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'The Battleship Island' director, producer bolt from filmmakers' guilds

  • Published : Aug 8, 2017 - 16:58
  • Updated : Aug 8, 2017 - 16:58

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"The Battleship Island" director Ryoo Seung-wan (Left) and Kang Hye-jung, head of the film's production company Filmmaker R&K (Yonhap)
The director and producer of South Korean blockbuster "The Battleship Island" have bolted from several filmmakers' guilds, according to sources Tuesday, amid a screen monopoly controversy surrounding the movie.

Director Ryoo Seung-wan and Kang Hye-jung, head of production company Filmmaker R&K, have withdrawn their affiliations with the Directors Guild of Korea, Korean Film Producers Association and Women In Film Korea, industry sources with inside knowledge told Yonhap News Agency.

Since its late July release, "The Battleship Island," which sheds light on the dark history of Japan's Hashima Island during World War II, has stormed the local box office, shattering the previous opening-day box office record and selling 6.17 million tickets to date.

But the film has rekindled a years-long dispute over big-budget films' monopoly of screens that stifles competition and impedes diversity. "Battleship Island" on its opening day took up about 80 percent of 2,758 movie screens around the country, receiving the biggest screen allotment for a single film.

Kang said she withdrew from the guilds on concerns that her latest work could become an impediment in the discussion surrounding box office monopolies.

"I bolted as I was concerned that 'The Battleship Island' could be troubling when each organization is issuing official statements on the screen monopoly issue," Kang told Yonhap News Agency over the phone.

She further added: "As a person working in this business for over 20 years, I know that it is a pressing matter to debate and organize a system (that addresses the problem)."

Ryoo is now visiting Singapore with the cast, including Hwang Jung-min, Song Joong-ki and So Ji-sub, to promote the film.
"I think he's had a change of heart following the controversy," a person close to Ryoo said.

Ryoo, a critically and commercially well-respected filmmaker whose works include "The Unjust" (2010), "The Berlin File" (2013) and "Veteran" (2015), through interviews has apologized for his work coming center stage in the screen monopoly issue.

Though having sold over 6 million tickets, "The Battleship Island" is one of the most expensive South Korean films to date.

Against a budget of 25 billion won ($22.3 million), the movie has to sell more than 7 million tickets to break even. (Yonhap)

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