China-born Korean director Zhang Lu has a strong connection with Busan, from winning the New Currents award in 2005 with Grain In Ear to receiving the Busan Award for best film in last year’s inaugural Competition for Gloaming In Luomu.
He returned this year to take part in Cine Class, Busan’s series of on-stage talks with filmmakers.
Two of your films premiered back-to-back last year. Following the Busan win, you were named best director in Tokyo for Mothertongue. How do you keep your creativity and imagination flowing?
It’s always about space. I’ll only think of the characters and narratives once there’s a specific space that captivates me. It may be a space that I encounter from my daily routine and may end up being a location for my films if it draws me back repeatedly.
You’ve made films in different languages - Mandarin, Korean and Japanese – with local cast and crew. Why are you interested in language, which is a key theme in Mothertongue?
Language is everything. We live in a multi-lingual world where different languages embody unique emotions and expressions. While language is meant to facilitate communication, sometimes it can be a barrier. Only by confronting this linguistic paradox can we approach the truth.
You make mostly independent productions. How do you usually secure finance?
It’s very difficult like all independent filmmakers. I’m just lucky. There were times when it seemed impossible to find any money at all, yet a breakthrough would come up. As long as you have a genuine passion and unwavering dedication to cinema, funding tends to find its way to you. Gloaming In Luomu and Mothertongue were financed by a mix of local companies and friends.
What are you working on now? Will it be something totally different from what you’ve done previously?
I am working as a producer and executive producer for a young director who is an introvert. Most creators are reluctant to reveal details before a project is fully completed.
In Busan, you’ll take part in Cine Class. Do you enjoy interacting with film lovers?
I don’t like giving speeches. I’ll always ask organisers to get a moderator who can ask me questions. But I’m happy to take questions from the audiences who often help me form new ideas that hadn’t occurred to me before. Just as there is no single answer to life, there is no definitive answer to film.
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