You Are More Than Beautiful

Gangjeong Village, located at the southernmost part of Jeju Island's Seogwipo City, is in the true sense a 'breathtaking land of water.' In this film, eight directors independently yet collaboratively orchestrate a clever and humorous "mission" at this place where the groundwork for building a naval military base is in progress.

In Jeju Province, located off the southern coast of Korea, are the women of the sea, those who hold breath for life. These women still exist and they still dive the old way, without tanks. They go into the waters of 10- to 20-meter depth to harvest seaweed and shellfish to make a living. They make a living in the same sea, but each haenyeo’s sea of life is different. The community is divided into three tiers- Group A, B and C, based on skills and capabilities. One’s rank is determined by sum or breath. Sum, is pre-determined at birth. Therefore, sum is desired. However, the ocean is harsh. May you desire! But seek what is not yours, the ocean will devour you. Life, for these women of the sea, is about holding one’s breath, and containing and controlling one’s desire. The film is a six year record of the lives of the haenyeos in Udo, an islet in the province of Jeju, known to be the birthplace of haenyeo. It is a close look into the lives that stand on the boundary of life and death.

Three friends from college are now on the brink of turning 40. To attend a funeral on Jeju Island, they go on an unexpected trip as a getaway and wind up at a guest house, where water shimmers, wind blows, and pretty women are seductive, inviting the trio back to their 20s.

A man on a bike trip across the country gets killed in an accident. His lover, So-wol, moves to the island where he died and settles down. 3 years later, the couple’s close friend, Cheol, pays her a surprise visit. Staying at her place, he goes fishing or ventures out looking for a particular lighthouse. Slowly, without knowing, the seemingly mundane daily life of island mends their broken heart.

A man and woman have great success in all of their dating pursuits. The woman uses her dating rules and fakes a car accident to capture the guy's attention, but she can't get him to succumb to her charm.

Second-generation migrant worker, Soo is released after receiving probation and community service sentence for his use of violence. Along with his friend Pil-sung, he ends up working as brokers for illegal migrant workers. While fulfilling his community service duty, he meets surfers. Soo falls in love with surfing as the surfers Ddong-ggo and Hae-na teach him how to surf.

Focusing on Mrs. Kang Sang-hee’s life, she lost her husband in the Jeju Uprising (March 3rd, 1948). The film views the dark-side of Jeju Island, a huge grave, which is completely opposite of the other side of the island, the famous tourist attraction. It says that the tragedy has been going on about the recent Gang-jeong village situation.

A married poet meets a teenage boy working at a donut shop and helplessly develops feelings for him.

This is the story of Sook-ja (Moon Hee-kyung), a female diver in the beautiful Jeju Islands who has lived a tough life, and her childish son Yool (Yeon Joon). Young man Yool dreams of becoming a writer. One day he discovers his mother, Sook-ja, has terminal cancer, but she refuses to get treated and continues diving in the water. Yool gives up his dreams as a writer and goes to his brother-in-law to ask for a job just so he can change his mother's mind. One evening, Yool comes home drunk and upset. Sook-ja can't bear the sudden pain and wakes up her drunken son.

Kim Sung-Joon (Park Si-Hoo) worked as a pilot, but after becoming in deaf in his right ear he has worked on the ground. He becomes desperate. Kim Sung-Joon then meets Eun-Hong (Yoon Eun-Hye) on a blind date. Even though he doesn't love her, he gets married to Eun-Hong. After their marriage, Sung-Joon treats Eun-Hong with indifference. Suddenly, Eun-Hong dies. Kim Sung-Joon soon learns for the first time about her real heart and her first love. Holding Eun-Hong's urn, he seeks out her first love.

A South Korean art house film director is first invited to serve on the panel of a film festival, then to guest lecture at a film school.

Na-young works at a post office and is sick and tired of being around her shamefully unyielding mother and her pushover father who's excessively nice. The only thing that she can look forward to is her trip abroad in a few days. But one day, her father leaves home without any notice. Her mother doesn't care what happens to him and doesn't care to look for him. Na-young has no choice but to give up her dream trip abroad and to search for her father instead. Once she arrives at her parents' hometown, Na-young is shocked to meet someone she'd never expect, even in her dreams.

Jeju-do is the largest of Korean islands and lies between Korea and Japan. There, for hundreds of years, women dive without breathing apparatus, to the ocean floor and collect shellfish, octopus, and urchins that they sell. The divers are in their sixties and seventies and their daughters do not want to inherit their work, lifestyle, and health problems that go with diving. As a filmmaker I was privileged to meet many of these women and dive with them. Their stories of hardship and pride confirmed my desire to record this unique and ancient tradition.

A Seoul businessman comes to Jeju Island and meets a lonely tour guide.

A family rides the circumference of Jeju Island for 2 weeks, with everything they need strapped to their 3 folding bikes - they meet remarkable people and discover the island's beautiful natural landscapes. The first person they meet in Jeju Island happens to be a tour guide who gives them some valuable advice: meet the people of Jeju Island, go see the small islands off Jeju-do and visit the shrinking 'gotjawal' rocky forests. This sets the tone for their journey as they set out from Jeju City to circumnavigate the entire island by bicycle with their 10-year-old son.

When Seung-min was on his first year at the Academy of Architecture, he met Seo-yeon. She was a musician student, and Seung-min totally fell in love with her. Years have passed, and now he meets Seo-yeon again - she asks him to rebuild her father's old house.

A company hopes to open a spa hotel named after Ieodo, a mythical island inhabited by the souls of drowned sailors. During a study trip to the proposed location of the hotel, a journalist disappears under mysterious circumstances. One of the contractors goes to Ieodo's neighboring island, populated by widows of the dead sailors, to unravel the mystery.

Two friends, Moon-ho and Jong-kyu, in their mid-thirties now, have known each other since childhood. As time passes, they feel more and more sorry of their younger years. In search of adventure they are ready for all kind of acrobatics, for example, to make love spontaneously, with a woman they meet for the first time. Moon-ho finds Yun-jung through the internet to have an extramarital sexual affair. Jong-kyu goes out with his first love, Soo-hyun, for the first time in ten years and together they head for a hotel... But the story goes on as if the two couples had never met...

The populace of a South Korean island rebels against police brutality. The protesters are labeled as communists, and the army is dispatched.

Seung-Hye (female), who has her dream to become a good singer, comes to Seoul and becomes acquainted with Mr. Lee, a bandmaster. Mr. Lee gives her a recommendation letter to introduce her to SeonWoo Kang, a composer. At that time, he intends to retire from pop song world owing to his incurable disease. She is helped by him, and he is also attracted by her beautiful voice to let her become a top class singer. Both love each other. He expedites his death owing to overwork, and finally dies at a hospital in the evening when her recital is held.