Japanese film festival asked to cancel screening of Kim Ki-duk film

Filmmaker Kim Ki-duk has been in hot water for allegedly sexually harassing and assaulting actresses. Korea Times file

By Dong Sun-hwa

Womenlink, a women's organization in Korea, has asked a Japanese film festival not to screen a movie by Kim Ki-duk, who allegedly sexually harassed and assaulted several actresses.

The organization released a statement on Friday targeting the Yubari International Film Festival, saying: "The festival's catchphrase is 'the funniest film festival in the world,' but it is not funny at all to disregard the sexual violence problems posed in the movie industry ― please cancel your plan to screen Kim Ki-duk's movie."

The festival has announced that Kim's "Human, Space, Time and Human" (2017) will be one of the three opening films for the event scheduled for Mar. 7 in Hokkaido. The festival centers on fantasy and science fiction movies, and is one of two such festivals in Japan.

The organization said the festival's decision could even be seen as an act that "shows its willingness to side with the assailant." The organization has also started a campaign on social media calling for the screening to be canceled.

Kim, an award-winning filmmaker with dozens of masterpieces including "Pieta," has been in the hot seat for allegedly sexually harassing and assaulting actresses. He accused three actresses who made allegations, as well as journalists, of defaming him. But the actresses and journalists have been cleared.

"Human, Space, Time and Human" is Kim's 23rd full-length film that stars Ahn Sung-ki and Jang Keun-suk. It revolves around people of different ages and careers traveling on a retired battleship and is known to contain an "arousing" scene, in which several men sexually assault a woman.

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