Guillermo del Toro expressed that he feels "energy and power" in Korean cinema.
On the 19th, a press conference for the 30th Busan International Film Festival (BIFF) invited film "Frankenstein" was held at the Busan Cinema Center in Haeundae-gu. Director Guillermo del Toro attended.
"Frankenstein" is an adaptation of Mary Shelley's classic sci-fi novel, telling the story of the brilliant yet selfish scientist Victor Frankenstein, who creates a living being through a heinous experiment.
When asked about his impressions of his first visit to the Busan Film Festival, Guillermo del Toro said, "It's my first time in Korea, and I think the scale and quality of this beautiful festival, as well as the Korean audience's taste for world cinema, are remarkable."
He added, "'Frankenstein' is an electric work. I felt like I became that person. In the sense that we were created and abandoned. And I thought it was an allegory about my relationship with my father over the years. It was hard to talk about my relationship with my father, but only after becoming a father did I understand my father's heart," he revealed. "I absorbed Mary Shelley's original work. This novel, though unintentional, was an autobiographical story, and the more I learned about the novel and life, the more personal the project became."
He continued, "I think all my films are connected. I used the same allegory differently in 'Pinocchio,' and the endings of 'Cronos' and 'Frankenstein' are similar, as well as the immortality in 'Cronos' and 'Hellboy,' where I try to tell the same theme in different ways."
Director Guillermo del Toro also mentioned Korean cinema.
He spoke about Bong Joon-ho, saying, "In 'Memories of Murder,' American detective stories reveal existential and very deep questions through a clumsy detective and investigation. The monster's design is really cool. It also shows Korean society. It incorporates culture into the film."
He then spoke about Park Chan-wook, stating, "He makes beautiful and existential romantic films. You can't find directors like this. There is a living soul. There is a uniqueness that you can't see in films from other countries." He added, "Every time I watch films by Park Chan-wook and Bong Joon-ho, like 'I Saw the Devil' and 'Train to Busan,' I feel energy and power."
Guillermo del Toro also discussed the reason for making films, saying, "Making films and showing them to the audience is called filmography, but for me, it's a biography."
He explained, "The reason directors make good films is that they can't do anything else. In a way, we focus on just one thing. When others are playing, if I say I will do this, I miss everything else. The films made that way are important to me. That's why I believe films are worth making and worth watching."
The 30th Busan Film Festival will meet audiences with a total of 328 films from 64 countries, including 87 films in the Community BIFF section and 32 films in the Neighborhood BIFF section. It will be held until the 26th at the Busan Cinema Center.
[Yang So-young, Star Today Reporter]
