had fallen, all by use of his sense of hearing and his sense of touch. Majidi establishes with economy and pure narrative the character of the boy - a selflessness, a respectfulness, a deep sense of kindness. It is vacation time; school is closing. Mohammad's father (Hossein Mahjub) arrives late to pick him up and inquires whether Mohammad can remain at the school. When told that would not be possible, he reluctantly takes his son on the journey to their rural home, shared with an adoring grandmother and two young sisters. They not only love Mohammad, they see him as a whole person, not the handicapped liability his father considers him to be. With a camera that worships the beauty of the countryside and a storytelling sensibility that takes its time to let us see the activities of day-to-day life (growing grains, creating dyes from field flowers, rebuilding the mud and thatch walls of a home) this morality tale of father and son is spun with skillful attention to detail and deliberate pacing towards what seems an ineluctable conclusion. While the loving characters of the boy and his grandmother are easy to buy into, the motivation for the father's bitterness is less than fully convincing, especially in the context of such a powerfully family-oriented society. But that is a relatively minor, though noticeable, weakness in a film that lets you hear as a blind child hears - the sounds of birds, of a donkey braying, of a gathering storm. It's a film that makes you feel the sensation of water running through fingers, of a hand running over ripening grain in the fields, of pounding out the patterns of Braille in dough rolled out for baking. Rooted in deep spiritual belief, Majidi still does not fail to note the superstitions that also power these country folk. With strong narrative drive and a natural eye for imagery, Majidi is a filmmaker whose ninety-minute work is rich and satisfying, unlike the bloated two-hour and longer opuses hitting the market in recent months that seem so empty, so lacking in conviction. When the children are taking dictation to learn their Braille toward the beginning of the film, the teacher recites (presumably from the Koran) a line to God: "You are both seen and unseen." Later, in a deeply touching moment, Mohammad says the misery of being blind is not being able to see God. His teacher told him, he says, that God is invisible anyway, and that he can see God with his hands. Mohammad does see God with his hands, Majidi makes eminently clear, because Mohammad is blessed with God in his heart.

Awards won:

'Lino Brocka Award' for Director Majid Majidi at Cinemanila International Film Festival.

'Best Actor' award for Hossein Mahjoub at Cinemanila International Film Festival.

Special Mention at Giffoni Film Festival.

'Special Jury Award' and 'Special Prize of the Young Jury' at Gijón International Film Festival.

'Grand Prix des Amériques' at Montréal World Film Festival.

'Best Foreign-Language Film' from San Diego Film Critics Society Awards.

'Best Film' from Uruguayan Film Critics Association.

'Audience Award' and 'Grand Prize' at Valenciennes International Festival of Action and Adventure Films.

Baran (2001) A Majid Majidi Film

Baran (Persian: باران ) [Rain]

Almost a silent movie, based on a book by the same name.
The movie is set during recent times in which there are a large number of Afghan refugees living on the outskirts of Tehran.

The movie is about maturing of the character Lateef and his silent romantic interests in an Afghan refugee, Baran, in the construction site where he works. It is necessary to describe the work force at the site to fully appreciate the movie. At the point the story is told, in 2001, there are many Afghan refugees in Iran due to the war with Russia and also due to the oppressive regime of Taliban. There are many Afghan refugees working at the site for far less wages than the Iranian workers. In Iran, the Afghan refugees are not allowed to stay anywhere except the refugee camps unless authorized and hence the Afghan workers need to travel everyday from the camp to the work site. The Afghan refugees also need authorization cards to work in the country but it is difficult to obtain. Hence many of the Afghans are working illegally which is depicted in the movie.
Lateef, who is an Iranian, is having an easy time at the construction site with the job of making tea and lunch. He always seems to be making witty remarks which are not taken by some of the other characters in a similar manner, especially Faraj. He is also shown to be very careful with his money and saves every single pocket money he gets. He is also shown to be intolerant towards doves. One day when Lateef comes to work he finds one of the Afghan workers, Najaf, has been injured and is being taken to the hospital. The next day, Najaf sends his son - Rahmat - to work, since he is unable to work with a broken leg and he has many children to take care of. Rahmat is a weakling and is unable to do to the heavy manual work at the construction site. Hence, the contractor, Memar, allocates Lateef's easy job to Rahmat and Lateef has to help with the construction of the building.
Lateef is sore about losing his comfy job and continuously torments Rahmat until he learns by accident that Rahmat is actually a girl. He is really sorry about his early acts and vehemently tries to be protective about Rahmat at the work site, trying to save her from Faraj and the inspectors. Memar is forced to lay off all his Afghan workers after an unfortunate incident and Lateef takes a leave to find out where Rahmat stays. There are many beautiful shots during his relentless attempts to find his love. He learns to be tolerant about doves and starts feeding the doves. He tries to give money to Rahamat's family to save them from their difficult times but it leads to Najaf's friend Sulton going back to Afghanistan. Lateef then sells his only possession, the authorization card to give Rahamat's family enough money to go back to Afghanistan (meanwhile he learns that Rahmat's real name is Baran). In the last scene, we see Lateef helping Najaf and Baran with the loading of their rented truck to Afghanistan. We can see the couple almost acknowledging their love through the rigid social structure in Iran. Baran, which literally translates to rain, falls while Baran leaves to Afghanistan.

Awards won:

'Grand Prix des Amériques' and 'Prize of the Ecumenical Jury - Special Mention' at 2001 Montréal World Film Festival.

'Crystal Simorgh' for the 'Best Film' and 'Best Director' at 2001 Fajr Film Festival.

'Best Director' and 'Best Screenplay' at 2001 Gijón International Film Festival.

The Motorcycle Diaries [2004]

Original Spanish Title: "Diarios de motocicleta"

Directed by Brazilian director Walter Salles and written by Puerto Rican playwright José Rivera.

Biographical film about the young man who would later become internationally known as Marxist revolutionary Che Guevara.
Movie tells the story of a journey by motorcycle across South America in 1952 by young Ernesto Che Guevara and his friend Alberto Granado. The film depicts the gradual development of Guevara's political outlook, but his revolutionary exploits are not mentioned except in a caption at the end.
The film is based on the books "Diarios de motocicleta" by Che Guevara, and "Con el Che por America Latina" by Alberto Granado. Che Guevara is played by Mexican actor Gael García Bernal, and Granado by the Argentine actor Rodrigo de la Serna.

Plot
In 1952, a semester before Ernesto "Fuser" Guevara is due to complete his medical degree, he and his older friend Alberto, a biochemist, leave Buenos Aires in order to travel across the South American continent in search of fun and adventures. Their objective is to spend time working at a leper colony in the Peruvian Amazon, and then travel on to Venezuela. Their method of transport is Alberto's ancient and leaky but functional Norton 500 motorcycle christened La Poderosa ("The Mighty One").
Their route is ambitious. They head south, aim to cross the Andes, travel along the coast of Chile, across the Atacama Desert and into the Peruvian Amazon and reach Venezuela just in time for Alberto's 30th birthday, April 2nd. Due to La Poderosa's breakdown, they are forced to travel at a much slower pace, and make it to Caracas in July.
During their travel, Guevara and Granado encounter the poverty and suffering of the lower classes of society while the rich live ignorantly in their high life-styles away from the problems.
They meet a couple who have had their land taken away from them by the landowners, and the exploited workers of a mine. In Peru, they volunteer for three weeks at the San Pablo leper colony. There, Guevara sees both physically and metaphorically the division of society between the people and the rulers (the staff live on the north side of a river, separated from the lepers living on the south). He also observes little difference between the poor people of different countries, perceiving them to be part of an international oppressed class. Guevara also comes to see Catholic church dogma as stubborn and difficult.
These encounters with injustice change the way Guevara sees the world, and by implication motivate his later political activities.
Guevara makes his "final journey" one night when he chooses to swim across the river that separates the two societies of the leper colony and spends the night in a leper shack instead of in the cabins of the doctors. This journey implicitly symbolizes Guevara's rejection of the wealth and aristocracy into which he was born in Argentina and the path he would take later in his life fighting for what he believed was the dignity every human being deserves.
This choice was also earlier reflected at a scene when Guevara and Alberto were content with sleeping over at a peasant farm after losing their tent instead of going to the ranches higher up at the hills.
As they bid each other farewell, Alberto reveals that his birthday was not in fact April 2, but rather August 8, and that the stated goal was simply a motivator: Ernesto replies that he knew all along.

The film was first presented at the Sundance Film Festival on January 15, 2004. Later it was featured at the Cannes Film Festival on May 19, 2004.
The film screened at many other film festivals, including: the Auckland International Film Festival, New Zealand; the Copenhagen International Film Festival, Denmark; the Espoo Film Festival, Finland; the Telluride Film Festival, United States; the Toronto Film Festival, Canada; the Vancouver International Film Festival, Canada; the Celebrating Literature in Cinema Filmfestival Frankfurt, Germany; the Morelia Film Festival, Mexico; and many others.
Movie won 26 Awards including Oscar & other 35 nominations also.

RUSSIAN ARK [2005]

2,000 Actors...
300 Years of Russian History...
33 Rooms at the Hermitage Museum...
3 Live Orchestras...
1 Single Continuous Shot...!!

Origianl Russian Title: "Русский ковчег"
Movie by Russian director Alexander Sokurov.
It was the first feature film ever to be shot in a single take, filmed using a single 90-minute Steadicam tracking shot.

Plot
A narrator, who is unnamed, and unseen by the audience, and voiced by the director, wanders through the Winter Palace (now the main building of Russian State Hermitage Museum) in St. Petersburg. The narrator implies that he has died, and is a ghost drifting through the palace. In each room he encounters various real and fictional people from various time periods in the city's three hundred year history. He is accompanied by a companion, 'the European' (played by Sergei Dreiden), who represents the nineteenth century traveller the Marquis de Custine, and who is visible to the audience. The fourth wall is repeatedly broken and re-erected; at times the narrator-director and the companion interact freely with the other performers, and at other times go completely unnoticed.
The film begins on a winter's day with the arrival by horse drawn carriage of a small party of men and women to a minor side entrance of the Winter Palace. The narrator (whose eyes are always our point of view) meets one member of this party, 'the European', and follows him through numerous rooms of the Palace. As each room is entered, we find ourselves in a different period of Russian history (but not in chronological order).
The film shows, among other things, the spectacular presentation of operas and plays in the era of Catherine the Great; a formal court proceeding in which Tsar Nicholas I is offered a formal apology by the Shah of Iran for the death of Alexander Griboedov, an ambassador; the idyllic family life of Tsar Nicholas II's children; the formal changing of the Palace Guard; the museum's director whispering the need to make repairs during the rule of Josef Stalin; and a desperate Leningrader making his own coffin during the 900-day siege of the city in World War II.
The climax of the film is a grand ball, with many hundreds of participants in spectacular period costume, and a full orchestra conducted by Valery Gergiev, followed by a long final exit with a crowd down the Grand Staircase of the palace.
The narrator then leaves the building through a side exit and in a digitally enhanced sequence, the building is represented as an ark preserving Russian culture, and floating in the sea.

Production
The film displays 33 rooms of the museum, which are filled with a cast of over 2000 actors.
Russian Ark was recorded in uncompressed high definition video using a Sony HDW-F900. The camera used was specifically designed for this film. The information was not recorded compressed to tape as usual, but uncompressed onto a hard disk which could hold 100 minutes. Four attempts were made to complete the shot; the first three had to be interrupted due to technical faults, but the fourth attempt was completed successfully. The shot was executed by Steadicam operator Tilman Büttner. The lighting cameramen on the film were Bernd Fischer and Anatoli Radionov (uncredited). The movie itself was made using a technique called formalism, a technique that makes the film seem abstract in nature.

TILMAN BÜTTNER [Steadicam Operator and Director of Photography]

The real star behind the movie "Russian Ark", first feature film ever to be shot in a single take...filmed in a single Steadicam tracking shot!!!! The movie "Russian Ark" was recorded in uncompressed High Definition video using a Sony HDW-F900. The camera used was specifically designed for this film. The information was not recorded compressed to tape as usual, but uncompressed onto a hard disk which could hold 100 minutes.

Interview::

Before Alexander Sokurov made "Russian Ark," great single shot sequences -- like the openings of Orson Welles' "Touch of Evil" and Robert Altman's "The Player," the Copacabana scene in "Goodfellas," or any number of shots orchestrated by the late, great Andrei Tarkovsky -- rarely lasted more than five or six minutes. But now, thanks to talent, technology, and overwhelming ambition, all previous marks have been shattered with "Russian Ark," the longest interrupted shot in film history and the first feature film ever to be shot in a single take.
"Russian Ark" takes in St. Petersburg's legendary Hermitage museum and consists of one continuous 90-minute shot that traverses 300 years of Russian history. The protagonists are a time traveler, whose subjective vantage point is represented by the camera's point-of-view, and a nameless 19th century French diplomat, who acts as our tour guide. More than 1,000 actors and extras appear in the film, which culminates in a spectacularly choreographed ballroom dance sequence.

Indeed, while Sokurov may be the driving creative force behind the film, cinematographer Tilman Buttner is its technical muscle. Long-known as one of Europe's top Steadicam operators (he was responsible for chasing Franka Potente around in Tom Tyker's "Run Lola Run"), Buttner was faced with the daunted task of supervising the crew's extensive pre-production rehearsal period -- which included several mid-shot lighting and set changes -- and then operating the custom designed HD camera, which recorded the film's images onto hard disk.

Here the cinematographer discussing his role in the making of this historical film.

Question : I want to commend you on this film. On its technical merits alone, it's one of the most impressive movies ever made. You were doing something that no one had done before, and it's scope so ambitious. How did you get involved?

Tilman Buttner: Two years before the filming began I was approached by the producers, who asked me if I was interested to do a film with Alexander Sokurov in very few takes, possibly just one.

Q: How did you react when they brought up the possibility of only one shot?

Buttner: I was delighted that someone had the courage to do something like that. Sokurov's desire was to make it the highest technical quality available. I was also very interested in the highest quality of the photographic image. Originally, Mr. Sokurov wanted to film with a Mini-DV camera. It was cheaper, but this camera could only handle 90 minutes. That wasn't possible then with a professional video camera. But I was acquainted with a technology company that were developing high definition cameras for Sony called Director's Friend, and I contacted them
I suggested to the producer that this was the only camera with which to make the film. It was brand new and we made several tests on it. The video material was similar to 35mm; we were very convinced with the quality of it. One major problem was the time, because there were no cuts allowed. One shot, one take, no cut. Therefore, a special hard drive was developed.

Q: What did the Director's Friend do?

Buttner: It recorded onto hard disk and recorded uncompressed HD images. It's one terabyte of storage that holds of 90 minutes. It was a great risk to work with it, because it was never done before!

Q: What if it broke or malfunctioned? Could it be replaced?

Buttner: There was a back up, in case the first one was broken. I built myself a special Steadicam system.

Q: You were the only camera operator?

Buttner: Yes...

Q: When Sokurov began writing the screenplay for the film, did he consult with you on what was possible or impossible to do?

Buttner: The script was already finished, but during rehearsal time we discovered that Sokurov's concepts were not possible. He would walk with me and told me, "You are the camera. You have the camera and you have the freedom." He wouldn't hinder my filming -- he was very considerate in that respect.

Q: Once you finished the script and got the camera, how did you go about filming the shot?

Buttner: In the seven weeks I spent at the Hermitage, we walked the route of the camera five times. Only five times in seven weeks. We talked about the picture, and discussed the route of the Hermitage, because you constantly have to think where to hide the lighting. We started on December 23 in St. Petersburg, and we only had four hours to film because they wanted to use the natural light.

Q: After you had the route planned, and you knew where the extras would be, once the camera went into a new room, you had a set of people and a crew preparing the room for when you went back in. How did you make that work?

Buttner: That was one of the most important things we had to work out, because that was one of the things that Sokurov feared most. There was a fear that the audience would tire out if it: the same route going into one room from another. There was a rehearsal for those transitions, which were done in the last week before filming began. They were the first rehearsals with all the actors and the main character, the Marquis. Other than that, there were no complete rehearsals, not for the actors, the extras, the crew, no lighting rehearsal.

Q: You didn't record any sound, right?

Buttner: No, that was done later. Every time I did the take, or someone else made a mistake, I would curse, and that would have gotten in, so we did the sound later.

Q: Back to the actual shoot: You had four hours to shot, so did you have one chance or two to shoot?

Buttner: One chance.

Q: That's what I thought, because once you start, it must take hours to set everything back up.

Buttner: Yes, and because of my physical endurance, I could only do one take. The system I was carrying weighed 35 kilograms [77 pounds].

Q: How did you train for it?

Buttner: Working with the steady cam since 1988 was the best preparation. The producer was afraid that it might be too much stress for me, so he recommended that I join a gym to get in shape. I was already enrolled, but never went, so the producer joined as well, to oversee my workout. In the end, he was there more than I was. I had a very odd schedule, so they were never there at the same time anyway.

Q: How many extras were used in the film? And how many crew members?

Buttner: There were 1300 extras and 186 actors. My crew included 10 for the camera and recording system, 14 lighting men, and 22 assistant directors. The ADs were most important because they rehearsed with the single actors and extras in factory hall, never in the Hermitage. I want to clarify that when we said that we didn't have a rehearsal that means no full dress rehearsal. The dancing, the waltz, the hundreds of people at the ball, these were rehearsed with the AD.

Q: There is this feeling, when you are watching the movie of how important this film is, how it's making history. As you watch the film, I couldn't believe you were able to do this.. It's very exhausting to watch. You hope nothing bad happens. At the end, you can see that the Marquis [Sergei Dreiden] is exhausted, but there is a moment of exaltation that you can see on his face, this expression of relief that it was pulled off. I was also wondering what you, Sokurov, and Dreiden must have been thinking?

Buttner: Sokurov intended for the actor to portray this feeling of working at something for years, and now it's over. But at the same time it was intended to show relaxation and relief. It was an improvisation, but it didn't look improvised, it fit perfectly. It was really a challenge, because I had to see everything. I had to see the actions of the actors, and view all the extras, which was difficult, because I had never seen them before, because I had never been to any of the rehearsals. I had to be flexible, but the film was not supposed to show any kind of distraction.

Q: Once you finished the shot, how did you feel?

Buttner: I was thoroughly exhausted, and at that moment I didn't feel totally satisfied, I had known of tiny mistakes that had happened of which only Sokurov and I were aware. He was not satisfied either. He had to speak the crew, but at the same time direct the actors, sometimes it was not as synchronized as he wanted it to be.

Q: Have you and Sokurov changed your minds? Are you now satisfied with the film?

Buttner: For a conventional film you have between 40 and 80 days of filming, minimum, it's almost impossible that small mistakes won't happen. I knew that they would have to correct things in post-production, since 45 rooms had to be lit in 26 hours, That's why they knew from the beginning that the finest shades of lighting would be difficult to achieve. They had to create a light to make it possible for them to work with the imperfections and clarify them in post-production.

Q: Would you do a film like this again?

Buttner: It all depends on the director and the story, and more time for rehearsal. Yes, maybe. But I would want to do something completely different, more traditional. This was more like a play. I would like to do a more dramatic film.

ARRIFLEX D-20

FILM STYLE CREATIVE OPTIONS BY DESIGN
Since the single 6 Megapixel CMOS sensor at the heart of the D-20 has the same size as a Super 35 mm film aperture, the D-20 uses the same lenses as 35 mm film cameras. This makes the vast range and excellent optical quality of 35 mm lenses available to directors and cinematographers when shooting HD, greatly expanding their creative options.
The resulting images have the same depth of field as 35 mm film, giving film makers the ability to direct the viewer’s attention to a specific part of the image, a crucial tool in visual storytelling. Other issues essential to cinematography are also addressed: the D-20 has the ability to capture images at higher speeds, it runs speed ramps, has excellent color fidelity and a high dynamic range.

CMOS

WHAT IS CMOS?
Like other photoelectric sensors, CMOS (Complementary Metal-Oxide Semiconductor) image sensors are based on an array of photo-sensitive diodes. Each pixel contains one diode that converts light into an electrical charge. Unlike CCDs (Charge Coupled Devices), which output the charge from the pixels serially in a “bucket brigade” process, CMOS image sensors provide a voltage signal at each pixel that is directly proportional to the amount of charge the pixel has collected. Each pixel can be individually addressed to access this information, resulting in a much higher level of flexibility with regards to timing or image format.

WHY CMOS?
Since the D-20 sensor is an ARRI specified design, its performance is custom tailored to digital cinematography and gives ARRI tremendous freedom for future developments. CMOS sensors inherently have superior power efficiency and a natural blooming immunity, plus it is possible to read out any portion of the sensor at any time. This has a wide range of advantages, including the ability to read out high frame rates despite the high pixel count and the ability to run speed ramps. It also means that the recording format can be freely chosen, so it is possible to trade spatial resolution for frame rate.

Arriflex D-20 Details

A MODULAR AND FUTURE PROOF APPROACH
To ensure that the D-20 is an economically viable investment it is designed in a modular fashion; the sensor can be upgraded when advances in technology offer better performance, and the signal output boards can be exchanged to accommodate future file based interface and storage options. The rest of the D-20, including the housing, the Optical Module (containing the lens mount, mirror shutter, optical viewfinder and camera control electronics) and the internal data bus have been designed to last through many upgrade cycles with traditional ARRI robustness.
To further future proof the D-20, many components have been designed for capabilities far greater than the currently available recording technologies can accommodate. The sensor and the internal data bus, for example, are prepared for frame rates up to 150 fps.

THE OPTICAL MODULE
Users of ARRI film cameras should feel right at home with the bright optical viewfinder and the silent rotating mirror shutter borrowed from the ARRICAM. The optical viewfinder provides not only the highest quality color image for evaluating focus and composition but also allows the operator to see a larger image area than the sensor is capturing. The optical video assist, which is optional, consists of the IVS II optics and electronics from the ARRIFLEX 435 Xtreme. An optical video assist has many advantages in a digital camera, as it provides a video image when the mirror shutter is stopped in the viewing position, showing a larger area than the sensor is capturing and using little power.
The Optical Module can be expanded to provide interfaces for many of the extensive range of cine accessories, including wireless lens and camera control or speed ramps with the Remote Control Unit RCU-1. These accessories integrate with the D-20 just like they do with any other ARRI camera.

FLEXIBLE OUTPUT OPTIONS: HD OR DATA
Different productions have different needs, and the D-20 is a flexible tool that can be used in two different output modes: HD or Data Mode.
In HD Mode, the data coming from the D-20 sensor is processed live in the camera. Color reconstruction is performed simultaneously as the 2880 x 1620 pixel grid is converted to 1920 x 1080 resolution. A sophisticated on-board color management system has been implemented to optimize the camera’s performance for different lighting situations including blue and green screen work. In HD Mode, the D-20 can supply a variety of standard HD video signals for different recording formats, including HDCAM SR, thus allowing the D-20 to integrate seamlessly into existing HD infrastructures.
In Data Mode, the unprocessed data from the sensor is output directly to the recorder. Similar to a film negative, this data must first be „developed“ in an off-line process involving color reconstruction and complex 3D Look Up Tables (LUTs) before it is usable or even viewable. The advantage is that all the image information captured by the sensor is retained, and being able to use more processing power in post production results in even higher image quality. In Data Mode the live HD output can still be used for monitoring and as a guide for color grading. The grading parameters can be stored as metadata with the unprocessed image data.

Digital Intermediate

Digital intermediate (often abbreviated as DI) describes the process of digitizing a motion picture and manipulating color and other image characteristics to change the look, and is usually the final creative adjustment to a movie before distribution in theatres It is distinguished from the telecine process in which film is scanned and color is manipulated but only intended for video and television distribution. A digital intermediate is also customarily done at higher resolution and with greater color fidelity than telecine transfers and utilizes only digital tools (no analog video devices).
Although originally used to describe a process that started with film scanning and ended with film recording, digital intermediate is also used to describe color grading and final mastering even when a digital camera is used as the image source and/or when the final movie is not output to film. This is due to recent advances in digital cinematography and digital projection technologies that strive to match or exceed the quality of film origination and film projection.

In traditional photochemical film finishing, an intermediate is produced by exposing film to the original camera negative. The intermediate is then used to mass-produce the films that get distributed to theaters. Color Grading is done by varying the amount of red, green, and blue light used to expose it. One of the key technical achievements that make the DI possible is the look up table (aka "LUT"), which visually predicts how the digital image will look once it's printed onto normal release print stock. DI facilities generally allow comparing the digital image directly to a print on the same screen, ensuring precise calibration of the process.
The digital intermediate process uses digital tools to color grade, which allows for much finer control of individual colors and areas of the image, and allows for the adjustment of image structure (grain, sharpness, etc). The intermediate for film reproduction is then produced by means of a film recorder. The physical intermediate film that is a result of the recording process is sometimes also called a digital intermediate, and is usually done using internegative (IN) stock, which is inherently finer-grain than camera negative (OCN).

History

Telecine tools to electronically capture film images are nearly as old as broadcast television, but the resulting images were widely considered unsuitable for exposing back onto film for theatrical distribution. Film scanners and recorders with quality sufficient to produce images that could be inter-cut with regular film began appearing in the 1970s, with significant improvements in the late 1980s and early 1990s. During this time digitally processing an entire feature-length film was impractical because the scanners and recorders were extremely slow and the image files were very large compared to computing power at the time. Instead, individual shots or short sequences were processed for special visual effects. The first Hollywood film to utilize a digital intermediate process from beginning to end was "O Brother..Where Art Thou?" in 2000 and in Europe it was "chicken run" relesed that same year. The process rapidly caught on and it is anticipated that more than 90% of Hollywood films will go through a digital intermediate in 2006. This is due not only to the extra creative options the process affords film makers but also the need for high-quality scanning and color adjustments to produce movies for Digital Cinema.

ARRIFLEX 435 Advanced

The ARRIFLEX 435 Advanced was developed to meet the most demanding requirements of today´s production methods.
Comprehensive accessories and new interfaces allow the camera to be perfectly integrated in a large variety of applications - from motion control to in-camera effects with speed ramps, not to mention classic second-unit applications, which profit from the particularly compact design. Using the electronically adjustable mirror shutter, exposure programs can be created and, with the push of a single button, recalled.

A newly designed, high-performance shutter drive cuts adjustment time in half, allowing for much quicker speed-ramps. The new minimum frame rate has been reduced to 0.1 fps. Additionally, a Single Frame/Capping Shutter is available that can also be accessed and controlled directly through the motion control software. The reworked IVS II defines the new standard of quality for video taps. The PL-Mount is prepared for the Lens Data System that was developed for the new ARRICAM generation of cameras.
The ARRIFLEX 435 Advanced utilizes all the possibilities of the existing modular 435 camera system but incorporates a completely new electronic design, a modified mirror shutter drive and an interface for external motion control systems.

Motion Control

Together with the new ARRIMOTION system, the ARRIFLEX 435 Advanced interface allows camera and lenses to be used in the familiar fashion, but adds the feature of being able to repeat camera moves at any time and at any speed.

The Motion Control Interface (MCI-1) is equipped with interfaces for step and direction, for CAN-Bus and for the ARRIMOTION system.

The ARRIFLEX 435 Advanced operates in three different modes:

* The shutter angle is adjusted on the camera; mirror shutter and movement remain in-sync and are controlled externally.

* The shutter angle is adjusted by a motion control system; mirror shutter and movement remain in-sync and are controlled externally.

* Mirror shutter, movement and shutter angle are independently controlled by the motion control system.

LDS - Lens Data System

In this newly designed system, ULTRA PRIME lenses have been equipped with contact-free sensors that measure the exact lens settings and communicate these to the camera via an interface in the PL-Mount. This information can be accessed by external systems such as the Lens Data Display or motion control and lens control systems. For the LDS functions the new FEM-2 is necessary.

Integrated Video System

A new improved IVS is now available for the ARRIFLEX 435, 435 ES and 435 Advanced. Like the original version, the new IVS 435 II is completely integrated into the camera body. No cumbersome external boxes are necessary.

Thanks to internal connectors, only a cable to the monitor or VTR is required. Features of the IVS II include:

* Brilliant image quality with extremely high sensitivity.

*On-screen display.

* Video inserter for displaying frame-lines, camera status information, time code, etc.

* Optimized color reproduction through individual controls for the red and blue.

* Up to 6 settings can be stored and recalled.

* When the film camera is running, the light for the video assist is only available for 50% of the time. In the past, this has made half field resolution technically unavoidable. With the new electronics, the missing fields can be regenerated, enabling an image quality close to full resolution. The image appears very steady on the monitor.

* New "film-like" exposure mode The video assist camera can optionally be set to the same shutter time as the film camera itself.

* Flicker-free from 1 to 150 fps in Manual Gain Control Mode. In time-critical situations, the frame-store can optionally be switched off in order to eliminate any delay between the live-action and its depiction on the video monitor. This enables e.g. lip-sync for music video shooting to be evaluated on the video assist.

* 1.1 Amp power supply from the mini-monitor output

* Full remote-control All functions including gain control and white balance can now be remote-controlled via the serial interface.

* Compare function. Video images can be stored and superimposed over the current video image.

Movement Steadiness Drive Train

Perfect image steadiness is guaranteed by the virtually maintenance-free 5-link movement with its double-sided registration pins and pull-down claws. Throughout the entire speed range of 0.1 to 150 fps, forward and reverse, the register pins, located in the industry standard position of optical printers, ensure that the film is precisely oriented in each and every exposure - an absolute prerequisite for serious effects work. A dedicated 435-three-perf version is also available.

A newly designed, high-performance shutter drive cuts adjustment time in half, allowing for much quicker speed-ramps. The new minimum frame rate has been reduced to 0.1 fps. Additionally a Single Frame/Capping Shutter is available that can also be accessed and controlled directly through the motion control software. Additionally the run-up time can be adjusted in three steps to reduced power consumption during run-up.

The ARRIFLEX 435 employs separately controlled DC-motors for film transport and mirror shutter, replacing the complex drive trains of older high-speed cameras with simply, dedicated drives. The improved efficiency of the individual drives translates into decisive advantages with regards to weight, size and configuration. This is reflected in the compact and ergonomic design of the ARRIFLEX 435.
The separate drive systems offer superior control of camera functions and are less susceptible to damage in the event of a film jam.

Finder System with ARRIGLOW

Unsurpassed image quality, highest flexibility and ergonomically optimized operation were the design objectives of the viewfinder system.

The standard finder, which covers the full Super 35 format, pivots in two axes enabling use on either side of the camera, giving an upright image in all positions. A telescoping tube allows easy adjustment of the eyepiece for both left and right eye viewing. The bright viewfinder image can thus be viewed comfortably from almost any conceivable operating position.

Furthermore, the compact dimensions of the ARRIFLEX 435 allow for viewing in extremely tight situations e.g. directly next to a wall or in vehicles. Also incorporated is an ND6 contrast filter, which can be swung into the optical path.

The entire viewfinder module can be removed and re-placed with a lightweight 100% video-top. In this configuration the camera body weighs only 5.9 kg - ideal for motion control, Steadicam, helicopter mounts and all other applications where compact dimensions and low weight are essential.

An ARRIGLOW-module is available as an option. Using slide-in masks, the ground-glass format can be superimposed on to the viewfinder image as illuminated format markings with adjustable brightness. Additionally, warnings for asynchronous running, low battery and film end are displayed in the viewfinder.

LCD Control Panel

A large display on the left side of the camera clearly shows all chosen settings. The control panel next to the display offers easy and precise access to all camera functions. The control panel can be locked mechanically to protect chosen settings.

The following parameters can be displayed and/or set:

* Frame rate

* Footage counter (switchable from m to ft)

* Shutter angle

* Time code, user bits, time code sensitivity

* Battery voltage, with warning for low battery voltage

* Film end and async camera running

* Special menus for motion control

As an option, most functions can be controlled via the remote control unit (RCU-1).

Magazines

Carbon-fiber magazines offer superior ergonomics. The range of magazines includes the standard mechanical 400ft magazine and a motorized 1000ft magazine, both of which are capable of being used over the entire speed range of 0.1 to 150 fps, forward or reverse. A lightweight 400ft Steadicam magazine is also available.

ARRIFLEX 35 III and older magazines can be used (without TC recording and with a maximum speed restricted to 130 fps). Even the loop length is compatible, a fact that greatly simplifies handling when an ARRIFLEX 435 is used together with an ARRIFLEX 35 III.

Ergonomic Design

Despite the comprehensive range of functions that are already available in the standard configuration, the ARRIFLEX 435 body weighs in at only 6.5 kg. The lightweight and ergonomic design represents a new standard in operating comfort. Without special preparation, the camera can easily be hand-held with the standard 400ft magazine.

Technical Data ARRIFLEX 435 Advanced

Film format: 35 mm DIN 15 501

Lens mount: 54 mm PL-mount with LDS contacts adjustable for Super 35 format

Flange focal distance: 51.98 - 0.01 mm

Reflex mirror shutter: can be locked mechanically or electronically and adjusted continuously from 11.2°-180° while the camera is running

Frame rate: 0.1 - 150 fps, forward and reverse (quartz-accurate to 0.001 fps)

Viewfinder indicator: asynchronous film running, low battery voltage, film end

Contrast filter: selectable, ND 0.6

Phase shifter: integrated into the camera by pressing the PHASE key while camera is running

Sensors: shown on the camera display are: film end, incorrect movement position. If the camera is not ready for operation, the control lamp illuminates red

Temperature range: -4°F to 122°F (-20°C to +50°C)

Video-assist: IVS II

Beamsplitter: interchangeable with ratios of 80/20% and 50/50%

Magazines: 400 ft and 1000 ft displacement magazines as well as 35 III-type magazines

Steadicam magazine: 400 ft

Movement system: 5-link movement with double-sided pull-down claws and registration pins for 35 mm-negative-film DIN 15501

Drive system: quartz-controlled DC motors

Power supply: 24 V DC - 35 V DC

Accessory: 24 V, 3/5 A and 12 V, 3/5 A

Battery: NC 24/7R

Weight: 6.5 kg (14.3 lbs) without magazine

Dimensions: with 400 ft magazine, without lens

Length: 400 mm (101.6 in)

Width: 250 mm (63.5 in)

Height: 331 mm (83.8 in)

Time Code: format SMPTE RP 136, form C 80 bit. TC-quartz accuracy ± 1ppm (0-50°C)

Kim Ki-Duk The Korean Director

Kim Ki-Duk was born in Bonghwa, north of Kyungsang Province, South Korea on 20th December 1960. Growing up in a mountainous village, he was a mischievous boy who occasionally broke other children's arms, or show his peers strange electronic gadgets of his own creation. When he turned nine, he moved to Seoul with his parents. He entered an agriculture training school, but he was forced to give up junior high after his older brother was dismissed from school. Going through factories during his adolescent years, he joined the marines when he turned 20.
Kim adapted well to military life, spending five years as a noncommissioned officer. This experience may have served as material for the rich details of brotherhood shared among the men of his films. After leaving the marines, Kim spent two years at a church for the visually impaired with the intention of becoming a preacher while continuing the painting he started as a child. In 1990, with only a plane ticket in his possession, he left for Paris. He manages to earn a living by organizing ateliers or selling his painting. When Kim arrived in Paris he considered 'production by manual labor the only worthwhile thing in life, while regarding culture as a mere luxury,' but his experiences in the city inspired him with new views.Upon his return from France, Kim focused on developing a film script for the next six months. He received the good news that two of his scripts had been selected in a contest. Unfamiliar with composition, not to mention spelling, he diligently worked on his scripts while urging himself to focus on matters of immediate concern and not on a distant future that seemed beyond his reach.

Accordingly Kim's film life began in a manner quite different from the channels other filmmakers took. Free of any institutional education in film, he never served as assistant director or developed film mania. But this is precisely the reason for the freedom he was able to embrace as a filmmaker. His films can be considered as autobiographical writing with a film camera. This is why Kim describes each and every one of his films a s a'sequence' within his entire body of work.
His debut feature, "Crocodile", represents his life and his experiences, signaling the beginning of a series of films that can be identified as the unique cinema of Kim Ki-Duk. The cruelty that has become his trademark was impregnated with the harsh reality that inundated his life of thirty some odd years.

This enigmatic filmmaker is adding creations to his filmography with incredible energy and at an amazing pace!!

Soom (2007) Directed by Kim Ki-Duk

Soom (2007)

Breath

Director : Kim Ki-Duk

Language : Korean

The film tells the story of Yeon, who finds that her loveless marriage is getting worse as she discovers that her husband, who seems to care little for her already, is having an affair. In desperation she reaches out to a story on the news about a death row prisoner who has attempted suicide yet again, and in a flash of rebellion she goes to visit him.
The prisoner is biding his time before his sentence is carried out and has no visitors, but when Yeon visits him he is strangely drawn to her. Each time she visits she brings with her a different season and decorates the visiting room in that style, she sings to him and tells him of her life, and he never speaks a word in return.
A bond and attraction grows between them, and each visit escalates with the problems in her own life...

Shi gan (2006) Time

Shi gan (2006)

Time

Director : Kim Ki-Duk

Language : Korean

To save her relationship, a woman puts herself through extensive plastic surgery....

"Time" is a welcome addition to Kim Ki-Duk's oeuvre and though not nearly as good as his best it does not diminish his luster.Plastic surgery is probably more common in South Korea than most other countries and with that disturbing fact, Kim Ki-Duk makes a film that examines the effects of plastic surgery on two people, who take that behavior to the extreme.

Hwal (2005) Directed by Kim Ki-Duk

Hwal (2005)

The Bow

Director : Kim Ki-Duk

Language : Korean

On a fishing boat at sea, a 60-year old man has been raising a girl since she was a baby. It is agreed that they will get married on her 17th birthday, and she is 16 now. They live a quiet and secluded life, renting the boat to day fishermen and practicing strange divination rites. Their life changes when a teenage student comes aboard...

The Bow is a great movie that has an interesting story, is beautifully directed and that carries a good pace. It's a movie with a lot of feeling, it's looks great, features some really good acting, and fitting music as well...

The movie dont have a single frame of land! The whole movie shot in the sea!

Bin-jip (2004) Directed by Kim Ki-Duk

Bin-jip (2004)

3-Iron

Director : Kim Ki-Duk

Language : Korean

A young drifter enters strangers' houses - and lives - while owners are away. He spends a night or a day squatting in, repaying their unwitting hospitality by doing laundry or small repairs. His life changes when he runs into a beautiful woman in an affluent mansion who is ready to escape her unhappy, abusive marriage.

Samaria (2004) Directed by Kim Ki-Duk

Samaria (2004)

Samaritan Girl

Director : Kim Ki-Duk

Language : Korean

Yeo-jin and Jae-yeong are two teenage girls who are trying to earn money for a trip to Europe. To reach this end, Jae-yeong is prostituting herself while Yeo-jin acts as her pimp, setting her up with the clients and staying on guard for the police. Things take a turn for the worse when Yeo-jin gets distracted from her duty and the police raid the motel where Jae-yeong is meeting with a client. To avoid getting caught, Jae-yeong jumps out of a window, fatally injuring herself.
After Jae-yeong's death, Yeo-jin blames herself and to ease her own conscience, sets to return all of the money they earned to the clients while sleeping with them herself. Eventually Yeo-jin's father, a policeman, is devastated when he discovers what she is doing. He starts following her discreetly and confronts her clients with escalatingly violent results. On the last time, he ends up brutally killing a client. For the rest of its duration, the movie follows the father and daughter on a short trip to the countryside, where they both sense something is wrong with the other, but are unable to confront each other directly. In the end, the law catches up with the father, who hopes to have done enough to prepare Yeo-jin for her life without him.