TOKYO FILMeX

The Flight of the Bee
Min Byoung-hun (Director)

A small bee has flown across borders to appear on the silver screen here in Tokyo. Korean director Ming Byon-fun and Tajikistani director Djamshed Usmonov co-directed The Flight of the Bee in 1998. Filmed in sepia, the film is the subtly-told story of an elementary school teacher's struggles against the oppression of a rich and influential man in a small village in Tajikstan. We interviewed Ming about this film made on a low budget of US$ 60,000.
Ming's unique background as a graduate of the Russian State Institute of Cinematography makes him stand out, even among the many young Korean directors who have lived abroad.
"It all started when I failed the college entrance exam twice. I had no choice but to serve in the army and when I completed my service, I wanted to go to film school. But from my previous experiences, I thought that I was not made to go to school in Korea. I wanted to study not only the technical aspects of film, but also its essence, and that is why I chose to study in Russia."
Usmonov happened to live one floor above Ming in the college dormitory. Working part-time at a subway construction site, Ming dreamt of becoming a film director one day. Usmonov, the passionate Tajikstan and Ming, the mild-mannered Korean, got along well and agreed to make a small but true film together. This was in the autumn of 1997. "I liked Usmonov's The Well, shot in his The Well is a short film shot in 1991 before the collapse of the Soviet Union. A father who has become nothing but a burden on his family decides to dig a well to free his son from the chore of carrying water from the well for the family. In The Flight of the Bee, an elementary school teacher tries to protest against his rich and vulgar neighbor by digging a toilet right next to his neighbor's house. In both films, two simple and tactless men try express themselves by digging a hole, but the endings of the two films are in striking contrast.
"Usmonov wanted to make this a totally new and different film, but I was so in love with The Well, that I made this film into something like a sequel to it. Even though the stories are similar, I wanted to make a film with a totally different message. "
Most of the characters in the film are people from the village where the film was shot. Ming lived in the village for three months before starting to film, mingled with the villagers, and was able to make the film reflect his feelings about the village and his time spent there. Ming was in charge of filming and planned the scenes as well as general flow of the acting, whereas Usmonov directed the lines for the actors in the film.
Ming was also responsible for finding the funds for production. However, the filmmakers did not have enough money to cover the cost of printing the film, and had to take out a loan from a commercial finance company. The film was first shown at the Pusan International Film Festival and has been screened at film festivals in over 20 countries. It has also won many awards, including the Grand Prize at the Turin International Festival of Young Cinema. It was even screened last year in Korea, a country where most believe that "black and white art films are not made for the movie business." The Well also received funds from a European foundation so that it can be completed. "What we have felt from the responses of audiences at film festivals all over the world is much greater than the awards and the money. I feel much more confident about making independent films this way." Ming's words truly reflect on the future of independent films through global networking.
After attending FILMeX, Ming left immediately for Uzbekistan where he is filming a new film called It's Okay, Don't Cry about a "chronic liar". "From my experiences in Tajikstan, I am confident that differences in language and culture do not change the purity of human nature. Moreover, I think films that try to show cultural specificities only look like commercial products. I am not trying to portray the culture of a certain region, I only want to tell the stories of people as who they are. I think that as long as I can make that portrayal, I can make a film. For example, I believe I could make a film in a Japanese village too." The bee also brought another present with it. The well dug for the film actually filled with water. Villagers were overjoyed, and decided to name the well after the two directors. The well is still in use today.

Junko Fukatsu (Journalist)

Director's Profile: Born in Seoul in 1969. He worked on several projects for television before directing a feature for the first time with The Flight of the Bee.