Free screenings to honor late director Kim Chang-min

Movie Lab will host a free memorial screening of four films directed by Kim Chang-min at Film Forum in Seoul on the 7th of next month. The event marks the one-year anniversary of the director's death following an assault that led to a cerebral hemorrhage.

A memorial screening will be held to honor the late director Kim Chang-min, who passed away after losing consciousness due to a cerebral hemorrhage following an assault. One year after his sudden passing, four films directed by the late director will meet audiences again for free. While his life has ended, his perspective captured on camera and the stories he sought to convey to the world are expected to continue through his works.

Independent and short film distributor Movie Lab announced on the 9th via its official account that it will hold a memorial screening for director Kim Chang-min on the 7th of next month at 1:00 PM in Theater 1 of Film Forum in Seodaemun-gu, Seoul. This date marks the one-year anniversary of the director's death last year. The screening will feature four films directed by the late director, including 'Exit 3 of Guui Station', 'Nobody's Daughter', 'Boiler', and 'Reply', with no admission fee.

Movie Lab stated the purpose of the event, saying, "We are preparing this memorial screening to remember the late director Kim Chang-min, who tragically left our side due to an unforeseen incident last year." They further explained, "By watching the four works he left behind during his lifetime, we wish to once again encounter the director's perspective and heart contained in those works, and the stories he intended to convey to the world."

The distributor also conveyed a message of remembering the creator's traces through his work. "The fact that a film remains may mean that the heart and time of the person who made it stay with us for a long time through the work," Movie Lab said, requesting the interest and attendance of audiences who wish to remember the deceased and share his works. The screening is expected to be a time to reflect on the artistic records and traces of life left by a creator, moving beyond a simple re-watching of past works.

Audiences wishing to attend can fill out an application following the guidance posted on Movie Lab's official account. However, as seating is limited, applications may close early if there are many applicants. The event is organized by Movie Lab and supported by Film Forum, Central Park, IndieStory, and Dissolve Magazine.

The tragedy involving Director Kim occurred in the early morning of October 20 last year. While visiting a restaurant in Guri, Gyeonggi Province with his son, he became involved in an altercation with other customers and was subsequently assaulted. Although he was moved to a hospital, he was unable to regain consciousness due to a cerebral hemorrhage and ultimately passed away on November 7 of the same year. Having passed away suddenly, the late director gifted new lives to four people through organ donation before his final journey. The fact that he saved the lives of others despite the tragic incident has left a deeper sense of sorrow for those who remember him.

The legal judgment regarding the incident is nearing its conclusion. At the final hearing held on the 8th by the Criminal Division 1 of the Namyangju Branch of the Uijeongbu District Court, the Public Prosecution Service sought sentences of 20 years and 15 years, respectively, for two men in their 30s who were detained and indicted on charges of assaulting and causing the death of Director Kim. The charges applied to them include murder and violations of the Welfare of Persons with Disabilities Act.

While the defendants admitted to parts of the assault, they are denying the murder charges, claiming they had no intention to kill. The prosecution's sentencing request is distinct from the court's final judgment, and the first instance sentencing hearing is scheduled to be held on the 12th of next month. Attention is focused on the sentencing result, as legal judgments regarding responsibility and intent remain.

While the incident that took a person's life is still awaiting a final conclusion in court, the films left by Director Kim are preparing to meet audiences again. This memorial event, screening four works for free, gains additional meaning as it serves as a venue to remember him not merely as a victim of a tragic incident, but as a creator who made films and recorded the world through his own perspective.

Read the original (Korean)