What are the conditions for director Bong Joon-ho's appearance according to 'Yellow Door' director Lee Hyuk-rae?

Lee Hyuk-rae, director of the documentary film 'Yellow Door: Cinephile Diary of the End of the Century', mentioned the conditions for appearance set by director Bong Joon-ho.

On the 24th, director Lee Hyuk-rae was interviewed about the movie 'Yellow Door: Cinephile Diary of the End of the Century' at a cafe located in Samcheong-dong, Jongno-gu, Seoul.

'Yellow Door: Cinephile Diary of the End of the Century' is a documentary film that follows the memories surrounding the first short film of the young Bong Joon-ho and the era of film enthusiasts that members of the 'Yellow Door Film Institute', a community of cinephiles, recall for the first time in 30 years in the early 90s. Director Lee Hyuk-rae has directed the films ‘Buzzing Afternoon’ (1996) and ‘Women with Sewing Machines’ (2022).

Director Lee Hyuk-rae, who was officially invited to the 'Wide Angle: Documentary Showcase' section of the 28th Busan International Film Festival and met the audience, mentioned a memorable moment in his conversation with the audience. Director Lee Hyuk-rae said, “The audience in their 20s cried a lot and talked a lot about their own experiences. The essence of the club was not only in the early 90s. There are various ways to share something together. After the Yellow Door, “There were PC communications and internet cafes, and I felt really good about the idea that there was something that would touch the hearts of young audiences,” he said of the atmosphere at the time.

‘Yellow Door: Cinephile Diary of the End of the Century’ will be released on Netflix on October 27th. When asked why he started working with Netflix rather than a theatrical film, he said, "The process of releasing an independent documentary in theaters and meeting the audience was very difficult. I wanted to meet the audience in a different way," and mentioned director Bong Joon-ho's conditions for appearing at the time of production.

As for the condition for appearing in 'Yellow Door', director Bong Joon-ho said, "The condition he put forward was that I appear as 1/N rather than the main character. I also said that I don't really want to do that (laughter). Isn't it too obvious? The reason he put forward that condition was because of some kind of trauma. “It all started. Director Bong Joon-ho became famous, and documentaries appeared on great people exhibitions and TV, and people really hated it because it was the most hateful method,” he said.

Director Lee Hyuk-rae, who had doubts about whether Netflix would honor Bong Joon-ho's conditions, said he was at a loss after hearing what the person in charge said. Director Lee Hyuk-rae revealed the reason why he was able to collaborate with Netflix, saying, “Unexpectedly, the person in charge at Netflix said, ‘This is a club story.’”

As the stories of the members who were active as Yellow Gate in the 1990s accumulate, the movie recreates the atmosphere of that time in detail. Regarding the recruiting process of the Yellow Door members, "There are 12 people who appear in the movie, and there are about 5 other people who were requested to appear but were not allowed to appear. All the members asked in common, 'Does this make a story?' They are just documentary actors. Rather, it was a story about a meeting he had held, and he must have been worried because a member directed it. Originally, when I make a documentary, I do not share the structure or direction of the film with the participants. Otherwise, I can capture vivid reactions. "It's hard to bet. It was like asking a question and getting an answer. It was my first time seeing it in Busan, and everyone had anxiety. They were worried that there would be an embarrassing outcome. Fortunately, the reactions to the screening weren't bad," he explained.

The way the movie is structured is quite simple. Rather than giving any grand reasons for the composition or dispersion of club members, we take the approach of following pieces of the past. Director Lee Hyuk-rae said, "I thought about what was the most honest description of the disappearance of clubs. I thought the disappearance of (clubs) was similar to human aging. I think the strategy was to treat it like a living thing without mentioning any special problems." He emphasized.

The movie ‘Yellow Door: A Cinephile Diary of the End of the Century’ will be released on Netflix on October 27th.

Reporter Ha-neul Lee, Ten Asia greenworld@tenasia.co.kr