MAIFF 2026  -

KFFC

Mr. Kim Goes to the Cinema

May 14

Cinéma du Musée

Documentary

104

minutes

Korean

Content Warning:

About the Film

Director

Kim Dong-Ho

Country

South Korea

Year

2025

Program

Curated by

Description

After the COVID-19 pandemic, Busan International Film Festival founder Kim Dong-ho, at eighty-five, picks up a camcorder for the first time and decides to make a documentary. His lens turns toward cinemas struggling through the crisis, as beloved theaters vanish amid dwindling audiences. Seeking to reconnect with old friends, “Mr. Kim” — now nearing ninety — travels the world to talk with filmmakers and cinephiles. Through these encounters, he reflects on cinema’s past and future, finding wisdom and resilience in a time of transformation. His journey becomes a meditation on change, memory, and the enduring spirit of film.

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About the Director
Kim Dong-Ho
Director
KIM Dong-ho, born in 1937, is the founder and former chairman of the Busan International Film Festival. Having graduated in 1960 from the prestigious Seoul National University in law, he successfully passed the civil service exam and was appointed to the then Ministry of Culture and Communication. After holding various positions of manager inside the office, he was named in 1988 president of the Korean Motion Picture Promotion Corporation (now Korean Film Council). Having served as the guest director of the Seoul Arts Center in 1992, he became in 1993 vice minister of culture and director of the Korea Media Rating Board. In 1996, he founded the Busan International Film Festival (BIFF) and developed it into the premier film event in Asia. After his retirement in 2010, he kept the title of Honorary Festival Director, and was chosen to become director of the newly created Graduate School of Cinematic Content at Dankook University. In 2012, he made his directing debut with the short film <Jury> for the 10th anniversary of the Asiana International Short Film Festival (AISFF). To help finance the graduate films of Dankook students, KIM created in 2012 the film production company Tiger Cinema, with Lotte Entertainment as the main investor. As a result, he has executive produced several critically acclaimed films, such as <10 Minutes> (2014), <End of Winter> (2016) and <The Seeds of Violence> (2017).
Film Stills
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Awards & Festival Recognition

Busan International Film Festival, Pingyao International Film Festival, Community Cinema Festival, Jogja-NETPAC Asian Film Festival, Far East Film Festival

Press & Articles

https://www.fareastfilm.com/eng/film/mr-kim-goes-to-the-cinema/?IDLYT=7505