Born in Busan, South Korea in 1981, she studied fine art at Kookim University from 2000 to 2004 and then took a degree in animation directing at the Korean Academy of Film Arts. Her short animation film Dust Kid screened in the Quinzaine des Réalisateurs at the 2009 Cannes Film Festival. The eponymous book based on the film won the Bologna Ragazzi Award at the 2014 International Children’s Book Fair in Bologna. Following Math Test (2010), Love Games (2013) and House of Existence (2022), this is the fourth time her work is presented in Berlinale Shorts.
1.What was your starting point for „Circle“?
During the process of this work, I contemplated a lot about freedom. It felt like many people, including myself, were living life within similar sentiments and emotions. It seemed as if there was an invisible framework, encompassing various dimensions such as race, gender, occupation, family status, living location, and countless other notions. Furthermore, unconsciously held feelings and beliefs within the mind, by which one defines oneself and lives with intricate limitations, added to this sense.
As time passed, it felt as though the space I could move within was akin to a small circle in a film. Despite being presented with moments of new choices at every instant, I wondered if we inadvertently let go of those opportunities within these aged and weighty notions. Creating this piece, I hoped to gradually detach myself from these longstanding concepts, break free from the narrow circle that confined me, and encounter new moments.
2. Do you have a favorite moment in the film? Which one and why this one in particular?
I like the moment when the girl erases the circle for the last time. It seems like I wanted to express the moment when the confined energy becomes free through the dissolution of the framework.
3. What do you like about the short form?
I feel more freedom, especially in terms of form. I believe it allows for a greater variety of creative imaginings.
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INTERVIEWS
„Self-described as a film „‚yearning for words of freedom beyond the barriers of a preconceived idea“, this is not a circle but a step beyond for the Korean animation director and artist. (…)
Coming from a fine arts background -she studied both a Bachelor of Fine Arts and attended KAFA (Korean Academy of Film Arts) for animation directing – Joung Yumi and her storytelling device is simple but powerful. She talked to Zippy Frames about her new film, ‚Circle‘.“
intro for an interview with Vassilis Kroustallis for Zippy Frames
„How did the idea for Circle come about, and where do you usually find inspiration?
I usually use my current questions and concerns as the subject of my work. When creating House of Existence, I read The Untethered Soul to clarify what I wanted to say. Circle started with a small thought that I had unconsciously taken for granted. At some point, I realized that everyone, including myself, was making similar choices, creating a pattern where life seemed to be repeating itself in dilemmas. I was curious about where we would go if we freed ourselves from numerous unconscious stereotypes.“
excerpt from the interview with Korean Film News
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PRESS REVIEWS
„Pourquoi on l’aime : Troisième coup de cœur d’affilée pour la brillante animatrice coréenne Joung Yumi qui figurait déjà dans notre article sur les meilleurs courts métrages de 2023 et 2022. Aussi simple qu’énigmatique (zéro dialogue ou explication), Circle avec un nouveau formidable exemple de son épure narrative à la fascinante élégance rétro.“
mention on Le Polyester
„Yumi’s films have an unusual milieu that is singularly her won and her interest in behaviours makes them enourmously compelling. Here there feels like more to sink your teeth into than just admiration of exquisite animation.“
review by Ben Nicholson for The Film Verdict
„Perhaps it’s a metaphor for overpopulation, or the limits we arbitrarily subscribe to, yet Joung Yumi’s patient images are a delight to watch in and of themselves. I could watch this circle fill up and empty out over and over again.“
review by Redmond Bacon for Directors Notes
„Mit ihrer charakteristischen Mischung aus Imagination, Ironie und Ideologiekritik entwirft Joung Yumi (…) eine animierte Analogie unbewusster Zwänge und selbstzweckhafter Sozialstrukturen. In Anlehnung an klassische Cartoons enthüllt die minimalistische Handlung die absurde alltägliche Assimilation und eine gesellschaftliche Gruppierung ohne Gemeinschaft.“
review by Lida Bach for moviebreak
„Mit sieben Animationsfilmen war auch dieser Bereich stark vertreten. Besonders in Erinnerungen blieben dabei die beiden schwarz-weiß Kurzfilme „Circle“ der südkoreanischen Filmemacherin Joung Yumi („House of Existence“), der einfängt, wie gut es sein kann, auch einmal aus Beschränkungen auszubrechen.“
mention by Doreen Kaltenecker for Testkammer#
mention by Jamie Lang for Cartoon Brew
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ETC.
„In the drawn animation Circle, passers-by – who otherwise have nothing to do with each other – try to position themselves within a circle in a way that leaves enough room for everyone.“
interview with section head Anna Henckel-Donnersmarck for Berlinale Topics
reactions on letterboxd
Berlinale Shorts 