Dinner with A Silent Dancing

An interview with Yura Gim, director of A Silent Dancing

 How do you explain the choice of title?
Yeonhui dances in silence. When dancing in silence, she cannot speak anymore.

 What did you want to explore in the relationship between Yeonhui and her father?
I wanted to talk about relationships that you want to give up but can’t. I focused on the emotions of Yeonhui, a female and a teenager.

 Any particular reason why you decided to make him the proprietor of a karaoke bar?
Karaoke is a symbolic place for middle-aged men in Korea. It is mostly seen negatively. However, I thought that it would be seen differently if it is a living space, namely the place where Yeonhui and her dad live.

 This is largely a silent film. Was that a deliberate choice on your part?
Because I imagined Yeonhui as a quiet person, the film is generally quiet. However, when the loud music comes out, the talking is done through the main characters’ actions.

 Would you say that the short film format has given you any particular freedom?
The short film format is the process of making a choice. Short films do not tell the story after the selection. It gave me great pain (maybe happiness) to make a short film.

A Silent Dancing was shown in International Competition.