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Journalism of Courage
Park Kwang-su gives his take on Indian films
South Korean director Park Kwang-su8217;s A Single Spark, apart from being a great cinematic experience, is a study of economics of filmmaking.
The film, showcased as the 8216;centre piece8217; of the 7th Third Eye Asian film Festival, was largely financed by public subscription. The closing credits of this 1995 film acknowledge nearly 5,000 names. Though things had started looking up for the South Korean filmmakers over the last one decade, the current meltdown has cut this good tiding short. 8220;It8217;s a hard time for filmmakers. Next year is going to be financially tough for the film industry,8221; said the director, soon after receiving the Asian Film Culture Award on Thursday evening. However, with nearly 60 educational institutes offering courses related to films, his country has a big talent pool.
Known for the political tone of his work, Park in A Single Spark sets out to exorcise South Korea8217;s dark years under military dictators while paying dues to the heroes who dared to dissent. Two narratives run parallel in the film8212;one in black and white, another in colour8212;follows Jeon Tae-Il.
Jeon was a labour activist in the 1960s who committed suicide as a gesture of protest against the authorities8217; failure to honour workers8217; rights.
Kwang-su, one of the leading contemporary Korean filmmakers, is a known name on the Indian festival circuit. Though this is his third trip to India, he is visiting Mumbai for the first time. His introduction to Indian films, however, happened while he was studying in Paris. Park had seen the works of Satyajit Ray and Mrinal Sen extensively. And it8217;s Ray8217;s first film, Apur Sansar, that left Park spellbound. He even wrote on Indian film in magazines.
