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1997(1st) ~ 2024(28th)
Off the Fantastic
BAEK Seung Hwa
Korea2009 96 min DV C World Premiere
A scene from the film’s internet teaser has already become famous by spawning the catchphrase, “I don’t think we’re gonna make it.” Turn It Up to 11 tells the story of LEE Gyu yeong, formerly of the punk record label ‘Cultural Fraud.’ When he accidentally knocks up his girlfriend, he ends his musical career and returns home to Incheon. But not long after getting his electrician’s license—“Because electricity is just as stimulating as rock”—and settling down with his family, LEE founds the indie label ‘Ruby Salon’ in Bupyeong and starts gathering bands together. Can they really make ‘Ruby Salon’ Korea’s top label?
Maintaining a critical distance from one’s subject is a crucial challenge for a documentary director, but BAEK Seung wha, already a member of ‘Ruby Salon,’ doesn’t appear to have lost any sleep over it. His attitude is akin to that of a war correspondent, living in the trenches with the bands for on hectic year. The result is far more dramatic than any fictional film. ‘Ruby Salon’ has now become a world-class label after a successful tour of Japan, China and France. This seemingly far-fetched piece of non-fiction is a story we should all hear with the volume turned up to 11.(AHN Sung Min)