(LEAD) Park Chan-wook's short martial-arts film shot entirely on iPhone released

(ATTN: REMOVES composer's name in the penultimate para)
By Kim Boram

SEOUL, Feb. 18 (Yonhap) -- South Korean award-winning director Park Chan-wook's short film shot entirely on the latest iPhone was released online Friday.

"Life is But a Dream" is part of Apple's "Shot on iPhone" marketing campaign and Park's second iPhone-shot film since "Night Fishing," which won the Golden Bear for Best Short Film at the 61st Berlin International Film Festival.

Renowned filmmakers, such as Michel Gondry, Damien Chazelle, Peter Chan and Jia Zhangke, also took part in the campaign.

"In 2011, I made 'Night Fishing' using iPhone 4. I liked it so much and have made several shorts since then," the director said in an online press conference. "This time, I'm given a chance to make a new film shot on a device with advanced technology."

The 21-minute short was shot entirely on iPhone 13 Pro and stars Yoo Hai-jin, Kim Ok-vin and Park Jeong-min. Yoo and Park Jeong-min worked with the director for the first time and Kim for the second time following the Cannes Jury Prize-winning "Thirst" (2009).

"Life is But a Dream" revolves around an undertaker who awakens the ghost of an ancient swordsman while digging an abandoned grave to steal his coffin to carry out a funeral for a female warrior.

The director, known for distinctive cinematography and intense storytelling, said he felt free when thinking about shooting a film with a small smartphone.

He noted that "Life is But a Dream" is like a "feast" as it is an experiment to blend many genres, like horror, martial arts, fantasy, romantic comedy, with the Korean traditional musical of "pansori."

"It's hard to try such inventive experiments in a feature film project," he said. "But when making a short film, you can try anything that you can't do in a long one."

For the short film project, Park wrote the screenplay with his brother Chan-kyong, who also co-wrote the 2011 short film, and teamed up with his longtime crew members, including production designer Ryu Seong-hee, who participated many of Park's projects like "Oldboy" (2003) and "The Handmaiden" (2016).

"Life is But A Dream" is now available on YouTube.

brk@yna.co.kr
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