Filmmaker Lee Kang–hyun, who provided great inspiration for the Korean documentary scene, passed away in March 2023. Lee Kang–hyun was an important innovator in the Korean documentary scene since the 2000s. The work he left behind resists the linear and causal images of the world, making the definition, theory, and practice of the documentary embarrassing. The reversing power and regurgitating energy of these films caused many questions and controversies as we questioned what Korean documentaries took for granted. In his innovative debut film The Description of Bankruptcy (2006), a new type of labor documentary film The Color of Pain (2010), and feature film Possible Faces (2017), which seeks to overcome the limits of documentary filmmaking, Lee Kang–hyun seeks to renew the relationship between the world and images rather than closely establishing narrative logic. We thought it was necessary to do a work dedicated to the legacy of Lee Kang–hyun, who explored the film medium with indifference to speed and power, intuition, and tenacity. The artist exhibition 'Memorial Lee Kang–hyun' included five films. In addition to the four films and one unfinished visual sample for presentation, The Mapper(working title) left by Lee Kang–hyun, a short film The Fool Doesn't Catch a Cold (2008) directed by Kim Kyungman and starring Lee Kang–hyun will be screened. Programmers, critics, scholars, fellow directors, creative collaborators, and friends who have discovered the director's worth have contributed testimonials, tributes, and comments. ‘Memorial Lee Kang–hyun’ is not a plan for remembrance and mourning. The attitude towards the movie is as deep as the mystery, and confusion and division will be a full–fledged shed on writers as diverse as revelations.
