A cinematic delight for movie enthusiasts, this documentary chronicles the genesis of Bong Joon-ho’s first short movie during a period of immense passion for cinema in South Korea.
Netflix has a special treat for devoted Korean cinema fans. The streaming platform released the initial trailer on Tuesday for the upcoming documentary titled Yellow Door: 90s Lo-fi Movie Club. It is described as a tribute to the golden era of Korean cinephilia (you can watch the trailer below).
Directed by Lee Hyuk-rae, this new documentary transports viewers back to Seoul in the 1990s, a time when movie clubs were flourishing on college campuses in Korea. These clubs provided young students with a creative platform to explore and analyze the art of cinema. Much of today’s global fascination with Korean popular culture can be traced back to this influential and unrestricted era. South Korea had recently emerged from the aftermath of the student pro-democracy protests of the 1980s, often brutally suppressed by the former authoritarian government. However, the 1990s marked a new and carefree era of increased freedom and cultural exploration among the country’s youth.
Yellow Door: ’90s Lo-fi movie Club revisits the reminiscences of individuals who were part of the Yellow Door movie Club during that era, a group that included the now-legendary director Bong Joon-ho, as well as the documentary’s director, Lee. Long before Bong Joon-ho became the acclaimed Oscar-winning director behind Parasite and Korea’s most renowned auteur, he was a vital member of this community of movie enthusiasts. Bong diligently oversaw the club’s video library, which housed a collection of cinematic masterpieces from across the globe.
In the trailer, Bong reflects on those days, stating, We were the first generation of cinephiles.
The documentary captures this brief period of unbridled movie passion in Korea and delves into the genesis of Bong’s very first short movie, a stop-motion animation titled Looking for Paradise, which was exclusively screened for Yellow Door Club members.
In the trailer, Bong Joon-ho reflects on that period, sharing, “It was my initial venture into crafting a narrative. Additionally, his fellow movie club associates acknowledge the profound impact of his early work. One member of the Yellow Door Club featured in the trailer remarks, The core elements of Director Bong’s movies were already evident in that piece,” while another adds humorously, “I had a hunch he would succeed… but not to this magnitude.
The world premiere of Yellow Door: 90s Lo-fi Movie Club is scheduled for the 28th Busan International Movie Festival, taking place from October 4 to October 13. Following its premiere, the documentary will be available to a global audience on Netflix starting on October 27. Source
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