Im Kwon-Taek (born in 1936 in Jangsung), South Korea’s most celebrated filmmaker, has made close to 100 films since his first, Farewell Duman River, in 1962. His direct, fluid work covers the extraordinary history and culture of the Korean peninsula. Whether investigating contemporary morality, Buddhism, the social restrictions constraining women, Korea’s civil war, Japan’s occupation of Korea, the customs of past Korean dynasties, or the practice of art, Im’s films map popular sentiment and illuminate national concerns. Most important, they tell good stories. The Museum of Modern Art salutes one of international cinema’s great directors with a 15-film selection from his comprehensive body of work, including his most recent film, Chihwaseon, for which he was awarded the prize for Best Director at the 2002 Cannes Film Festival.
Organized by Laurence Kardish, Senior Curator, Department of Film and Media, and Dong-Sin Hahn, Director, Open Work, New York, in association with the Korean Cultural Service, New York (Yang-Woo Park, Director).
This exhibition is presented with the assistance of the Korean Ministry of Culture and Tourism, the Korean Film Commission, and the Korean Film Archive, all in Seoul.