Kim Ji-woon, Brian Singer meet and greet at PIFF

South Korean director Kim Ji-woon and Hollywood director Bryan Singer are alike -- both producing seemingly completely different movies every time yet sealing each one their own.

Singer's stories range from shockingly twisted plots to mystery thrillers to superhero action flicks. It is quite difficult to think that "The Usual Suspect", "X-Men" and "Superman Returns" were all created by the same person, but Singer has established a brand of his own which is trusted because his stories are "all about mankind", as he says.

Kim too has always approached the audience with new genres -- from comedy to noir to western -- with "The Quiet Family", "The Foul King", "A Tale of Two Sisters", "A Bittersweet Life" and "The Good, the Bad, the Weird".

These two directors do not separate their creative activities according to their genre, nor do they have any fear in doing so. Were it not for the 14th Pusan International Film Festival (PIFF), we may have never found out that they both think "The Exorcist" is the best film ever made and that they both make the same evaluation about each other.

Below are excerpts from their press conference held in Busan, South Korea on Sunday.

Q: The PIFF is vibrant everyday with its various events but Saturday night is the hottest. How did you two spend your Saturday night?
Kim Ji-woon: Yesterday wasn't a 'hot' night for me. I had a cold night and slept early because I didn't have anywhere to go. (laugh) But as much as the PIFF is often called the sea of films or sea of drinking, I drank with Bryan Singer. Of course, we couldn't talk much because of my English. (laugh) But Bryan Singer really drank vodka endlessly.
Bryan Singer: I did drink a lot of vodka but so did Kim Ji-woon.
Kim: I drank water which looked like vodka. (laugh)

Q: It hasn't been that long yet but your memories are faltering. (laugh) I understand that you both greatly enjoy each other's films.
Singer: What is surprising about Kim's films are that they are different every time. If I had to pick my favorite, it would be "A Bittersweet Life". But I respect him so much that it's difficult to just choose one.
Kim: I think I've seen every one of Singer's movies except for his debut film "Public Access" which won an award at the Sundance Film Festival. What's amazing is that he is always successful in changing the genre and size of every film he makes. He might have the 'Midas touch'. Most of you may know him from "The Usual Suspects". I usually don't go back to watch films which have surprising twists but I realized what Singer is really about the second time I watched "Suspects". You'll be able to experience genius producing watching it. When I first heard he would be directing "X-Men", I thought he would develop on his style like Guy Ritchie but I was very surprised because it was unexpectedly very serious. The surprise was as strong and refreshing as if Michael Bay were to make a film about the human rights of colored races or Quentin Tarantino were to remake "The Sound of Music". He made "X-Men" into a film where he maintains his own style, yet outstandingly depicts the dilemma of the minority rather than turning it into a simple and stupid blockbuster. He endlessly describes how the minority collides with, and then makes peace with the tough existant world. I think Bryan Singer is not just a blockbuster director but a genius director with serious themes.

Q: We heard that you just completed a scenario for a Hollywood film and are meeting with a lot of people there to prepare for it. How are they different from Koreans in the movie industry?
Kim: It's impossible to predict the next step you'll get to take with Hollywood films. It's because of the difference in systems, or because I don't know their industry well enough. But I think all filmmakers have similar dispositions -- taking a liking to good movies and wanting to invest in movies that will make it big.

Q: You met actively with Korean filmmakers when you visited Korea this spring with "Valkyrie" and this time again at the PIFF. We're curious to know what the difference is between the Korean filmmakers and those in Hollywood that you've met.
Singer: The biggest difference is that Korea gives its directors more authority over the final edited version of the film. I think that in the Korean film industry, directors or the people who make films are given more freedom. A huge budget is invested into Hollywood films to there's a big risk to leaving everything up to the director. Therefore, the director's job is not just about making a good film but you also need additional skills to earn trust for your project from the studio. Kim said I'm unpredictable but I too can't make any predictions for myself. There are so many oarsmen that you never know where your ship will go.

Q: You both share the similarity in that you work within the framework of genre films. Is there a reason you like making genre films or any advantages to working on them?
Singer: I like science-fiction (SF) or fantasy because they fundamentally talk about mankind. We hear the normal stories about humans everyday so it's boring, but if you transform them in SF films, you can see new sides to them which you had never seen before. For example, "X-Men" touches on the issues of the structure of society and human relationships but also entirely new things which are impossible in the human world. It's fun achieving what is impossible in reality and also deceiving the audience. The audience think "X-Men" is a spectacular action film but it actually contains your story and my message.
Kim: If you have a genre, it means you've chosen your theme. If it's noir, it'll be about destruction, if horror, then fear about the world you can't see, and if love, then you'll talk about the fear and joy after you lose something. I believe genres themselves contain the theme. And there's the pleasure in reworking the cliches in genre films. Good films contain new cliches.

Q: A lot of people think directors are like superman on set but they actually aren't in real life. Sometimes they even seem lazy (laugh). Are you very different as a director versus the normal you?
Kim: I don't think there's much of a difference. (laugh) I'm not the type that is usually benevolent but turns into a tyrant like James Camron or Michael Bay on set. But I occasionally think I am more tougher on set. Usually, I'll wear layers of clothes even if I'm just a little cold and I agonize greatly over the pains I get from human relationships but I think I oversee those on set. It's like I become a superhuman who doesn't get hurt no matter what happens and just heads towards completing his film. It may be because of the sense of responsibility or to keep my promise with the actors, staff, audience and producers.
Singer: Normally, and on set, I have an obsession over control. It's not as bad as Michael Bay or James Cameron but I do think I'm tyrannical to an extent. (laugh) Like Kim said, I think the will to control comes from a sense of responsibility. I do try to rid myself of it when I come back to my daily life but it's difficult because I can't differentiate between the two. I even have my work in my hands when I go to sleep when making films so it's difficult to draw a line between the two worlds.

Q: A lot of people think it's a pity that Bryan Singer made "Superman Returns" instead of "X-Men 3".
Singer: I'm sorry I didn't make "X-Men 3". (laugh) I wanted to make it too but I really wanted to try making one of the "Superman" series. The first and second series of "X-Men" combined took six years to make although only four hours to watch. You only live life once anyway and I wanted to try as many things as possible so I chose "Superman Returns". But I'm currently in talks about returning to the "X-Men" series. I really love the cast including Hugh Jackman so I would really want to try it again.

Q: Kim, a remake version of your film "A Tale of Two Sisters" was released in Hollywood but it wasn't on a level which could satisfy the audience as well as the original film. What is the reason that, although Hollywood is creating remakes of so many Korean films, they aren't on the same level as the original?
Kim: Why do you have to ask me that... (laugh) There are probably many reasons but to take "Sisters" as an example, the theme was that one's memories were awakened by certain objects or spaces, although she did not want them to be. In some ways, such elements are not comprehensible and unacceptable in western ways of thinking. But more than anything, I think they failed to perfect how they deliver the story to the general public. I think they made an error in trying to explain the abstruse points within the film in a logical way. Just like when people lose the intial strong feelings and interest they had in a story when they start telling it to others. I think Martin Scorsese's remake of "Infernal Affairs" into "The Departed" is what could be called a real remake.

Q: Directors or actors often talk about the great food the country that they're visiting has. But that's cliche so I would like to ask each of you what food you don't like about each other's country.
Kim: I usually eat most things except cow intestines but the food I hate the most are hamburgers. Especially super-size hamburgers. It's so runny and keeps dropping onto your clothes. (laugh) I haven't tried a hamburger since I was in my 20s.
Singer: This question isn't fair. I'm the only American here and you're asking that question in front of so many people. (laugh) There's a lot of scary food in Korea. I tried sea cucumber yesterday in Busan and it was really weird.
Kim: I'm going to make him try 'gaebul' today. (laugh)

Reporter : Lee Ji-Hye seven@10asia.co.kr
Photographer : Chae ki-won ten@10asia.co.kr
Editor : Jessica Kim jesskim@asiae.co.kr