[INTERVIEW] Director Joung Yumi discusses the inspiration behind her short films, career
2024-03-28Director Joung Yumi's short animation, "Circle," received an invitation to the 74th Berlinale Shorts, Germany, held from February 15-25 in 2024. This marks her fourth participation at the Berlinale, following her previous works "Math Test," "Love Games," and “House of Existence.”
‘’Circle’’ is about a girl that sketches a circle on the ground, and one by one, passersby step into it. Soon, the circle becomes crowded with people, each striving to remain inside its bounds. However, as soon as the girl returns and wipes away the circle, the people begin to disperse and continue on their paths.
Moreover, "Pado" (The Waves) has been selected as a nominee in the short film category of the International competition at Anima, the Brussels International Animation Film Festival in Belgium this year. The festival occurred from February 23 to March 3.
In "Pado," people gradually emerge one after another on the beach. Amidst the rhythmic pattern of the waves, each person engages in their own repeated actions. The sequence appears endless, yet eventually comes to a close. As everyone departs from the beach, only the soothing sound of the waves remains.
Her short animation, "Love Games," won the Grand Prix at Animafest Zagreb, while "Dust Kid" was published as a picture book and received the Bologna Ragazzi Award. Additionally, her piece "My Little Doll’s House" also secured the Bologna Ragazzi Award.
Joung Yumi works on creating stories with an intricate pencil drawing technique. Her unique approach of storytelling and technique caught my attention.
In an email interview conducted from February 29 to March 27, she delves into the inspiration behind her short films and reflects on her career.
1. What inspired you to pursue a career in animation?
The animation that interested me was not commercial animation but experimental animation. To try my hand at such work, I majored in painting at an art university. After graduating, I majored in animation directing at the Korean Academy of Film Arts and naturally continued working in animation.
2. What draws you to using a black and white aesthetic in your animations?
There are two reasons. First, I chose it for efficiency, and second, I chose it for the feeling it gives.
First, in terms of efficiency, animation requires drawing a lot of pictures. When I wanted to express the story freely, I had to make choices and focus on what I could do. Instead of focusing on expressing in color, I chose to create a more efficient and simple form of animation in black and white. This was a choice I made because I was more interested in refining and directing the story.
Second, I find the effect of black and white to be very appealing. Personally, I feel that the effect of black and white gives a more surreal feeling rather than a realistic one, even with detailed and intricate portrayals. I found it fascinating that, paradoxically, a detailed depiction could result in a more surreal feeling. Also, using black and white gave me a slightly uncomfortable yet intriguing feeling.
3. You have been invited in 2024 and in the past to the Berlinale Shorts, what do you believe are the reasons for selecting you?
Well, I'm not quite sure about the reasons for being selected. I'm not familiar with the criteria used by film festivals for their selections, and I don't actively pursue selection either.
Perhaps it's because the stories I create have a universality to them, meaning that viewers from outside Korea could understand the meaning of the stories just as much as Korean audiences.
4. What message do you aim to convey through your "Circle" and ‘’Pado’’ animation?
"Circle" and "Pado" have slightly different nuances. Recently, I've been interested in themes related to a sense of freedom. "Pado" ultimately speaks about how things in life, recurring within certain cycles, eventually come to an end. And "Circle" shows people breaking free from the constraints of a certain framework. In a way, I feel that these two works are connected in that sense.
Both works depict a departure from a certain framework, with people ultimately moving on to somewhere else. So, the feeling I wanted to convey was about how we leave behind certain frameworks and undergo changes. I think there's a slight connection between the two works in that regard.
5. Are the stories depicted in your animations inspired by real-life stories?
These animations are not about specific events but are allegorical about life. While not based on any specific incidents, they are inspired by feelings and meanings that are important to me in my life. So, you could say they are inspired by real-life stories, as they reflect my experiences and expressions of those feelings.
6. Can you share any insights into the future of animation and how you see the industry evolving?
Honestly, I can't say for sure, as I'm just focused on my work in animation. But I feel that animation will become even more diverse. If people who want to tell their own stories use animation as a tool for expression, I think animation will continue to be a great medium for such ''storytellers."
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