Actor Park Hae-il attended an event commemorating his feature film debut amid the complete cancellation of Busan International Film Festival schedules for his new movie "The Assassin(s)."
On October 8, Park Hae-il took part in a Community BIFF event at the 31st Busan International Film Festival held at Megabox Busan Theater in Jung-gu, Busan, appearing as a lead actor from the film "Waikiki Brothers." Organized to mark the 30th anniversary of director Yim Soon-rye's feature directorial debut, the event saw Park take the stage alongside director Yim.
After greeting the audience members in attendance, Park Hae-il showed warmth and friendliness, saying, "I even went to see Bukangi." During the Q&A session that followed the screening, he expressed his deep affection for his debut film "Waikiki Brothers" and shared stories from the production process and personal anecdotes with director Yim Soon-rye.
Park Hae-il also shared his perspective on cinema at the gathering, stating, "Where cinema will take a person like me, what emotions it will make me feel, and what thoughts, directions forward, and perspectives on life I might evoke in those watching... To me, cinema itself feels like a truly profound and mysterious presence."
Originally a theater actor, Park Hae-il made his big-screen debut in 2001 with "Waikiki Brothers" and has since established himself as one of South Korean cinema's leading actors.
Park Hae-il had originally been slated to attend the Busan International Film Festival alongside the director and fellow cast members for his new film "The Assassin(s)." However, in the wake of recent controversies surrounding alleged historical distortion, the related events were completely canceled after some members of conservative organizations visited actor Yoo Hai-jin's house to stage protests, among other actions. Regardless of the cancellation of events for "The Assassin(s)," Park Hae-il attended the scheduled audience gathering for "Waikiki Brothers," honoring his loyalty to director Yim Soon-rye.
Despite the controversy, "The Assassin(s)" surpassed 3 million moviegoers nationwide within 20 days of release.
(SBS Entertainment News | Kim Ji-hye)
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