As director Jang Hang-jun of ‘Let’s Sell God’s Honey’ returns to the screen after 6 years, will he be able to ‘rebound’ the box office conquered by Japanese animation?
On the afternoon of the 28th, a press screening for the movie 'Rebound' (directed by Jang Hang-jun) was held at CGV Yongsan I'Park Mall in Yongsan-gu, Seoul. Director Jang Hang-jun, Ahn Jae-hong, Lee Shin-young, Jeong Jin-woon, Kim Taek, Jeong Geon-ju, Kim Min, and Ahn Ji-ho attended the press conference held after the preview.
'Rebound' is a miraculous story of 8 days during the 2012 National High School Basketball Tournament, when a new coach and 6 players of the weakest basketball team that no one paid attention to ran tirelessly. It is based on the true story of Busan Jungang High School's success in the 2012 Korea Basketball Association Long National Middle and High School Basketball Tournament.
On this day, director Jang Hang-jun introduced, "Let's sell honey from God, Yoon Jong-shin's imbo and Kim Eun-hee's tear-stained Maltese." He said, "My personality is not to be scared when a movie is released. This is quite scary. I think this work could become a posthumous work. Film directors don't know when they will debut or when they will debut." I started speaking.
He said, "I don't know how many films I'll make during my lifetime until I die. Being a director is a job where I don't know when I'll film my last film, or what I'll be remembered for. That's why there are only a very small number of directors my age left. His posthumous work is (this film) "I hope it will be next. I wonder if that kind of thought makes me scared."
Director Jang Hang-jun said, "I am deeply moved, but it was difficult to get investment. The production was canceled once, so the production company started at the end of 2012, so it took exactly 11 years from planning to production. I also invested 5 years. As you know, I occasionally do entertainment shows. I did it. I never thought it would come to this day, but I have overcome many hardships and am grateful to my many colleagues and staff,” he said, expressing his gratitude.
Director Jang Hang-jun, who was in charge of directing, returned to the screen six years after the movie 'A Night of Remembrance'. Through 'Rebound', he conveys a message of empathy and hope by depicting the brilliant growth story of a youth who falls and gets back up again with passion and spirit for loving basketball, with laughter and warm humanity.
Director Jang Hang-jun said, “The production process was like a rebound. It was dramatically revived after meeting Nexon.” He said, “Rather than saying I was confident, I thought I could capture the story without compromising its authenticity.” He added, "From the moment I first received the script, a directing concept popped into my head. This story, a true story, made my blood boil. I was more excited than scared about the path of Korean basketball movies that no one has been on."
In addition, coach Jang Hang-jun said, "It was our primary task. Although we believe that the majority of the audience does not greatly enjoy the intuition of basketball, our goal was to make even active players whose goal is basketball think 'the play is good'."
Director Jang Hang-jun said, "I received guidance and on-site coaching from numerous experts. The actors really rebounded. They sweated profusely and burned everything. I wanted former player Ha Seung-jin to see it, so I showed it to him. Former player Ha Seung-jin was surprised when he saw it." “He said, ‘It’s crazy,’ and said it was worthy of being seen by an active player. He also said it was so realistic.”
In addition, coach Jang Hang-jun said, "At the time, the referee spoke informally to the student athletes, and even that was realistic. He said he was reminded of the old days while watching the band that was popular among student athletes at the time. It is embarrassing to show basketball scenes anywhere. “He praised me for saying it was a scene without any meaning. That’s why I thought it might not be a posthumous film,” he said, making everyone laugh.
In the play, Ahn Jae-hong plays the role of coach Kang Yang-hyeon. Coach Kang Yang-hyun is a former national tournament MVP and a public service worker who will coach Busan Jungang High School. Director Jang Hang-jun said, "Director Kang Yang-hyun did not officially see the movie. I showed him a little bit of it as a hobby. He thought of the old days a lot and said he was thankful. It was similar to how he was in the movie. He said he was thankful with an excited and overwhelmed expression." did.
Jaehong Ahn said, "It was a new feeling as an older person. While filming, I thought that he could understand and sympathize better than anyone else with the feelings I experienced when I was in my 20s. We talked a lot with our friends. We talked a lot about the difficult things and the game scenes. He expressed his gratitude, saying, "I was worried that I might get injured if I went into the game with only motivation, so I talked a lot about the fact that it was the round of 16, so let's pour in and make arrangements. That energy helped me in my acting."
Ahn Jae-hong is actually 4 years older than director Kang Yang-hyun. He said, "I had a lot of conversations with Director Kang even before filming. I gained weight for external synchronization. I felt the need to integrate clothes, hairstyles, and various accessories to a high level." He added, "More importantly, I met a young coach named Coach Kang. “I wanted to vividly capture the excitement and excitement of going into this competition,” he said.
Lastly, director Jang Hang-jun said, "April is not even sports month, but movies are coming out like they were promised. In particular, the IMAX release date of 'The First Slam Dunk' and 'Rebound' are the same. There was no agreement at all with the Japanese side. “Part,” he joked. He pointed out, “What differentiates ‘Rebound’ is that it allows Korean young people living today to express their feelings and create a consensus.”
Meanwhile, 'Rebound' will be released on April 5.
Kang Min-kyung, Ten Asia reporter kkk39@tenasia.co.kr