Song Il-gon

Infobox actor


imagesize = 150px
name = Song Il-gon
birthdate = birth date and age|1971|1|1 [Infobox data from cite web |url=http://www.hancinema.net/korean_Song_Il-gon.php|title=Song Il-gon (송일곤)|accessdate=2007-12-26|language=English|publisher= [http://www.hancinema.net/ hancinema.net] ]
birthplace = Seoul, South Korea
deathdate =
deathplace =
restingplace =
occupation = Film director and screenwriter
yearsactive = 1998-present
influences =
awards = Infobox Korean name
title=Korean name
hangul=송일곤
hanja=宋一坤
rr=Song Il-gon
mr=
color=khaki
tablewidth=254

Song Il-gon (송일곤, born January 1, 1971) is a South Korean film director and screenwriter known for his international award-winning early short films, and later feature films such as "Spider Forest" (2004) and "Feathers in the Wind" (2005). Long more popular abroad than in South Korea, Song was the first Korean filmmaker to win an award at the Cannes Film Festival.cite web |url=http://www.sensesofcinema.com/contents/05/36/song_il-gon.html|title=Don't Forget Him When He's Cool: An Interview with Song Il-gon|accessdate=2007-12-26|last=Brown|first=James|year=2005|language=English|publisher= [http://www.sensesofcinema.com/index.html www.sensesofcinema.com] ]

Life and career

Song Il-gon was born in Seoul on January 1, 1971.cite web |url=http://www.hancinema.net/korean_Song_Il-gon.php|title=Song Il-gon (송일곤)|accessdate=2007-12-26|language=English|publisher= [http://www.hancinema.net/ hancinema.net] ] He studied Fine Arts at the Seoul Institute of the Arts. After graduation he applied to study film in the United States. His visa application was rejected by that country, and Song instead attended the National Academy of Film in Łódź, Poland. He was only the second Korean student to study at this institution which is known for prominent alumni such as Roman Polanski and Krzysztof Kieślowski. Unable to deal with specifically Korean themes or history while in Poland, Song turned to themes influenced by psychology and Western mythology.

Beginning in 1998, Song's short films began attracting international attention. "Liver and Potato" (1998) took its inspiration from the biblical story of Cain and Abel. "The Dream of the Clowns" (also 1998) was filmed at a Polish circus. Both of these films were shown at international film festivals, and both were released at short-film specialty theaters in South Korea. [cite web |url=http://www.koreanfilm.org/kfilm99.html#picnic|title=The Picnic (So-Poong)|accessdate=2007-12-26|last=Paquet|first=Darcy|year=1999|language=English|publisher= [http://www.koreanfilm.org/ koreanfilm.org] ] Song became the first Korean to win an award at the Cannes Film Festival with his short film "Picnic" ("Sopoong") (1999), which was given the Jury Prize for Best Short Film. This film was also given the Grand Prix at the Melbourne International Film Festival.

Song's first feature film was "Flower Island" (2001), a story about three women with psychological wounds travelling together to an island which is said to have magical healing powers. [cite web |url=http://www.koreanfilm.org/kfilm01.html#flower|title=Flower Island|accessdate=2007-12-26|last=Hartzell|first=Adam|language=English|publisher= [http://www.koreanfilm.org/ koreanfilm.org] ] The film was successful internationally, winning prizes at the Venice Film Festival and the Fribourg International Film Festival among others. Song had an acting role in director Pak Kyung-hee's debut film, "A Smile" ("Miso", 2004). [cite web |url=http://www.koreanfilm.org/kfilm04.html#miso|title=A Smile|accessdate=2007-12-26|last=Kim|first=Kyu-hyun|language=English|publisher= [http://www.koreanfilm.org/ koreanfilm.org] ]

Like "Flower Island", "Spider Forest" (2004), Song's second feature film, was not successful in the South Korean domestic market, either with audiences or critics. It was Song's first film to be given a region-1 DVD release in the U.S. [cite web |url=http://www.hollywoodnorthreport.com/article.php?Article=2010|title=A Smile|accessdate=2007-12-26|last=D’Amato|first=Vince|language=English|publisher= [http://www.hollywoodnorthreport.com/ Hollywood North Report] ]

Song's next feature film, "Feathers in the Wind" was originally planned as a 30-minute short as part of an omnibus film. South Korea's major production studio, CJ Entertainment gave Song funds to make the work into a feature for individual release. The resulting film was Song's first domestic success, with some Korean critics acclaiming it as the best romance ever filmed in Korea. [cite web |url=http://www.subwaycinema.com/frames/nyaff06_git.htm|title=FEATHER IN THE WIND, a.k.a GIT (Korea, 2004); North American Premiere|accessdate=2007-12-26|publisher= [http://www.subwaycinema.com/ www.subwaycinema.com] |language=English] "Magician(s)" (2005) is an experimental digitally-shot film done entirely in one tracking shot. [cite web |url=http://times.hankooki.com/lpage/culture/200505/kt2005050216520211690.htm|archiveurl=http://web.archive.org/web/20050505021047/http://times.hankooki.com/lpage/culture/200505/kt2005050216520211690.htm|title=Freer Expression Thru Digital Media|date=May 2, 2005|archivedate=May 5, 2005|accessdate=2007-12-06|last=Kim|first=Tae-jong|publisher= [http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/index.asp The Korea Times] |language=English]

In February 2007, Song was reported to be working on a film with the working title of "Telephone Girl". The film was to deal with Korea during the 1920s and 1930s, when the country was modernizing under Japanese occupation. [cite web |last=Yi|first=Ch’ang-ho|url=http://www.koreanfilm.or.kr/KOFIC/Channel?task=kofic.user.eng.b_filmnews.command.NewsView1Cmd&searchPage=1&Gesipan_SCD=1&Gesimul_SNO=586|title=SONG Il-gon Tackles Modernization of Korea|date=2007-02-14|accessdate=2007-12-26|publisher= [http://www.koreanfilm.or.kr/ www.koreanfilm.or.kr] |language=English] However in January 2008, Song was reportedly in pre-production for a period horror film set during the Joseon Dynasty entitled "Sahwa" ("Royal Massacre"). This film was scheduled to begin shooting in March 2008. [cite web |last=D’Sa|first=Nigel|url=http://www.koreanfilm.or.kr/KOFIC/Channel/?task=kofic.user.eng.b_filmnews.command.NewsView1Cmd&searchPage=1&Gesipan_SCD=1&Gesimul_SNO=889|title=SONG Il-gon Horror to Shoot this Spring|date=2008-01-09|accessdate=2008-02-17|publisher= [http://www.koreanfilm.or.kr/ www.koreanfilm.or.kr] |language=English]

Awards

Wins

* 1997 San Francisco International Film Festival: Certificate of Merit Film & Video - Short Documentary, "The Dream of the Clowns" (1997) [List of awards based on cite web |url=http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0814271/awards|title=Awards for Il-gon Song|accessdate=2007-12-26|language=English|publisher=IMDB]
* 1999 Cannes Film Festival: Grand Prize of the Jury Best Short Film, "Picnic" (1999)
* 1999 Melbourne International Film Festival: Grand Prix, "Picnic"
* 2000 Aspen Shortsfest: Best Short Film Special Jury Award, "Picnic"
* 2001 Pusan International Film Festival: Audience Award and FIPRESCI Prize New Currents, "Flower Island" "For its remarkable direction in creating the interior universe of three women, and for its fine performances."
* 2001 Venice Film Festival 'CinemAvvenire' Award Best First Film, "Flower Island"
* 2002 Fribourg International Film Festival: FIPRESCI Prize, "Flower Island" "For its sensitive portrait of three human destinies, within an accomplished and mature cinematographic grammar."

Nominations

* 1999 Cannes Film Festival Golden Palm Best Short Film, "Picnic" (1999)
* 2004 San Sebastián International Film Festival: Golden Seashell, "Spider Forest" (2004)

Notes

Bibliography

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Persondata
NAME=Song, Il-gon
ALTERNATIVE NAMES=
SHORT DESCRIPTION=South Korean film director
DATE OF BIRTH=January 1 1971
PLACE OF BIRTH=Seoul, South Korea
DATE OF DEATH=
PLACE OF DEATH=