Refocus: the Films of Yim Soon-Rye

Highlights the cinematic oeuvre of Yim Soon-rye, one of the most influential Korean female filmmakers

First comprehensive English-language book on Yim Soon-rye and her films, placing her within the larger perspectives of Korean cinematic history and women's cinema
First English volume on any Korean woman filmmaker, that calls for a need to address the work of other Korean women filmmakers
Offers critical analyses of Yim's aesthetic approach and recurring subject matter of nature, gender roles and feminism
Contributes to the existing scholarship on Korean cinema and the global extent of Women's cinema

Korean cinema, though currently established as one of the most successful international film industries, has never been a fair ground for women filmmakers. Amidst the heavily male dominated Korean cinema and the film industry, Yim has consistently produced critically and commercially influential films and has been recognized at numerous film festivals/awards both in and outside of Korea. Yim has produced/directed over a dozen films including shorts the highest number that any female director has ever achieved in Korea. Also, Yim is the only female director with a blockbuster (Gyoseop, 2023) under her belt, which was always considered to be the arena for male directors.

ReFocus: The Films of Yim Soon-rye will be the very first English-language book that showcases critical readings of Yim's work and simultaneously, this volume will address and position Yim in the larger historical context of Korean cinema and women filmmakers in the world.