A scene from the comedy film "Pilot," in which actor Jo Jung-suk plays a cross-dressing man Courtesy of Lotte Entertainment Women filmmakers shine with 3 of 7 profitable films this year By KTimes The comedy film "Pilot," which premiered on July 31, has drawn 3.21 million viewers as of Aug. 13, making it the highest-grossing Korean film of the summer and the third highest-grossing Korean film of the year.
The film has already surpassed its break-even point of 2.2 million viewers. The success is attributed to the combination of Jo Jung-suk's witty performance as a cross-dressing man and the skillful direction of Kim Han-gyeol.
With the success of "Pilot," seven Korean commercial films released this year have now turned a profit. The other six are "Citizen of a Kind" (1.71 million viewers), "Exhuma" (11.
91 million viewers), "The Roundup: Punishment" (11.5 million viewers), "Following," "Handsome Guys" (1.77 million viewers, still in theaters), and "Escape" (2.
55 million viewers, still in theaters). "Pilot" marks the third successful film directed by a woman this year, following "Citizen of a Kind" (directed by Park Young-joo) and "Following" (directed by Kim Se-hwi). In an industry where female-directed commercial films are still rare, this achievement stands out.
The ongoing struggle in the film industry has led to the sentiment: "What would we do without female directors?" This success is expected to draw more attention to female directors who have traditionally been marginalized in mainstream cinema. Director Kim Han-gyeol, who directed the film "Pilot" / Courtesy of Lotte Entertainment Dominance in indie film scene While female directors have had limited opportunities in commercial cinema, they have long been dominant in the independent film sector. The influence of female directors is also evident in the Wildflower Film Awards, which focus on films with budgets under 1 billion won.
Over the past four years, from 2021 to this year, female-directed films have won the Grand Prize each year (with one joint win with a male director). The disparity between commercial and independent films is highlighted in the Korean Film Council's report. Out of 183 domestic films released last year, only 49 were directed by women, and among these, only one was a commercial film.
Given that only 91 out of 550 full members of the Directors Guild of Korea are women, the number of female-directed commercial films is still disproportionately low. Shim Jae-myung, CEO of Myung Films, said, "Female directors have strengths, such as dealing with stories in depth, but many investors and production companies still question whether they can handle commercial films. "Citizen of a Kind," tells the story of a group of middle-aged women who team up to take down a voice phishing organization.
Courtesy of Showbox Glass ceiling remains The commercial success of "Citizen of a Kind," "Following," and "Pilot" is expected to be a turning point in the film industry, reducing doubts about female directors and opening up more opportunities for them. Kim Sun-ah, president of Women in Film Korea, expressed optimism, saying, "Female directors can develop new narratives through female characters, different from male-dominated commercial films, which will positively impact the film industry." Shim added, "These three films offer a fresh take on genres that Korean cinema has already explored, which will contribute to changing perceptions about female directors.
" However, some argue that the "glass ceiling" still exists for female directors, particularly when it comes to directing large-scale productions. "The Point Man" (2023) is the first and only female-directed film with a production budget exceeding 10 billion won ($7.5 million).
"Citizen of a Kind," "Following," and "Pilot" all had production budgets under 10 billion won. Kim said, "The glass ceiling will truly disappear when female directors regularly take on large-scale productions. It is also crucial to create an environment where female filmmakers can establish themselves on set, including implementing practical measures for preventing sexual harassment.
" The film "Following" garnered attention for its unique narrative approach, which avoids glorifying the male protagonist and does not clearly distinguish between the perpetrator and the victim. Courtesy of Content Zio This article from the Hankook Ilbo, sister publication of The Korea Times, is translated by generative AI and edited by staff at The Korea Times..
