임권택 林權澤
Film director known for Seopyeonje and Chihwaseon, winner of the Best Director prize at Cannes in 2002
| Life | 1934 |
| Era | 현대 |
| Clan | 나주 임씨 |
Life & career
Im Kwon-taek (b. 1934) is a South Korean film director of the Naju Lim clan. He was born on 8 December 1934 in Jangseong, South Jeolla, though his registered birth date is given as 1936. He entered film in 1953 as a props assistant and debuted in 1962 with Farewell to the Duman River.
He is said to have made some fifty films in the 1960s alone, and from around Weeds (1973) turned toward Korean sensibility. Representative works include Mandala (1981), Surrogate Woman (1986), Seopyeonje (1993), The Taebaek Mountains (1994), Chunhyang (2000), Chihwaseon (2002) and Revivre (2015).
For Chihwaseon he won Best Director at the 55th Cannes Film Festival in 2002, and in 2005 received an honorary Golden Bear at Berlin. He directed the 2014 Incheon Asian Games ceremonies, and in 2008 Dongseo University created the Im Kwon-taek College of Film and Performing Arts. This entry sticks to verifiable public facts.
Entering Film
He started in 1953 as a props assistant, worked in the directing team under Chung Chang-wha and became a director with Farewell to the Duman River in 1962. Earlier he is said to have worked as a porter and boot seller in Busan.
Major Works
Mandala (1981) was invited to Berlin and Surrogate Woman (1986) won Kang Su-yeon the Best Actress prize at Venice. Later works include the General's Son series, Seopyeonje (1993), The Taebaek Mountains (1994), Chunhyang (2000), Low Life (2004), Beyond the Years (2007) and Dalbit Gireolligi (2011); he is said to have directed 101 films by 2011.
Awards and Honors
He won the Cannes Best Director prize for Chihwaseon in 2002 and an honorary Golden Bear at Berlin in 2005. Honors include the Gold Crown Order of Cultural Merit (2002) and the French Chevalier of the Legion of Honour (2007).
Grave
Living person.