Director Skolimowski Turns 71
By Lee Hyo-won
Staff Reporter
JEONJU - South Korea's foremost indie and art film event, Jeonju International Film Festival (JIFF), celebrates its 10th anniversary through Friday in the North Jeolla Province city ― and the big birthday coincided with that of one of its special guests, Eastern European master director Jerzy Skolimowski.
The honored Polish auteur marked his 71st birthday, which fell on Tuesday, with a party and a retrospective featuring nine of his 22 films. About his first visit here, he said he was impressed by Korea's markedly different exoticism from the ambiance of Japan, Hong Kong or Macao. He was also happy with the selection of films in the JIFF retrospective, except for ``30 Door Key'' (1991) ― it was based on a famous Polish novel and should never have been translated to film, he said in a statement released by JIFF.
Born in Lodz, Poland in 1938, Skolimowski studied anthropology, history and literature at the University of Warsaw and eventually film at the Polish National Film School. A man of many talents, he is also a writer, painter and boxer. He became reputed through films including ``Walkover'' (1966), although ``Hands Up!'' (1967) was banned in Poland for its critical, anti-Stalinist point of view. Nevertheless, he earned international acclaim through Cannes award-winning films ``The Shout'' (1978) and ``Moonlighting'' (1982).
His films are noted for their social criticism, often featuring antisocial or marginalized figures, but Skolimowski said he was not a social commentator. He never associated himself with any social group and some people have even accused him of being a misanthrope. He enjoys solitude and relates better with animals. ``I once cried watching Robert Bresson's (mistreated donkey story) `Au hazard Balthazar,''' he said.
The ``lonesome'' filmmaker had disappeared altogether from the film scene, retreating to a life as a painter for 17 years. He poured all his passion into painting and didn't feel the desire to direct, he said. He has held exhibitions and industry icons such as Jack Nicholson and Dennis Hopper have acquired his work. ``It was a time to reestablish myself as an artist, and I felt reborn as a young artist,'' he said, adding that he was able to rediscover his energy for filmmaking.
Last year, he finally returned with ``Four Nights With Anna,'' which is about a timid man who is infatuated with a lovely nurse. He spies on her night and day, and one night, wanting to see her more closely, he sneaks into her room. Skolimowski met with the local audience Tuesday following the film's screening and said he was inspired by a simple line in a news article that said, ``a very shy, fainthearted man observed the woman he loved by climbing up to her window.''
When asked about what had changed during his hiatus in Poland, he simply said there have been great transformations, both political and economic. With the introduction of capitalism the population has grown, but also left social gaps ― and gangsters have emerged. But Skolimowski said that he will no longer delve into social or political themes in film; such current events are already rigorously dealt with by other filmmakers, he said.
Festivalgoers can catch the following screenings of Skolimowski's films. Tonight: ``Hands Up!'' at 5 p.m., Jeonju Cinema Town; and ``Four Nights With Anna'' at 8:30 p.m., Megabox Theater. Thursday at Jeonju Cinema Town: ``Barrier'' (1966) at 11 a.m.; ``Le Depart'' (1967) at 2 p.m.; and ``The Shout'' at 8:30 p.m. Finally, ``30 Door Key'' will show at 11 a.m., Friday, at Jeonju Cinema Town. Films are in Polish, English or French with English and/or Korean subtitles.