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Kim Ki-duk
Kim Ki-duk at the Venice International Film Festival in 2012
Born	(1960-12-20)20 December 1960 Ponghwa, South Korea
Died	11 December 2020(2020-12-11) (aged 59) Riga, Latvia
Occupations	Film director screenwriter
Years active	1993–2020
Korean name
Hangul	김기덕
Hanja	金基德
Revised Romanization	Gim Gideok
McCune–Reischauer	Kim Kidŏk

Kim Ki-duk (Korean: 김기덕 [kim ɡidʌk̚]; 20 December 1960 – 11 December 2020) was a South Korean film director and screenwriter, noted for his idiosyncratic art-house cinematic works. His films have received many distinctions in the festival circuit, rendering him one of the most important contemporary Asian film directors.

His major festival awards include the Golden Lion at 69th Venice International Film Festival for Pietà, a Silver Lion for Best Director at 61st Venice International Film Festival for 3-Iron, a Silver Bear for Best Director at 54th Berlin International Film Festival for Samaritan Girl, and the Un Certain Regard prize at 2011 Cannes Film Festival for Arirang. His most widely known feature is Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter... and Spring (2003), included in film critic Roger Ebert's Great Movies. Two of his films served as official submissions for the Academy Award for Best International Feature Film as South Korean entries. He gave scripts to several of his former assistant directors including Juhn Jai-hong (Beautiful and Poongsan) and Jang Hoon (Rough Cut).

Early life and education

Kim was born on 20 December 1960 in Ponghwa, North Kyŏngsang. In 1990, he went to Paris to study fine arts, but instead he spent two years working there on the streets as a portrait painter. He served for five years in the South Korean Marine Corps, becoming a non-commissioned officer.

Career

After returning to South Korea, Kim began his career as a screenwriter and won first prize in a screenplay contest held by the Korean Film Council in 1995. In the following year, Kim made his debut as a director with a low budget movie titled Crocodile (1996). The film received sensational reviews from movie critics in South Korea. Ki-duk said that his international breakthrough occurred with The Isle at the Toronto International Film Festival. His 2000 film Real Fiction was entered into the 23rd Moscow International Film Festival.

In 2003, Ki-duk released Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter... And Spring. The film was praised by numerous critics, including critic Peter Bradshaw, who considered the film to be his masterpiece and one of the great works of modern Korean cinema. "A potent and enigmatic parable which manages to be both serene and gripping at the same time It is that rarest of things - a genuinely spiritual film." The film work is included in critic Roger Ebert's Great Movies.

In 2004, he received Best Director awards at two different film festivals, for two different films. At the Berlin International Film Festival, he was awarded for Samaritan Girl (2004), and at the Venice Film Festival he won for 3-Iron (also 2004). In 2011, his documentary film Arirang received an award for best film in the Un Certain Regard category from the Cannes Film Festival. In 2012, his film Pietà received the Golden Lion award at the Venice Film Festival. In 2015, it was announced in Beijing at the Asian Brilliant Stars, a section of the upcoming Berlin International Film Festival that Kim would direct his largest budget to date film Who Is God?, produced by Hollywood producers Stephen Castor and Jim Rygiel (three-time Academy Award winner) under the banner of their production company Its Just Us Productions, along with Chinese production company Film Carnival (Hangzhou). The film was financed by CITIC Guoan, Huafeng Investment Consultation and Its Just Us Productions, (China Daily News).

Personal life

Assault allegations

In August 2017, an actress referred to as "Actress "A" by prosecutors filed a complaint against Kim Ki-duk through Seoul Central District Prosecutor's Office. In the complaint the actress accused Kim of slapping her face and forcing her to do an unscripted sex scene on the set of his film Moebius. In December 2017, the Seoul Central District Prosecutor's Office fined Kim Ki-duk for $4,450 (KRW 5 million) for physical assault but didn't charge him otherwise citing lack of physical evidence.

On March 6, 2018, the South Korean TV channel MBC's investigative report show PD Notebook aired an episode titled "Movie director Kim Ki-duk, Master's Naked Face" with more accusations from Actress A and two others (Actress B and C as they mentioned in the show). Actresses accused Kim and his frequent collaborator, actor Cho Jae-hyun of verbal and physical sexual harassment and rape. In response Kim filed false accusation and defamation suits against the accusers and PD Notebook.

After that on August 7, 2018, MBC aired a second episode of the PD Notebook show "Master's Naked Face. Aftermath" with more accusations from other actresses and staff members against Kim and Cho. In that episode journalists interviewed a Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency's Special Investigation Unit on Sexual Violence official about the cases. The official explained that the police approached the survivors and established the facts behind accusations but could not indict actor Cho and director Kim because of expired statute of limitation.

In January 2019, Seoul Central District Prosecutor's Office decided to drop the criminal lawsuits filed by Kim Ki-duk against actresses and PD Notebook because "there was neither proof that actress' initial accusation was false, nor was there evidence that the news show had been programmed with the purpose of defamation".

In March 2019 Kim Ki-duk filed another lawsuit in civil court against Actress A and PD Notebook seeking $885,740 (KRW 1 billion) in damages. The lawsuit was ruled by court in defendants' favor on October 28, 2020. The court also ordered Kim to pay legal fees for the defendants.

Animal cruelty allegations

The British Board of Film Classification delayed the release of Kim Ki-duk's The Isle (2000) in the United Kingdom because of instances of animal cruelty in the film. Concerning scenes in which a frog is skinned after being beaten to death and fish are mutilated, the director stated, "We cooked all the fish we used in the film and ate them, expressing our appreciation. I've done a lot of cruelty on animals in my films. And I will have a guilty conscience for the rest of my life."

To a U.S. interviewer who suggested that scenes such as these are "very disturbing and to place an obstacle to the films [sic] reception, or... distribution, to other countries", Kim said, "Yes, I did worry about that fact. But the way I see it, the food that we eat today is no different. In America you eat beef, pork, and kill all these animals. And the people who eat these animals are not concerned with their slaughter. Animals are part of this cycle of consumption. It looks more cruel onscreen, but I don't see the difference. And yes, there's a cultural difference, and maybe Americans will have a problem with it - but if they can just be more sensitive to what is acceptable in different countries I'd hope they wouldn't have too many issues with what's shown on-screen."

Death

On 11 December 2020, Kim died from complications caused by COVID-19 during the COVID-19 pandemic in Latvia at the age of 59, nine days before his 60th birthday.

Filmography

Year	English title	Director	Producer	Writer	Editor	Notes
1996	Crocodile
1997	Wild Animals
1998	Birdcage Inn
2000	The Isle
	Real Fiction
2001	Address Unknown
	Bad Guy
2002	The Coast Guard
2003	Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter... and Spring					"He also acts a major role (as the Adult Monk)"
2004	Samaritan Girl
	3-Iron
2005	The Bow
2006	Time
2007	Breath
2008	Dream
	Beautiful
	Rough Cut
2010	Secret Reunion					Uncredited
2011	Arirang					Dramatic documentary about himself
	Amen					Appears as "Masked Man"
	Poongsan
2012	Pietà
2013	Moebius
	Rough Play
	Red Family
2014	One on One
	Godsend
2015	Stop
	Made in China
2016	The Net
2017	Excavator
2018	Human, Space, Time and Human
2019	Dissolve
2022	Call of God					Released after his death

International awards

References

Notes

1. "A brief guide to the outsider cinema of Kim Ki-duk". London Korean Film Festival. Archived from the original on 23 September 2023. Retrieved 27 February 2021.
2. Rayns, Tony (November 2004). "Sexual Terrorism: Strange Case of Kim Ki-duk". Film Comment (40): 50.
3. "새영화 <해안선>의 감독 김기덕과 배우 장동건". Cine21. 18 June 2002. Archived from the original on 20 May 2022. Retrieved 22 May 2022.
4. "Profile of Kim Ki-deok" (in Korean). Cine21, The Hankyoreh. Archived from the original on 27 January 2016. Retrieved 24 November 2007.
5. Kjolseth, Pablo (31 January 2001). "Interview with Kim Ki-Duk & Jung Suh". Movie Habit. Archived from the original on 31 December 2010. Retrieved 27 August 2016.
6. "23rd Moscow International Film Festival (2001)". MIFF. Archived from the original on 28 March 2013. Retrieved 30 March 2013.
7. Bradshaw, Peter (11 December 2020). "Kim Ki-duk: punk-Buddhist shock, violence – and hypnotic beauty too". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 11 December 2020. Retrieved 15 December 2020.
8. Ebert, Roger (26 August 2009). "Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter... and Spring movie review (2003) | Roger Ebert". Roger Ebert.com. Archived from the original on 24 July 2013. Retrieved 15 December 2020.
9. ^ "PRIZES & HONOURS 2004". berlinale.de. Archived from the original on 15 October 2013. Retrieved 10 June 2014.
10. ^ "Official Awards of the 61st Venice Film Festival". labiennale.org. 11 September 2004. Archived from the original on 15 September 2004. Retrieved 4 June 2018.
11. ^ Leffler, Rebecca (21 May 2011). "Un Certain Regard Announces Top Prizes (Cannes 2011)". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on 14 July 2011. Retrieved 26 May 2017.
12. ^ "South Korean film 'Pieta' wins Venice top prize". AP. 8 September 2012. Archived from the original on 11 September 2012. Retrieved 12 December 2020 – via Yahoo! News.
13. Frater, Patrick (7 December 2017). "Director Kim Ki-duk to Be Fined in Actress Assault Case". Variety. Archived from the original on 24 June 2018. Retrieved 12 March 2021.
14. "Movie director Kim Ki-duk, Master's Naked Face". Youtube. MBC PD Notebook. Archived from the original on 21 December 2021. Retrieved 12 March 2021.
15. Lee, Hyo-won (6 March 2018). "South Korean Filmmaker Kim Ki-duk Accused of Rape". Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on 31 March 2018. Retrieved 12 March 2021.
16. Im, Eun-byel (13 June 2018). "Kim Ki-duk fires back at accusers". The Korea Herald. Archived from the original on 13 June 2018. Retrieved 13 June 2018.
17. 조재현·김기덕 '성폭력' 의혹에도 경찰 수사가 어려운 이유 출처. Seoul Broadcasting System. 8 August 2018. Archived from the original on 3 October 2023. Retrieved 12 March 2021.
18. Kil, Sonia (5 January 2019). "Court Dismisses Kim Ki-duk Case Against Actress, TV Show". Archived from the original on 3 October 2023. Retrieved 12 March 2021.
19. Kim, Na-young (28 October 2020). "Director Kim Ki-duk loses lawsuit against actress, broadcaster for airing sexual abuse allegations". Yonhap News Agency. Archived from the original on 11 December 2020. Retrieved 12 March 2021.
20. Rose, Steve (2 August 2004). "'I've done a lot of cruelty to animals'". The Guardian. London. Archived from the original on 12 November 2007. Retrieved 26 November 2007.
21. McKeague, Andy (11 May 2005). "An Interview with Kim Ki-Duk and Suh Jung on The Isle". Monsters and Critics. Archived from the original on 28 November 2007. Retrieved 26 November 2007.
22. 현지 언론 "김기덕 감독, 라트비아서 코로나19로 사망" [Local media "Director Ki-deok Kim dies of Corona 19 in Latvia"]. JTBC (in Korean). 11 December 2020. Archived from the original on 11 December 2020. Retrieved 11 December 2020.
23. "South Korean filmmaker Kim Ki-duk dies from COVID-19 complications". Reuters. 11 December 2020. Archived from the original on 19 December 2020. Retrieved 12 December 2020.
24. "Movie director Kim Ki-duk dies of coronavirus". The Korea Herald. 11 December 2020. Archived from the original on 18 December 2020. Retrieved 11 December 2020.
25. "Controversial South Korean director Kim Ki-duk dies of Covid aged 59". The Guardian. 11 December 2020. Archived from the original on 11 December 2020. Retrieved 12 December 2020.
26. Choe, Sang-Hun (17 December 2020). "Kim Ki-duk, Award-Winning South Korean Filmmaker, Dies at 59". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 17 December 2020. Retrieved 20 December 2020.
27. Wilmington, Michael (7 May 2004). "Measuring life through its seasons". Chicago Tribune. Archived from the original on 25 October 2021. Retrieved 7 November 2016.
28. Romney, Jonathan (9 September 2022). "'Call Of God': Venice Review". ScreenDaily. Archived from the original on 9 September 2022. Retrieved 31 January 2023.
29. "СВЕЧАНО ОТВАРАЊЕ КУСТЕНДОРФА 2012 Kustendorf – International Film and Music Festival". Kustendorf Film and Festival 2012. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016.
30. "Collateral awards". venice-days.com. Archived from the original on 6 September 2014. Retrieved 3 May 2018.

Sources

• "KIM Ki-duk ( 김기덕 / 金基悳)". Korean Film Council. Archived from the original on 16 July 2019. Retrieved 24 November 2007.

Bibliography

• Seveon, Julien (2003). "An Interview with Korean Director Kim Ki-duk". Asian Cult Cinema. 38 (1st Quarter): 49–61.
• MARTONOVA, A. (2004) Contemporary Korean cinema – production, tradition and… Kim Ki-Duk. – In: The Plum Blossom. Papers from Korean Studies Conference, Sofia University "St. Kliment Ohridski", Centre for Eastern Languages and Cultures, Sofia: Ex-M, p. 129 – 151
• MARTONOVA, (2012) A. To feel HAN (Arirang by Kim Ki-duk) // Kino, No.3, Sofia:p. 49-47, ISSN 0861-4393
• MARTONOVA, A. (2007) The hieroglyph of cinema. Aesthetics and meaning in East Asia movies. Sofia: Panorama Publishing House, 242 pages, ISBN 978 954 9655 31 5 (in Bulgarian)

External links

• Kim Ki-duk at IMDb
• Kim Ki-Duk: the past, the persistent problems and the near future Archived 27 June 2012 at the Wayback Machine About Kim Ki-Duk's 2006 controversial declarations
• Review of Kim Ki-duk's Time Archived 28 April 2012 at the Wayback Machine
• Working Biography

• Cruelty to animals
• 1960 births
• 2020 deaths
• 21st-century South Korean male actors
• South Korean male film actors
• South Korean film producers
• South Korean film directors
• South Korean screenwriters
• Directors of Golden Lion winners
• Venice Best Director Silver Lion winners
• Silver Bear for Best Director recipients
• Deaths from the COVID-19 pandemic in Latvia
• Republic of Korea Marine Corps personnel