Academy Museum Screens Series Of Films By Female Korean Directors

The Academy Museum of Motion Pictures in Los Angeles is highlighting the work of Korea’s female filmmakers with the series, A New Wave of K-Cinema: Korean Women Directors, which will run through June 29th. The series features films by nine Korean directors.

Female filmmakers everywhere are underrepresented, said filmmaker and artist Hyesung ii, who programmed the series for the museum. “That’s why this kind of series is important. Yes, these are films made by women, but also these are just really great films, great cinema, period. These are stories we can just relate to and sympathize with and encounter and experience.”

The selection of films being screened include Yim Soon-rye’s Waikiki Brothers (2001) and Little Forest (2018); Kim Do-young’s Kim Ji-young: Born 1982 (2019); Byun Young-joo’s Helpless (2012); July Jung’s Next Sohee (2022); Boo Ji-young’s Cart (2014); Kim Cho-hee’s Lucky Chan-sil (2019); Lee Kyung-mi’s Crush and Blush (2008); Jung Jae-eun’s Take Care of My Cat (2002); and Park Chan-ok’s Paju (2009).

When selecting films for the series, ii focused on narrative diversity, assembling a lineup with a dramas, comedy and thrillers. Wakiki Brothers tells the story of a group of high school friends who form a band that quickly goes nowhere. In Little Forest a young woman returns to her small village after a time in the big city. Kim Ji:Young: Born 1982 is based on the controversial novel of the same name about women’s limited choices after marriage.

Helpless is a mystery thriller and Next Sohee focuses on a mysterious disappearance of a call center worker. Cart is the story of protesting supermarket workers. Lucky Chansil is a romantic drama with fantasy elements, while Crush and Blush is a comedy about high school teachers. Take Care of My Cat is a coming-of-age film and Paju is the story of a schoolgirl’s relationship with her older sister’s husband.

“Generally films made by women in Korea automatically fall into categories of independent cinema or political cinema, things like that,” said ii. “I didn’t want to put more weight into those stereotypes. I wanted be more diverse, so I focused on the stories and messages that these works wanted to tell.”

According to the Korean Film Council, female directors accounted for 20.2 percent of Korean directors in 2022. Altogether 31.4 percent of the producers were women, 28.6 percent of the screenwriters and 11.4 percent of the cinematographers. There has obviously been a dramatic increase in female filmmakers since the 50s and 60s, said ii, and, although some years the numbers may dip slightly, women are seeing more film opportunities in Korea and around the world.

“There were Korean filmmakers, women directors that actually produced and directed films back in the 50s and 60s, but it didn’t continue,” said ii. “There was a big gap. You don’t really see many films made by a woman until 2000. I think then we started seeing more women filmmakers not only producing but directing films. In a way it’s the same challenge, the kind of almost universal challenge that a lot of women do face, not only in Korea, but almost everywhere in this world. They basically stem from gender bias.”

The percentage of women directors releasing films in Korea grew dramatically after 2017, said ii, increasing as much as 10 percent by 2021. She’s hopeful that the opportunities for women filmmakers will continue to increase.

“I believe we just have to push through,” said ii. “I think that’s why it’s really important to have a series like this, you know, so we can share just their stories and perspectives.”

Those who attend the series may also have the opportunity to engage in conversation with some of the directors after the screenings.

“We are going to have Kim Cho-hee for the screening of Lucky Chansil, which is screening on the 18th of June,” said ii. “This is her first feature film. She was a producer of Hong Sang-soo for a long, long time. This is her first feature film and her dream come true. She’ll be here from Korea for a post screening conversation. And then, for the screening of Next Sohee, which is screening on 22nd in June, July Jung, the director, and Kim Si-eun, the main actress, will be there post screening.”

The Academy Museum of Motion Pictures was established in 2021 by the Academy Foundation. The museum previously ran a screening series of Korean horror films and plans to feature more Korean cinema.