Director Lee Myung-se, a leading stylist in Korea

<Christmas in August> <Spring Days Pass> music director Cho Sung-woo

Distributor NEW said on the 27th that the documentary film <Ran 12.3>, which deals with the 12·3 illegal martial law incident under Yoon Seok-yeol, will open on the 22nd of next month. It was directed by Lee Myung-se, a representative stylist director in Korea, who made <My Love, My Bride>, <First Love>, <No Mercy>, and <Duelist>.

The film captures on-the-ground records of those who resisted Yoon Seok-yeol’s declaration of illegal martial law on December 3, 2024. It was made based on videos and photos provided by more than 150 citizens, records from aides in offices of National Assembly members, and field reporting by on-the-scene journalists. In <Ran 12.3>, narration, reenactments, and interviews that usually appear in documentaries are excluded. It is edited with an emphasis on image and sound.

In a December interview with ‘Cine21’, director Lee Myung-se said he had decided to “very faithfully dramatize what happened in Korea that day,” adding, “Rather than focusing on realism, I wanted to evoke a cinematic tension like the montage of Hitchcock.···I want to make a film that even people who are not the so-called highly politically engaged can understand intuitively.”

Lee said, “Through various footage, I feel that the people of our country are truly remarkable. When I look at rally scenes that feel like a festival, I think we can endure for a long time even amid this turmoil. If you can enjoy it, you can endure it. Conveying that sensibility is the goal of this film.” The title ‘Ran’ was inspired by the first character of Admiral Yi Sun-sin’s <Nanjung Ilgi>, and is described as an expression of the urgency that national crises must be recorded and remembered.

The music is by Cho Sung-woo, the music director who presented beautiful melodies in <Christmas in August>, <Spring Days Pass>, <When Spring Comes>, and <Late Autumn>. The outcome draws attention for bringing together a representative stylist director known for outstanding mise-en-scene and a master of film music.

In December last year, a crowdfunding campaign of about 1 billion won was carried out to support post-production, and around 15,000 citizens participated, achieving the goal. It was produced by Production Em.