KOCHI: Kim Ki-Duk, the maverick South Korean filmmaker who died due to Covid-19 in Lativa, is a household name among both serious watchers of cinema and casual filmgoers in Kerala. The packed houses during the screening of Kim’s movies at the International Film Festival of Kerala (IFFK), Thiruvananthapuram, were a pointer to his stratospheric popularity among Malayalis.
The thematic treatment in his works had won critical acclaim and multitudes of fanatical worshippers in the state. Arguably, 59-year-old Kim Ki- Duk, fondly called ‘Kimki’ by legions of his Malayali fans, could be singularly credited with having elevated the IFFK to the present-day cult status it enjoys — an annual must-see fixture on Kerala’s cultural calendar.
This had prompted the IFFK organisers to invite him as a chief guest in the 2015 edition of the film festival. As soon as the news broke out on Friday evening, social media pages of Malayali movie lovers were filled with condolence messages lamenting the passing away of their favourite director. Dr Biju, award-winning filmmaker and a close friend, said he was trying to get a confirmation on the demise of Kim Ki-duk since the news broke out.
“For the last twothree weeks, I’ve been trying to contact him. I know that he was in Latvia. I had offered him a role in my new film and wanted to persuade him to enact that character. If the news is true, it’s a great loss,” Biju told TNIE. In his condolence message, Culture Minister A K Balan said: “I still remember his participation in the IFFK held five years ago. Keralites always had a special liking for him, similar to the way they bestow upon their favourite directors.” Kim’s debut as a director was through the movie titled ‘Crocodile’ (1996), which was well received by movie critics in South Korea.
His international breakthrough was ‘The Isle’ which was featured at the Toronto International Film Festival. His ‘Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter... and Spring’ (2003) became a crowd puller in almost all festivals where it was screened. It also made him popular in Kerala, with his films becoming the major attractions of the IFFK editions. Many movie buffs even mention ‘Kim ee veedinte aishwaryam’, referring to the popularity of IFFK due to the presence of his movies.
“Before Kim, Malayalis followed Iranian films. With Kim, they were drawn to Korean films too. Kim loved his Malayalis too. After 2018 flood, when the govt. decided to cancel IFFK, Kim successfully pleaded not to do so. Kim and Kerala: an unusual love story,” twe e t e d wr i t e r N S Madhavan.