Director Francois Ozon in Busan Attending PIFF

Francois Ozon, a 35-year-old French director known as a problem child in movie making, visited Korea on Nov. 16 for the seventh Pusan International Film Festival.

The French director had a press interview in Paradise Hotel seated near Haeundae beach and talked about his movie `Eight Women` to be introduced in the Open Cinema category during the film festival. Two of the eight actresses playing the heroines in the movie, 26-year-old Virginie Ledoyen and 23-year-old Ludivine Sagnier, were also accompanying him.

The young director born in Paris in 1967 began to make short films with a super 8mm camera years before he turned 20. Albeit being an elite who won a master`s degree in filmmaking in First Paris School and later studied at renowned movie school Femmis, he makes films filled with critical views and sensational images.

He already has a number of young fans in Korea and a film festival introducing his works is scheduled for October this year.

˝I often deal with cruelty of life because to me, movies are fictional but still talks about the reality. In `Criminal Lovers,` I created a teenage couple on the run after committing a murder, which is based on a real-life story. As such, what is most unlikely to happen sometimes becomes our reality.˝

Starring in `Eight Women,` due for a release here in December, are such actresses as Catherine Deneuve, Isabelle Huppert, Emanuelle Béart and Fanny Ardant, leading actresses French people most adore.

˝I want to the competition among the eight women to be effective outside the movie as well. So I cast the leading actresses for their delicate rivalry.˝

`Eight Women` is a comic mystery added with musical touch, and is viewed in line with the popular trend. ˝It turned out to be so, but I had no intention to make a movie for ticket sales. I wanted to go back to my childhood, the time when I played a role of a detective.˝

˝I haven`t seen any Korean movie, but heard a lot about director Im Gwon-taek,” said Ozon. ˝I hope to experience various Korean movies while staying in Busan.˝

Soo-Kyung Kim skkim@donga.com