Lee Chang-dong_Burning Papers_Taiwan Exclusive

【Synopsis】 In 2021, *Korean Screen* invited over 158 professional film critics from 28 countries to vote for the "Top 100 Films in Korean Cinema History." *Parasite* ranked second, while Lee Chang-dong's *Burning*, *Poetry*, and *Peppermint Candy* secured spots within the top 10, ranking first, eighth, and ninth respectively! Before his career as a director, he was a novelist. This collection, *Burning Papers*, features 11 short stories written between 1983 and 1987. This was a tumultuous period in Korean history, marked by the Gwangju Uprising, student movements, and democratic protests. Lee Chang-dong wove these grand historical events and the lives of ordinary people into his narratives, choosing literature as his medium to document the "era." The stories depict what is most easily hidden and forgotten amidst the surging tides of history—the authentic lives of everyday citizens. Lee Chang-dong's pursuit of literary realism, infused with a compassionate perspective, goes beyond merely posing questions; it continuously explores pathways forward, much like his films. These 11 moving short stories are like 11 micro-films etched into the heart! Literary creation differs from historical records. History aims to reveal, while literature conceals, burying its essence deep within the soil like roots. Eventually, it blossoms into flowers that even the author, you, and I could never have foreseen. How does one live as a human within the zoo of lost paradise? This, too, is a dose of Yangsan [a reference to Lee's film *Secret Sunshine*] that Lee Chang-dong offers us. — Lin Xi Lee Chang-dong's prose is like a vortex with immense gravitational pull, drawing your thoughts inward. — Yang Zhi-lin | Director Hei Lee Chang-dong's Awards: 2002 *Oasis* - Best Director, 59th Venice Film Festival 2007 *Secret Sunshine* - Best Director, 2nd Asian Film Awards 2010 *Poetry* - Best Screenplay, 63rd Cannes Film Festival - Best Director, 5th Asian Film Awards - Best Director, 4th Asia Pacific Screen Awards 2018 *Burning* - FIPRESCI Prize, Cannes Film Festival Heartfelt Recommendations: Lin Xi - Lyricist Choi Moo-soon - Professor, Graduate Institute of Taiwan Literature, National Chengchi University Chen Jian-rong - Author of *Talking About Life's Important Matters with Children Through Movies* Tseng Li-fen - Founder, Golden Scene Productions Limited Yang Zhi-lin | Director Hei - Director, Screenwriter Kuan Chieh-chieh - Chairman, Taiwan Film Critics Society Chiu Yu-ning - Producer, Director Lan Tsu-wei - Veteran Film Critic, Chairman of the Board, National Film and Audiovisual Center of Taiwan (Listed in order of stroke count of the first character of their name) 【Author's Biography】 Lee Chang-dong Novelist, Director, Screenwriter. He began his literary career early on, receiving the Korean Daily Literary Award. He started making films in 1997. His representative works include *Green Fish*, *Peppermint Candy*, *Oasis*, *Secret Sunshine*, *Poetry*, *Burning*, among others. In 2002, he won Best Director at the 59th Venice Film Festival for *Oasis*. In 2007, he received Best Director at the 2nd Asian Film Awards for *Secret Sunshine*. In 2010, *Poetry* earned him Best Screenplay at the 63rd Cannes Film Festival, Best Director at the 5th Asian Film Awards, and Best Director at the 4th Asia Pacific Screen Awards. In 2018, *Burning* received the FIPRESCI Prize at the Cannes Film Festival. In addition to his work as a director and writer, Lee is also a university professor, producer, and former Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism of South Korea. 【Translator's Biography】 Kim Ran Korean Literature Translator. Real name Kim Hak-chul, born in 1972 in Hunchun City, Jilin Province, China. He has served as a reporter/editor for China's *Yanji Evening News*, Editor-in-Chief of South Korea's *Chinese Weekly*, and a full-time lecturer in the Tourism Chinese Department at Suwon Science University in South Korea.