TUNNEL UK Premiere Director Kim Seong Hun Q&A in 1st London East Asia Film Festival

TUNNEL UK Premiere Director Kim Seong Hun Q&A. As part of the Official London East Asia Film Film Selection, Dir. Kim Seong Hun’s film TUNNEL was screened at the Curzon Soho, London. The film’s cast includes well known names of Ha Jung Woo and Bae Doona. The film told the story of a KIA car salesman who while going to his work goes through a near death experience when he gets trapped under a collapsed tunnel in his car. Dir. Kim Seong Hun also attended the film screening and took part in an interesting conversation during the question and answer session at the end of the film.

Question: What is the origin of this story? Is it based on any real event?

Kim Seong Hun: It is actually based on a novel but to make the film more entertaining and full of suspense, I added in a few elements of my own.

Question: How did you come across the novel?

Kim Seong Hun: Just after finishing my previous film A HARD DAY (2014), I was recommended this novel by some one and was told that this story needs to be told in the present society of Korea. While reading the novel, it grabbed my interest and I decided to make a movie based on it.

Question: You have dealed with different themes in the movie like corruption and exploitation. Would you care comment on that?

Kim Seong Hun: I wish that what ever happened in this movie like the elements of corruption and exploitation, stays in this movie and doesn’t happen in reality. I have dealed with some very sensitive and painful issues in this film, but at the same time I added in some humour so that the audience can stomach it. I mainly wanted to send forward a message through the humour involved.

Question: How did you go about casting in the movie because you have two very remarkable actors who are known worldwide. Were they your first choice or was there some one else you were looking for?

Kim Seong Hun: Actually, I had the main cast in my mind ever since the day I was born! Just joking! I casted Ha Jung Woo and Bae Doona because they are very good at what they do. They have mastered the art of performance and can execute perfectly any kind of situation on screen with perfection.

Question: Did you ever consider finishing the film with an alternative ending which would have been a tragic one? I think it would have had more impact.

Kim Seong Hun: I agree with your comment. I do confess that there was a part of me which was willing to end this film with a tragic ending, but looking at the tragic events and incidents which happened in Korea and are happening around the world, I thought that an ending showing hope and continuation of life would be much better.

Question: I think your previous film A HARD DAY is one of the best comedy films out there which I have watched. I was wondering, was the actress Kim Hae Sook who played the character of the minister is an analogy of the current President of Korea?

Kim Seong Hun: Thank you for complementing me on my film A HARD DAY as being one of the best comedy films. I would say that what you think of the character of the minister as being a stand in for the current president of Korea is totally your perception of it.

Question: What was the Box Office reaction in Korea, and was there a political backlash on it afterwards?

Kim Seong Hun: Box Office reaction for me was much better than my previous film A HARD DAY which succeeded in doing business through 3.4 million attendees, while TUNNEL succeeded in attracting 7.12 million attendees which is double the previous amount. As far as political back lash is concerned, I did hear many people make comments about it but I turned a deaf ear to them. The conservative newspapers in Korea got a lot of people writing about the film which is actually not based on facts as no completed tunnel has ever collapsed anywhere in Korea.

Question: What is it that attracted you audience to come and watch your film?

Kim Seong Hun: I think the fun factor attracted the audience. The topic that I chose is a very heavy one so I had to deal with it in a lighthearted manner. I wanted people to talk about these issues shown in the film and bring an awareness among them. These are also the factors that brought the people to the cinema.

Question: I was wondering how you conveyed the film stylistically involving emotions and the space?

Kim Seong Hun: This film, compared to my previous one A HARD DAY shows someone trapped in a very confined space. The point I wanted to make was that there are life forms that live in similar situation of a confined space and move around and overcome the difficulties they face. It doesn’t matter how big the space is or how small it is. If you have a good story and actors, you can show the best in a very limited environment like I did with a man in a car trapped in a collapsed tunnel.

Question: How was it filming with all the dust around the actors?

Kim Seong Hun: In order to protect the civil rights of the actors I had to use edible dust like bean powder, which was actually used when Ha Jung Woo’s character is stuck in the car which is a very confined space. But where there was a large amount of space where the car gets crushed in the tunnel, well, I would not comment on that!

Question: Can you talk about the use of visual effects and how you made the studio sets and locations?

Kim Seong Hun: The production budget for this movie is 7.9 billion Korean Won which is massive for any Korean film made. The tunnel used for filming is an actual tunnel which is not in use anymore. We paved the roads and added fans on the ceiling including the lights on the tunnel to make it as realistic as possible. There was some use of CGI which involved the showing of the falling of rocks and the collapse itself. I think CGI looks best on marvel films but for a film like this one, this technology is not quite there yet.

Question: Are you working on your next project?

Kim Seong Hun: I will not talk much about my next project as it is very sensitive at the moment, but I can tell you that it will take its form soon. As I have to travel around to other European countries to promote my film, I will be returning to Korea in mid november. Till that time I think my next project will become more concrete.

The Title Image is courtesy of KoBiz.

TUNNEL UK Premiere Director Kim Seong Hun. TUNNEL UK Premiere Director Kim Seong Hun. TUNNEL UK Premiere Director Kim Seong Hun. TUNNEL UK Premiere Director Kim Seong Hun