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| Director Park Chan-wook attends the 11th LACMA Art+Film Gala at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art in Los Angeles, California, Saturday. AFP-Yonhap |
By Kwak Yeon-soo
Filmmaker Park Chan-wook was honored at this year's Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) Art+Film Gala. Another honoree was American visual artist Helen Pashgian, a pioneering member of the Light and Space art movement of the 1960s.
Park won the Best Director award for his latest film "Decision to Leave" at this year's Cannes Film Festival. The film has been chosen as Korea's submission for Best International Feature Film at the 95th Academy Awards, scheduled for March 23, 2023.
"I initially wanted to begin with the following words: 'I do not know how to thank you for such an award that is beyond me,' but I remembered advice from a friend that is familiar with both Korean and American culture. She told me that you should not be too humble in America … So I will take in that advice and say the following words instead: 'I am not at all surprised for the award that I obviously deserve,'" Park said in his acceptance speech.
Actor Lee Byung-hun, who starred in Park's 2000 film "Joint Security Area," took the stage to introduce Park. The actor referenced the Halloween crowd crush tragedy that occurred in Seoul last month, which killed 156 people. "Please join me in keeping all the victims and their families in our thoughts and prayers," he said.
Since his 1992 directorial debut "The Moon is … the Sun's Dream," Park has been the stylish mastermind behind some of the most iconic titles that put Korean cinema on the map. They include the 2000 mystery thriller "Joint Security Area" and the so-called "Vengeance Trilogy" in the 2000s, made up of "Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance," "Oldboy" and "Lady Vengeance."
In recent years, he has also ventured into projects outside of the silver screen, such as the 2018 British spy thriller television series "The Little Drummer Girl" and the 2022 short martial arts fantasy "Life is But a Dream," shot entirely on an iPhone.
The annual event, supported by the luxury brand Gucci and co-chaired by LACMA trustee Eva Chow and actor Leonardo DiCaprio, aims to honor artists who have contributed to the development of modern and visual art. Among the participants this year were the other Korean celebrities including actors Zo In-sung, Park Si-yeon, Jang Dong-gun, Ko So-young and BLACKPINK's Rose.
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