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[Press Release] Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival to Dedicate this Year's Actor Retrospective to Choi Min-sik

Established himself as Korea's most iconic actor: Choi Min-sik

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"Shiri" highest box office record in Korean films at the time (5.82 million),

"The Admiral: Roaring Currents" holding the current Korean box office record of all times (17.6 million, May 2023), "Chihwaseon", first Korean film history to win Palme D'Or for Best Director at Cannes Film Festival's Competition, Oldboy won the Grand Prix at Cannes Film Festival

From innocent and naive to diabolical and meticulous, since his debut he has impersonated countless facets of the human nature - Choi Min-sik. He will be the guest of honor at the 27th Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival (BIFAN, Festival Director SHIN Chul). The festival has announced that this year's Actor Retrospective will be dedicated to Choi Min-sik. BIFAN programmer MO Eunyoung explained the decision: "Like no other Korean actor Choi Min-sik is the representing face of Korean cinema; he is Korean cinema himself. In every movie he starred in, he shows his acting skills go beyond his limits in playing unique characters. Thus, he has contributed significantly to the rise of Korean cinema. The movies that will be shown during the retrospective will be selected by Choi Min-sik himself. Besides Q&A sessions with the audience after the screenings, Choi Min-sik will give a masterclass. Also, a special booklet will be published". "Let's discover a new side of Choi Min-sik that we haven't seen before". BIFAN programmer MO Eunyoung expressed her expectations.

Choi Min-sik is the actor who spearheaded the revival and ultimately the rise of Korean cinema. He has been praised by audience and critics alike for his outstanding acting skills beyond limits. Kim Sung-kyun, who acted with Choi Min-sik in "Nameless Gangster" said about him: "Like an endlessly winding canyon in the mountains he is an actor who can bend himself over and over again". Jeong Ji-woo, director of "Happy End" said about Choi Min-sik: "He is like a spear who can pierce anything. He is able to turn the impossible into possible".

During his career, Choi Min-sik has received more than 30 awards for his acting, including three times the Daejong Film Awards (1999, 2004, 2014), three times the Baeksang Arts Awards (1999, 2004, 2015), three times the Blue Dragon Film Awards (2001, 2003, 2012), and three times the Korean Association of Film Critics Awards (2001, 2004, 2014). In 1999, he established himself as Korea's representative actor in "Shiri" setting the record for the highest-grossing film of the time with 5.62 million admissions. "The Admiral: Roaring Currents" where he plays the role of Admiral Yi Sun-shin, has been holding the Korean box office record with 17.6 million admissions (May 2023, source: Korean Cinema Ticket Computer Network) for 10 years. "Chihwaseon" was the first movie in Korean film history to win the Palme D'Or for Best Director at Cannes Film Festival's Competition in 2002, and Oldboy took the Grand Prix in Cannes a year later.

Choi Min-sik debuted in the feature "Guro Arirang" (1989) that depicts aspects of the Korean labor movements and oppression in the 1980s making it a much-talked-about movie back then. He received attention for his role as true-to-life teacher Kim in "Our Twisted Hero" (1992), as foul-mouthed prosecutor Ma Dong-pal in "No. 3" (1997), as eccentric uncle in "The Quiet Family" (1998), as North Korean special agent Park Mu-young in "Shiri" (1999), as jobless husband Seo Min-ki in "Happy End" (1999), as low rank gangster Kang-jae in "Failan" (2001), as eccentric genius painter Jang Seung-eop in "Chihwaseon" (2002), as unlucky Oh Dae-su in "Oldboy" (2003), as trumpet player Hyeon-woo in "Springtime" (2004), as aging boxing star Kang Tae-sik in "Crying Fist" (2005) and many more.

He later starred in I Saw the Devil (2010) as serial killer Jang Kyeong-cheol, in "Nameless Gangster" (2012) as former corrupt customs official and master of adaptation Choi Ik-hyeon, in "The New World" (2012) as head of the police investigation department Kang, in "The Admiral: Roaring Currents" (2014) as heroic admiral Yi Sun-shin, in "The Tiger: An Old Hunter's Tale" (2015) as greatest smuggler in Joseon CHeon Man-deok, in "The Mayor" (2017) as mayor of Seoul Byeon Jong-goo, in "Heaven: To the Land of Happiness" (2019) as prison escapee 203, in "Forbidden Dream" (2019) as extraordinary scientist Jang Yeong-sil, and in "In Our Prime" (2022) as genius mathematician who defected from North Korea Ri Hak-seong among many others.

Together with Moon So-ri, Park Chul-min, and Yoo Seung-ho he performed as voice actor in the feature animation movie "Leafie, A Hen Into The Wild" (2011), which Oh Seong-yoon directed. Choi Min-sik also worked with Scarlett Johansson and Morgan Freeman in French box office director Luc Besson's Lucy (2014). He recently entered the global market by starring in Disney+ Original Korean crime series "Big Bet" as casino legend Cha Moo-sik, together with Son Sukku and Lee Dong-hwi.

The 27th BIFAN will be held in Bucheon from June 29th to July 9th, 2023. The festival's main venue will be Bucheon City Hall, movies will also screen at the CGV Sopoong, the Korean Manhwa Museum, and Megabox Bucheon Starfield City. Online screenings will be available on Wavve. The XR section Beyond Reality will take place at Bucheon Art Bunker B39. July 1st is the 50th anniversary of Bucheon becoming a city. Together with the audience and the citizens of Bucheon BIFAN will prepare various events and special screenings.

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