Earlier this month, the Korean thriller Squid Game became the highest grossing television series on streaming platform Netflix.
Logan-based film writer Lark Lee could only dream of reaching those heights, but she has earned the attention of at least one Oscar-winning producer of a Korean movie, who could help take her film to the next level.
Ms Lee is working in overdrive, refining scripts and storyboards, and editing her short film called Street No. 4. Her studio is her home in Loganholme.
In Korean tradition, the number “4” is believed to symbolise death, to the point that in many buildings, the number is replaced with the letter “F” in elevators, or the fourth floors are skipped entirely.
This inspired Ms Lee’s concept for Street No. 4, a horror film channelling Korean beliefs in spirits and ghosts in an Australian setting. The blend reflects her Korean roots and young adult life in Australia.
The film follows the story of a young family who finds what they think is their dream home in a eucalypt forest in Australia, which quickly turns into a nightmare as they uncover the mysterious past of its previous Korean owner and a ghost held captive by an evil presence.
Born in South Korea, Ms Lee grew up with supernatural superstitions which she channels through Street No. 4.
“In Korea, we have lots of ghost stories, and they still believe in the ghosts and spirits, which are not always bad,” she said.
“So we have lots of horror films, and I thought it’d be really cool if I could bring some of those elements to Australia.”
Just as Squid Game has been translated for Australian audiences, Ms Lee is in the process of colour grading and translating her “proof of concept” short film into Korean.
Her next stop is a date with movie royalty, Young-Hwan Jang, a producer on the Oscar-winning Korean production Parasite.
Last year, Parasite became the first foreign film to win the award, so to have someone of Mr Jang’s calibre advising her could be a defining moment for her film and career.
“So far I’ve shown him the short film,” Ms Lee said. “He liked it, so I was very happy, he thought the tension was very well built and the short film intrigued him to know more.”
She hopes the creative direction Mr Jang provides will help launch her project into a full-scale production.
“What I’m hoping in the future is this can be an opportunity that we can make this feature film doing co-production with a Korean film company,” Ms Lee said.
Ms Lee moved to Australia as a 26-year-old on a working-holiday visa for something different.
“I wasn’t happy with that life, I worked to make money, so I came to Australia because I wanted to escape that life,” she said.
Seven years ago, she put all her money into acting classes to become an actress but struggled in an industry short on opportunities back then.
“I wasn’t going anywhere,” she said.
She then put her creative energy into making films and was scouted to work on the set of seasons one and two of ABC TV’s Harrow.
“The more I do it, the better I get and the rewards I got from each project was huge, a lot bigger than being an actress,” she said.
Along the way, she has even managed to win the hearts of her parents.
“My mum says she’s going to watch my film when it goes into festivals in Korea,” she said.
“She’s supportive now, it’s very good.”
