hankyoreh

Im Sang-soo, the South Korean filmmaker who directed "A Good Lawyer’s Wife" (2003) and "The President’s Last Bang" (2004), has announced he will make a French-language movie.

In a telephone interview with the Hankyoreh on December 25, Im said he was discussing with the French film industry the synopsis of a new movie, which he will make at their request. As there are three or four producers showing interest in the project, the final production decision will be made within the next month, said the director. Im will begin to shoot the film in France as soon as the producer is decided.

His recent movies have received an enthusiastic response from French audiences. While his films agree with French sentiment, he said, their potential for success is limited there because of the language barrier. Considering this, the French film industry has advised him to shoot a Francophone feature, he said.

The movie will be a comedy about a South Korean woman who has been studying in France for a long time, and who runs a racket with French men as her victims, using sex as bait. A South Korean producer will help with the movie’s release in Korea.

Im’s effort will be the first French-language movie by a South Korean director. Though Hong Kong’s John Woo and Taiwan’s Ang Lee are playing an active part in the Anglophone world of Hollywood, said Heo Mun-yeong, a programmer at the Pusan International Film Festival, "Unlike Hollywood, it is a rare case that the [French film industry] would hire a foreign director to shoot a movie." Heo added that the French film industry might have been attracted by Im’s unique style.

Please direct questions or comments to [englishhani@hani.co.kr]