The Directors Guild of Korea called on the public to refrain from excessive attacks on filmmakers amid the controversy surrounding the film "The Assassins."
In an official statement released on the 4th, the guild said that while some view the response to "The Assassins" as unfair and excessive, "who can draw the exact line between appropriate criticism and excessive condemnation?" The group said diverse assessments of a film should themselves be respected.
The guild expressed concern, however, that the controversy has moved beyond criticism of the film to attacks targeting individual creators. "It has gone beyond questioning the film's content and the choices its creators made, and is now simultaneously targeting the daily lives and livelihoods of those involved, extending even to demands that they never be allowed to make such a film again," the guild said.
"Creators can be criticized for their work, but that criticism must not take a form that destroys a creator's personal life and livelihood," the statement said. "Someone who has endured debate and criticism should still be able to hold on to their own story and make another film."
The guild stressed that an environment in which creators can work freely and safely while accepting criticism is necessary for the future of Korean cinema. "Film must continue even as different ideas and voices meet and generate debate," it said, asking audiences to support and stand in solidarity with filmmakers' creative work.
"The Assassins" takes as its subject the Aug. 15, 1974, shooting of first lady Yuk Young-soo, tracing the suspicions and alleged forces behind the incident. Because it adds hypotheses and dramatic devices to an actual event, it has drawn accusations of historical distortion since its release.
In a statement on the 28th of last month, the production team said the film does not identify any specific individual as being behind the incident or present new historical conclusions, explaining that it "does not present the hypotheses and dramatic devices in the film as historical fact."
