Im Kwon-Taek

Im Kwon-Taek (born May 2, 1936, Jansung, Cholla province, Korea) is a South Korean film director, dubbed “the father of Korean cinema” because of his long prolific career and his emphasis on Korean subjects and themes.

Im dropped out of middle school after his father’s death. He eventually found work as a production assistant for a film company in Seoul. In 1962 he made his directorial debut with Tumgang a chal ikkŏra (“Farewell to the Duman River”). Over the next 10 years Im turned out some 50 movies, most of them B-movies such as Wŏnhan ŭi kŏri e nun i naerinda (1971; Revenge of Two Sons; also known in English as The Two Revengeful Hunchbacks).

Although his original ambition had been to direct Hollywood-style action films and comedies, Im came to realize that he would always be hampered in this pursuit by limited financial and technical resources. Instead of trying to compete with Hollywood, he decided to focus on creating films that were uniquely Korean, exploring the country’s history and traditional culture. The movies that followed were not often great box-office successes, but they consistently earned critical praise. These included Chokpo (1978; The Genealogy), a historical drama that dealt with the Japanese occupation of Korea; Pul ŭi ttal (1983; Daughter of the Flames), which portrayed the shamanistic folk religion Dong-hak; Sŏp’yŏnje (1993; Sopyonje), about a family of p’ansori (folk opera) singers; and the Korean War epic T’aebaek sanmaek (1994; “The T’aebaek Mountains”).

In 2002 Im released Chihwaseon (Painted Fire), a masterly depiction of the life of the legendary, gifted, and self-destructive 19th-century painter Jang Seung-Up. The widely acclaimed Chihwaeson garnered Im much-deserved recognition outside South Korea. In May 2002 he became the first Korean to win the best director award at the Cannes film festival.

Im released his 100th film, Cheon nyun hak (Beyond the Years), in 2007. Later films included Hwajang (2014; Revivre). His skill as a director won him many awards and other honours, including the Akira Kurosawa Award from the San Francisco International Film Festival (1998) and the French Legion of Honour (2007).