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Veteran director Im to reveal 'Hanji' this month

By Lee Hyo-won
Staff Reporter

JEONJU ― Im Kwon-taek's latest project, "Dalbit Gireo Oligi" ("Hanji"), was unfortunately not ready to premiere at the 11th Jeonju International Film Festival, but is expected to be completed within a month.

"It's not that JIFF didn't give us enough money; there were delays, as if bad spirits were interfering", the veteran filmmaker said chuckling, Friday, about the festival producing the project. "I've been putting off some things but I'll try my best so that I can show it within a month".

"There always seem to hurdles in completing works of high artistic caliber", said JIFF festival director Min Byung-lok.

Some 200 members of the press and VIP guests including actors Ahn Sung-ki and Cho Jae-hyun were spotted at the party celebrating the project about hanji or Korean traditional paper. The festival's involvement in the film is particularly meaningful since the city of Jeonju is famous for the handmade paper.

"We're wrapping up the shoot, and the director is apologizing about the delay but I'm actually sorry to see it coming to an end. The shooting process was wonderful and I didn't really understand what the title meant at first but now I can appreciate the moon every day", said actress Kang Soo-yeon about reuniting with Im after 20 years. She won the Best Actress award at the Venice Film Festival for the director's "Sibaji" ("The Surrogate Woman", 1987).

Her co-star Park Joong-hoon said he had initially been nervous about working with the director for the first time. "But this is the director's 101st film. He was like a loving father, and I think the warmth will permeate through the film itself", he said.

Park stars as a middling civil servant who applies for a hanji-related project in hopes of a promotion but becomes obsessed with its beauty. Kang plays the role of a documentary filmmaker who meets him while working on a story about the traditional art.

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