Veteran Filmmaker PARK Chul-soo Dies Aged 64

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NEWS & REPORTS

Veteran Filmmaker PARK Chul-soo Dies Aged 64

Feb 19, 2013

Writer by Pierce Conran
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Director of 301,301 and GREEN CHAIR

PARK Chul-soo, a trailblazing filmmaker whose experimental works have electrified Korea’s independent filmmaking scene for decades, passed away last night at the age of 64.

Born in Daegu on November 20th, 1948, PARK entered Sungkyungwan University’s department of economics on a scholarship in Seoul. He began his film career as a crew member for Shin Film before making his directorial debut in 1978 with Captain of the Alley. During the early stages of his career, he produced many sentimental melodramas such as Woman Requiem (1985) and A Pillar of Mist (1986).

In 1995, his career took a big turn when he made 301, 302, a socially conscious work that wound up becoming one of the first Korean films to ever screen theatrically in the US. The film, which starred PANG Eun-jin and HWANG Cine as neighbors, drew a light on the plight of woman in modern Korea.

Subsequently, PARK produced an array of films, often controversial, that frequently fixated on social issues. Works such as Green Chair, a frank, graphic and sometimes surreal account of a relationship between a middle-aged woman and a teenager, and Red Vacance Black Wedding have screened at film festivals around the world, such as Berlin, Karlovy Vary, Udine, Yubari and the New York Asian Film Festival.

In the early hours of February 19th, PARK died after being hit by a drunken driver as he crossed the street. His final work B·E·D, an artistic erotic chamber drama, premiered last October at the 17th Busan International Film Festival and was released in theaters just earlier this month.

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