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| Filmmaker Park Chan-wook / Courtesy of CJ ENM |
By Park Han-sol
A comprehensive, limited-edition book highlighting cineaste Park Chan-wook's decades-spanning oeuvre is slated for publication early next month.
In May, Park became the second Korean auteur ever to notch the Best Director prize at Cannes for his 2022 romance noir, "Decision to Leave," starring Tang Wei and Park Hae-il. The film, which earned six awards at the Blue Dragon Film Awards in Korea last week, is also vying for a nomination for the Best International Feature category at the 2023 Academy Awards.
"Finally, Park Chan-wook" is a crowdfunded book scheduled for print in celebration of the filmmaker's 30th anniversary of his debut.
During the month-long crowdfunding period on Tumblbug, which ended on Sunday, the title surpassed its target of 65 million won ($48,550) in a matter of days, eventually reaching 334 million won, or 514 percent of its original goal.
The title will be a 600-page hardcover volume that details behind-the-scenes anecdotes involving all short and feature motion pictures that Park has ever directed, written and produced, including his 1992 debut feature "The Moon Is… the Sun's Dream" and well-known 2002-05 "Vengeance Trilogy" ― "Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance," "Oldboy" and "Lady Vengeance."
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| The cover of "Finally, Park Chan-wook" / Courtesy of The Screen |
The pages will also feature discussions between Park and American moviemaker Quentin Tarantino, as well as the dynamic stories told by his colleagues and actors like Park Hae-il, Tang and Lee Young-ae from "Lady Vengeance" about working with the cineaste.
Along with the book, a set of merchandise inspired by Park's cinematic oeuvre will also be made available for purchase in a limited quantity.
The items include 10 figurines of iconic characters like Sook-hee and Lady Hideko from 2016 film "The Handmaiden," as well as a "diorama theater" that recreates in three dimensions the settings of his 10 films ― the abovementioned trilogy works, "Stoker" and his iPhone-made film "Life is But a Dream," among others.
