Patricia Ann Alvares
PANJIM: With his looks he could easily be mistaken for a movie star, but Jeon Soo-Il’s commitment to cinema is way beyond the superficial. It is an intensely passionate one. A celebrated director, screenwriter and editor, his singularly sensitive approach to his themes and fluid visuals has earned him a worldwide following. And yet his stories are far removed from the commercial hype that dictates today’s films. They are stories told of human character anchored in a space and time that are losing out to present time wanton development. It stems back to the time when a young Jeon returned from his studies in Paris to find his old hometown Busan (Korea) almost disappear – culturally and geographically. “Every time I write or picture a movie, I think about a place which will disappear. I want to catch the essence of the place before it disappears and to see the human characters therein and how we are being displaced. I want to catch the moment before it disappears.” is his impassioned purpose.
With a style that is marked by a highly personal vision that explores the intertwining of the human character, the landscape, art and individuality, Jeon’s films evolve from a single thread. “Normally I start my work with a small synopsis and as I travel in search of a place that will suit the story – I look for colour and time of place – then the rest of the story falls into place. Either the place and story fit or sometimes it is in travelling, that the character will discover a different life; a time to heal or make a change,” explains Jeon. A major presence at most international film festivals, his debut film ‘Wind Blowing in my Being’ (1997) was screened at the Cannes Film Festival.
The stories themselves are inspired by real life incidents and more often than not autobiographical in content. “Very often my own angst and sentiments are interwoven in the story, but of course the characters are fictitious,” explains Jeon. ‘With a Girl of Black Soil’ being screened at the Retrospective of his films at IFFI is a singular example of a story being inspired by a real life situation. Two of his best travelled cinematic works ‘I Came from Busan’ (2010) and Pink (2011) are also being showcased at the festival.
Keen to pass on his cinematic experiences, Jeon has been lecturing at the Busan University for the past 18 years. His mission is to help students find that inner passion and let it flow.
On the anvil is a promising world musical drama that will be shot in different countries around the world.
Capturing a moment in time, Jeon Soo-Il is helping cine-goers appreciate the goodness of life once again.
