<Homo Videocus> (1991)

Directors : Byeon Hyeok, Lee Jae-yong
Year of Production : 1991
Genre : Drama/Fiction
Format : 16mm/Color
Running Time : 19 minutes

Crew :
Production : Korean Academy of Film Arts
Cinematography : Lee Jae-yong

Cast :
Nam In-hwan, Yang Eun-mi, Sohn Bo-young, Kim Soo-youn, Yoon Seong-gook

Synopsis

Every day, a boy stares into a television screen. The entire world of the boy consists of the television screen. Then, the boy purchases a camcorder and begins shooting a woman in the neighborhood.

Notes

The movie is about movie mania, and a self-awareness of the medium of cinema; it brought international recognition to Korean independent films. (Kang So-won)

Awards and Showings at Film Festivals

Grand Prize for short films at the San Francisco International Film Festival (1992)
Award for Artistic Merit at the Clermont-Ferrand International Film Festival (1993)
Silver Prize at the Montecatini International Short Film Festival of Italy (1993)
Invited to the Vancouver International Film Festival in Hong Kong (1993)

Director Bio : Byeon Hyeok (1966- )

He graduated from the French Department at Korea University and majored in film directing at the Korean Academy of Film Arts. He was launched into the international spotlight as a major young talent when Homo Videocus, which he directed collaboratively with Lee Jae-yong, won the grand prize at the 1991 Clermont-Ferrand International Film Festival. Afterward, he went abroad to study in France and graduated from the master’s program at the Universite Paris 8 and studied film production at the National Film Institute. After his return to Korea, he made his commercial debut with Interview (Interview) (2000) and directed The Scarlet Letter (Juhonggeulssi) in 2004.

Director Bio : Lee Jae-yong (1965- )

He graduated with a degree in Turkish from the Hankuk University of Foreign Studies and studied film directing at the Korean Academy of Film Arts. He made the short films, Genetics (Yujeon) (1990) and Mother’s summer (Eomeoniui-yeoreum) (1990) and received international recognition in 1991 for his Homo Videocus which he directed in collaboration with director Byeon Hyeok. He directed Story of a City (Han dosiui iyagi) in 1994, a film with a unique structure which filmed a day in Seoul through the lens of various different cameras, but could not have it open in theaters because of financial difficulties. In 1998, he made a successful debut as a director of commercial movies with the film, An Affair (Jeongsa), starring Lee Mi-suk and Lee Jung-jae. Afterward, he also directed Asako in Ruby Shoes (Sunaebo) (2000) and Untold Scandal (Seukaendeul: Joseon-namnyeo-sangnyul-jisa ) (2003).