Korean film-gender equality

▲ A scene from Netflix's series "Kill Boksoon" is shown in this image provided by Netflix. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

Korean film-gender equality

Only 1 out of 35 commercial films helmed by female director last year: data

SEOUL, March 7 (Yonhap) -- Only one out of 35 Korean films of a certain scale was directed by a female director last year, a report showed Thursday.

The action thriller "The Point Men," directed by Yim Soon-rye, was the sole movie helmed by a female director among the 35 commercial films with a production budget exceeding 30 billion won (US$2.25 million), according to the report released by the Korean Film Council (KOFIC) on the status of gender equality in the Korean film industry.

The state-run movie promotion agency has been publishing the report every year since 2017. The ratio of female directors hit the lowest last year.

The number of female producers stood at 22, or 23.9 percent; female lead actors were at nine, or 25.7 percent; and female screenwriters came to 12, or 21.8 percent. There were no female cinematographers.

Out of the total 183 Korean films, including independent and art films, the number of female directors grew to 49, or 22.8 percent, with female producers at 77 (24.8 percent), lead actors at 81 (40.7 percent), screenwriters at 67 (30.7 percent) and cinematographers at 18 (8.1 percent).

"The involvement of female talent was relatively robust in low-budget, independent and art films, but it appears to be limited in the commercial film segment," the KOFIC said.

Among the seven Korean films released on streaming platforms, there were neither female directors nor female cinematographers. But the number of female producers and lead actors came to four and five, respectively, as a spate of female-led films, including "Unlocked" and "Kill Boksoon," were released last year.

The KOFIC expressed concern that the window of opportunity for female talent could shrink further, as the Korean film industry faces challenges due to producers' hesitation to make bold experiments following the COVID-19 pandemic.

"The Korean film industry's creative talent and gender equality appear to have regressed since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic," it said, expecting the trend to persist amid sluggish investment.

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