Indiestory

FILMS > FEATURE

How to Live on Earth

2008, Color, 93', Live Action

Dir: AHN Seul-ki

Keyword: Drama, Thriller, SF, Romance

Release: 2009-09-24

Film Awards

The 6th Syracuse International Film Festival (2009,USA)
The 11th Barcelona Asian Film Festival (2009,Spain)
The 8th Jeju Film Festival (2009,Korea)
HongKong Asian Independent Film Festival (2009,HongKong)
The 13th Busan International Film Festival (2008,Korea)
The 34th Seoul Independent Film Festival, Committee Prize (2008,Korea)

Synopsis

As usual, Yeun-woo wakes up in the morning but everything is unfamiliar to him. He can only recognize that “It’s still earth”, he doesn’t remember where he comes from. Yeun-woo is a poet and depends on his wife, Hae-rin but they doubt they love each other. One day, Yeun-woo meets subtle and charming Se-a and realizes he can communicate with her by telepathy.
Yeun-woo’s wife Hae-rin is actually an undercover agent who is in charge of national top secrets and entered into a fake marriage in order to observe her supernatural husband. She feels emotions for her husband and disobeys a government order: to kill her husband’s lover.
Yeun-woo is thrown into confusion because of the turmoil and duplicity and tries desperately to recall his lost memories. However, he is confronted by an unexpected truth.

Director's Note

This story is a metaphor about middle-aged people and their love. We' ve known the typicalness of extramarital love affair which seems like a fate, and we' ve already told about it too much. Furthermore, we' ve watched it through the movies and we' ve seen it in the screen.
Now I intend to attribute the cause of love affairs to the outerworld and substantialize the cause which could be fate or an accident physically. I will also charge the villain which is revealed finally with responsibilities.

Director's Bio / Filmography

- AHN Seul-ki

Born in 1970
Majored in mathematics education at Korea University
Currently a teacher at Seoul Polytechnic School

1999  [Inflexible Vending Machines] DV 6mm, color, 8min.
2000  [Periphery] 16mm, color, 6min.
2001  [The Comprehensive Dictionary for Living: G.D.] DV 6mm, color, 16min.
2002  [Not Love] 16mm, color, 20min.
          IndieForum, Independent Film & Video Makers’ Forum (2003, Korea)
          2nd Jeju Tmong Film Festival (2003, Korea)
           [Marriage Story Ω] DV 6mm, color, 10min.
          Pre-publication Support for Production by the 12th Sony-Korea Cyber Short Film Festival
           [Kiss Me, Please!] DV 6mm, color, 40min.
          2nd Jeju Tmong Film Festival (2003, Korea)
2005 [Five Is Too Many] DV 6mm, color, 80min.
          OZ Asia Festival (2008, Australia)
           Festival Franco-Coreen du Film (FFCF) (2006, France)
          19th Castellinaria International Festival of Films for Youth (2006, Switzerland)
          Public Award for Best New Asian Cinema & Press Award for Best Film, 12th Lyon Asian Film Festival (2006, France)
           20th Fribourg Int’l Film Festival (2006, Switzerland)
           Korea Entertainment Film Festival (2005, Japan)
           3rd Seoul Christianity Film Festival (2005, Korea)
           Audience Award, CJ Asian Independent Film Festival (2005, Korea)
           Korean Panorama, 10th Pusan Int’l Film Festival (2005, Korea)
           Special Mention of Audience Critics, 6th Jeonju Int’l Film Festival (2005, Korea)
2007    [My Song Is...]35mm, color/bw, 80min
           33rd Seoul Independent Film Festival (2007, Korea)
           New Currents (Competition) 12th Pusan Int’l Film Festival (2007, Korea)
2008 [How to Live on Earth] HD, color, 93min.
           Hong Kong Asian Independent Film Festival (2009, Hong Kong)
           8th Jeju Film Festival (2009, Korea)
           11th Barcelona Asian Film Festival (2009, Spain)
           6th Syracuse International Film and Video Festival (2009, USA)
           SIFF Committee Prize, 34th Seoul Independent Film Festival (2008, Korea)
          Korean Cinema Today–Vision, 13th Pusan Int’l Film Festival (2008, Korea)

2015 [Under the Sun] 78min.

Staff

Director/screenwriter/editing :AHN Seul-ki
Production : INDIESTORY Inc.
Executive Producer: Stanley KWAK
Producer : MO Sung-jin
Cinematography : CHOI Tak-june
Lighting : OU Tae-seok
Production Designer : SON Ji-kwang
Composer :CHOI Yong-rock
Sound : CHOI Ik-gun
Mixing : JUNG Hee-goo
Costumes :YANG Hee-hwa
Make-up : KIM Jung-mi

Cast

PARK Byung-eun as Yeun-woo
CHO Si-nae as Hae-rin
JANG So-yeon as Se-a
Sun-woo as Mr. HAN