CHAN-WOOK PARK-Thirst
With Cannes announcing its line up in April, interest for film makers around the globe is booming while media tries to figure up the ones that may be selected for a slot in its competititve Official Section. Many of the most renowned world authors got their batteries recharged and new project to launch. Particularly promising, once more and after years of international overexposure are Oriental filmographies with a number of high profile project with crossover potential.
The most exciting of them all is Chan-Wook Park tackling Vampire territory in “Thirst”. The Korean master’s overstylized and violent cinematography reached its peak during his acclaimed Vengeance trilogy and looks set to give a needed overhaul to the traditional horror subgenre. Fellow Korean Bo Joon-Ho returns with “Mother” to his usual violent crime stories of past films like “Memories Of Murder”.
From Japan, the acclaimed young director of such philosophical works as “Afterlife”, Hirokazu Kore-Eda, got his last two movies waiting for Western distribution. The first of them “Still Waiting” went to win a myriad of awards in Asia and Latin America; the latest one “Air Doll” is probably being launched shortly in the festival circuit.
Other recent favourite among Asia’s new authors, Thai Apitchapong Weerasethakul is currently filming “Primitive”, the follow-up to “Syndromes and a century”.