13 Facts About Song Il-gon

Long more popular abroad than in South Korea, Song was the first Korean filmmaker to win an award at the Cannes Film Festival.

Song Il-gon studied Fine Arts at the Seoul Institute of the Arts.

Song Il-gon was only the second Korean student to study at this institution which is known for prominent alumni such as Roman Polanski and Krzysztof Kieslowski.

Unable to deal with specifically Korean themes or history while in Poland, Song Il-gon turned to themes influenced by psychology and Western mythology.

Song Il-gon became the first Korean to win an award at the Cannes Film Festival with his short film Picnic, which was given the Jury Prize for Best Short Film.

Back in Korea, Song Il-gon was asked by the Seoul International Media Art Biennale to make a 50-second video clip to be screened on electronic billboards for one month.

Song Il-gon made Flush, about a teenage girl committing abortion in a public toilet.

Song Il-gon expanded the experimental digitally shot film into a 96-minute feature done entirely in one tracking shot.

In February 2007, Song Il-gon was reported to be working on a film with the working title of Telephone Girl.

However, in January 2008, Song Il-gon was reportedly in pre-production for a period horror film set during the Joseon dynasty entitled Sahwa.

In 2009 Song Il-gon turned to documentaries, telling the story of the Korean diaspora in Cuba in Dance of Time.

Song Il-gon contributed the titular short film to Sorry, Thanks, an omnibus film dealing with the profound relationships people establish with their pets.

Song Il-gon shot the documentary Forest of Time in Yakushima, Japan, a UNESCO World Heritage Site that is said to have inspired Hayao Miyazaki's animated film Princess Mononoke.