Exhibition gives Choi Min-sik ‘chance to reflect’ on 34-year career

The 27th Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival that kicked off Thursday for an 11 day-run is holding a special exhibition on celebrated South Korean veteran actor Choi Min-sik called “I Saw Choi Min Sik” in Bucheon, Gyeonggi Province.

Choi said he is grateful but also feels embarrassed to be featured in the exhibition.

“This special exhibition comes at a pivotal time for me, as I had wished to take time off after my latest work ‘Big Bet.’ Since I do not belong to any agency as of now, it’s a good opportunity for me to look back on my career. This exhibition gave me time to go over my previous works, which I wouldn’t have done without this kind of occasion,” Choi told reporters during a press conference held at Hyundai Department Store's Jung-dong location in Bucheon on Friday.

“This exhibition will give me a chance to take a breath to make a leap, reviewing what I need to fix to make better performances in the future,” he said, adding that he has selected 10 films from his portfolio to be screened as part of a special section during BIFAN. He said he chose films such as “Our Twisted Hero” (1992) and “Our Prime Time” (2022) that show his versatility and development.

“We are honored to have a special exhibition on actor Choi. I would call him the most passionate and the roughest, but also the most friendly actor in the world. It took too long to hold a special exhibition on him,” said filmmaker Chung Ji-young, who heads this year’s BIFAN organizing committee.

Choi said that for him, acting has become as essential as eating.

“Acting has become life to me, just like you can’t live without having a meal. But that doesn’t mean that I feel pressure to show a different side of me. It’s just I love acting so much. I’ll leave without any hesitation if my love for acting diminishes,” Choi said.

The actor added that entering his 60s, his spectrum of understanding in acting has broadened. He has a very strong desire to show different characters who live in a diverse cinematic universe.

Choi said that people call him “a great movie star,” but such a title should go to actors like Shin Gu and Lee Soon-jae.

“Whenever people call me a great actor, I feel so embarrassed. Actor Lee is in his late 80s, but still performs onstage. Such a title should go to actors who have walked this path for a long time, not me,” he said, adding that he also wishes to become like the veteran actors he mentioned and live a life enjoying doing many projects.

The special exhibition runs on the first floor of Hyundai Department Store’s Jung-dong branch from Friday to July 9. Choi came on Friday to celebrate the opening of the special exhibition and greet visitors.

At the exhibition, Choi’s films and brochures on his film career will be on display. Limited edition merchandise will also be sold.

The 27th BIFAN is retaining last year’s slogan “Stay Strange,” with an aim to encourage talent in non-mainstream films.

The festival opened with American filmmaker Ari Aster’s “Beau Is Afraid.” Actors like Kim Sung-kyun, Yang Dong-geun, Jang Young-nam as well as overseas actors like Berant Zhu, Ko Chen-tung, Kazuya Konaka and more attended on the red carpet event held on Thursday night.

Veteran actor Ahn Sung-ki also made an appearance at the photo wall with fellow actors Park Joong-hoon and Choi Min-sik, surprising the guests. Ahn is currently recovering from blood cancer with which he was diagnosed in 2021.

After showcasing a total of 262 films from 51 countries, the 27th BIFAN will close with “Sana” by Japanese filmmaker Shimizu Takashi. The films will be screened at various locations including Bucheon city hall, Korea Manhwa Museum, CGV Sopung, Megabox Bucheon Starfield City and local streaming platform Wavve.