Now Showing: Independent Films Off-Screen

In November 2023, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism (MCST) announced a reduction in the budget for independent film support. Despite this, Picnic, released last February, has surpassed 200,000 viewers for the first time among Korean independent and artistic drama films since A Resistance was released in 2019. As questions are raised about the sustainability of Korean independent films, the Sungkyun Times (SKT) aims to take a closer look into the industry. 

Independent Films: The Synopsis

-Independent Films: The Synopsis

Independent films are made outside the major commercial film industry and prioritize the creators’ values. Directors can, therefore, produce films without the intervention of production companies, meaning they are independent from capital and commercial requirements. Independent films are characterized by their experimental topic selection. They address taboo subjects that are not commonly covered in commercial films due to the interests of their production companies. Typically, these films use long shots to demonstrate the character’s inner feelings in more detail rather than giving weight to the big story. An example of this can be observed in the 2019 film House of Hummingbird, where the camera follows the main character like a shadow, emphasizing loneliness. Unlike commercial films that utilize captivating audiovisual components, independent films use relatively simple external elements, exemplified in the 2003 film Bread and Milk, which did not have any background music. Another difference is that independent films are typically screened in small theaters or film festivals instead of large commercial theaters. Lastly, these films are especially relevant in helping people resonate with disregarded issues and provoke a change in their point of view. In an interview with the SKT, Li Yi-hua (Graduate Student, Department of Cultural Contents, Kyung Hee University) mentioned, “Just like paper books conserve their value, independent films are indispensable in the industry for their artistic and historical meaning.”

-A Series of Flashbacks

Korean independent films emerged in the 1980s as a means of social movement. Previously, in Korea, the Motion Picture Law enacted in 1962 censored the screening of films. To express their resistance, university film clubs paved a path for many enlightenment films, such as For the Talented, released in 1987, that discuss the government’s suppression of literary work. From the late 1990s, different organizations began to appear, including Indie Forum, which is an independent film festival, the Association of Korean Independent Film and Video, and Indie Story, which is an independent film distributor. Independent films began to be recognized for their value in the 2000s and attract public attention through festival awards. For example, when Old Partner was released in 2009, it surpassed 2 million viewers for the first time in the history of Korean independent films. The same year, Breathless won the VPRO Tiger Award at the International Film Festival Rotterdam. However, according to the Korean Film Yearbook 2023, only 23 out of the 124 films released in 2022 surpassed 100,000 viewers. While there have been successful independent films over the years, such cases have been infrequent due to the difficulties the industry has faced. 

Behind the Scenes

-Difficulties in Production

It is difficult for independent filmmakers to gather a production budget as they do not receive investments from large production companies. Typically, the production costs for independent films come from investments, personal expenses, and subsidies. However, as a non-commercial film, it is challenging to get investments or utilize the profits from previous films since the current profit structure concedes costs higher than earnings. As a result, the subsidies received from the government function as an essential source of financial support. Unfortunately, due to the insufficient budgets in the film development fund, the MCST reduced the 2024 budget for the independent enterprise to support art film productions from ₩11.73 billion to ₩7 billion. These budgeting issues affect the working environment as well. Low-budget independent films with production costs of less than ₩1 billion are in the blind spot of the obligation to write a standard labor contract. According to the Korean Film Council’s (KOFIC) 2022 survey, the percentage of employees who signed labor standard contracts was lower in low-budget films than in high-budget works. In this case, even if the working hours are fixed, the nature of the film industry demands employees to work overtime without guaranteed overtime pay. Furthermore, an independent film producer, Park Cheol-woo, explained in an interview with the YouTube channel LetterFrom that the quality of the film would ultimately reflect the poor working conditions.

-Difficulties in Distribution

Apart from the difficulties in production, independent films face another obstacle in the distribution phase. First, it is difficult to find a place to screen the film. Independent films cannot be screened in profit-seeking theaters unless they become well-known in the community. Instead, they are screened in independent theaters such as IndieSpace and KT&G Sangsangmadang Cinema, with the support of KOFIC. However, only 67 screens nationwide are exclusively devoted to independent art films, compared to the 605 regular screens just in Seoul City. Even after finding a place to screen, the struggles in promotion still exist. Since these films are made based on the preferences of producers rather than the audience, by promoting the film as being consumer-friendly, creators face the risk of having the essential intention of the film distorted. A cinephile, Koo Yeon-woo (Junior, Department of Global Business Administration, Sungkyunkwan University), commented, “On many occasions, even if the film was promoted as being award-winning and praised by professionals, the plot was difficult to understand.” Second, promotional activities have shrunk dramatically since the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic as exposure means were closed and not fully restored. For example, guest visits (GV), where directors communicate with the audience, and community screenings, where audiences organize showings, had to be halted. Figures published by KOFIC show that theater audiences only recovered by 55.2% in 2023 compared to 2019, suggesting an even worse case for the independent film industry. 

Moving to the Next Scene

Decisive actions must be taken to stimulate the Korean independent film industry. As independent films have limited profitability, government policy intervention is essential for the conservation of their unique values. The system implemented by the United Kingdom is a model example of appropriate government support. According to the 2022 report by Alma Economics, the United Kingdom introduced a value-added tax (VAT) exemption to help independent films recover the market. The British Financial Secretary, Nigel Huddleston, stated that he expected the United Kingdom film industry to thrive with the enactment of film tax incentives in January 2024. Thus, similar tax reduction policies should be assessed in Korea to alleviate the economic burden of producers and contribute to the development of a feasible profit structure. Furthermore, more theaters must screen independent films for them to achieve a profitable virtuous cycle. To make this possible, it is necessary to enact related laws to increase the proportion of independent films being screened within the multiplex. The current law only specifies the conditions to support specialized theaters and does not explicitly require multiplexes to screen independent films. Therefore, ways to attract more audiences should be considered to successfully revitalize the independent film industry, in addition to guaranteeing screens and legislating effective laws. 

Post-Credits Scene

Amongst many Korean independent films, Picnic directed by Kim Yong-gyun is a prime starting point. This film discusses themes including friendship and mortality. The plot revolves around two friends in their late years who decide to free themselves of all bounds and leave for their hometown. Another notable film is The Nature Man, written, produced, and edited by Noh Youngseok. The film follows the story of two YouTubers who go into a forest to seek a man who claims to see ghosts. The film won the 2023 Grand Feature Prize at the 49th Seoul Independent Film Festival (SIFF), Korea’s largest independent film festival, for its originality and entertainment. Whether someone is a film lover or an inspiration seeker, this is a space where anyone can be part of the art of cinematography. 

Independent films are like mirrors to society. They tell stories that no one tells and show reality as it is. As attention grows on the industry’s viability, the SKT encourages Kingos to take this opportunity to listen to the silent shouts of the creators behind Korean independent films.