Program Note
A Midsummer’s Fantasia is a film directed by Jang Kun-jae, director of Eighteen and Sleepless Night , as part of the ‘NARAtive’ project in the Japan Nara Film Festival. Kawase Naomi, who is the head of the Nara Film Festival, is the co-producer. Film director Tae-hoon visits Gojo City in Nara, Japan for his new film shoot and tours the town under the guidance of his assistant director Mi-jung and city hall official Yusuke. The story goes on to the second part, which makes the scenes in reality into a real movie. In the second part, assistant director Mi-jung and city hall official Yusuke appear as the main characters meeting for the first time in Gojo City. The film shows the process of how the stories that the film director heard in the village in part 1 is reflected and put into the film through the director’s inner self. ‘Like a movie made by a Korean in Japan’, it captures conversations between Korean people walking in strange places and it also has the characteristics of a road movie. This is what makes it distinct from ordinary Japanese Slow Movies, which adds character to lyrical scenery or food. The performances of Kim Saebyuk, who played the Mi-jung in the first part and Hye-jung in the second part, Iwase Ryo, who played Yusuke in the first and second parts, Lim Hyung-kook, who played film director Kim Tae-hoon, lingers like a cool evening breeze. (KIM Hye-seon)