Kim Yun Shin Punches In, a documentary exploring the life and artistic practice of Kim Yun Shin, one of Korea’s first-generation female sculptors, made its world premiere at the 31st Busan International Film Festival.
 
Directed by Sun-ae Lim, the feature-length documentary Kim Yun Shin Punches In was unveiled as a world premiere at the Wide Angle Documentary Showcase of the Busan International Film Festival, which opened on October 6, ahead of its official theatrical release in 2027.
 
On the opening day, Kim Yun Shin became the first visual artist to walk the Busan International Film Festival’s red carpet, appearing alongside director Sun-ae Lim.
 
Born in Wonsan in 1935, Kim is one of Korea’s first-generation female sculptors. At 49, she gave up her professorship and left for Argentina, spending the next 40 years working in South America, following trees, stones, and raw gemstones. Then, at 90, she returned to Korea.
 
The film traces the choices and determination behind her return to Korea in 2023, at the age of 88, decades after she left Korea for Argentina. Reflecting on whether the film might reveal the reasons behind this decision, Kim Yun Shin says, “I wonder, too, how it all came to be. Perhaps, by watching the camera follow someone who does nothing but work, audiences might come to understand why.”
 
The film pays particular attention to the ways in which Kim Yun Shin has been supported by and formed bonds with other women, including her student Kim Ran, who remained by her side from the time she left for Argentina.

Meanwhile, Kim Yun Shin Punches In is the first installment of a documentary series highlighting Korean women artists, produced by PRODUCTION PIEDS-JOINTS. Under the subtitle “Capturing the World in Step,” the production company aims to create film and video content centered on contemporary artists and their practices, and to expand these into other media, including publishing and exhibitions.
 
The company was founded by two people who worked together in the mid-2000s as a project director and manager, respectively, at Insa Art Space, formerly operated by the Arts Council Korea and closed earlier this year.
 
The production has been described as a kind of “time capsule” that carries forward the legacy of Insa Art Space’s archival initiatives and its efforts during the expansion of media art to explore new forms of distribution beyond the white cube, including theatrical screenings.
 
The first project, the “Long Jump Project,” aims to brand the film production as a docuseries, moving beyond the simple promotional function of artist introduction videos, which were often consumed as supplementary material in exhibition spaces, and documentaries that merely turn artists into posthumous icons.
 
For each episode, not only documentary filmmakers but also fiction filmmakers, television drama directors, and visual artists will take on directing roles suited to the characteristics of each artist.
 
From the early stages of production, the project will also establish an archival producer system to develop a framework for tracking materials and managing copyrights, with the aim of expanding these efforts into subsequent content.

Season 1, ‘They Will Live Long’, explores the lives and practices of women artists born before the 1953 Korean Armistice Agreement through the perspectives of filmmakers and artists from the younger generation in their 30s and 40s.
 
Beginning with Kim Yun Shin, the season will feature individual episodes on Myong Hi Kim, Nho Wonhee, and Yun Suknam, presenting their lives and artistic practices across multiple channels, including documentaries, publications, and exhibitions.
 
Beck Jee-sook, former director of the Seoul Museum of Art and co-CEO of the production company, said, “Although demand for art exhibitions is growing, there are limitations to introducing artists through exhibitions alone. There is an urgent need to diversify the platforms through which the experiences of artists and audiences, mediated by artworks, can be conveyed, including through video and digital information.”
 
Accordingly, the production plans to develop some projects as narrative films and expand others into exhibitions, publications, webtoons, games, and other formats. The film on Kim Yun Shin will be re-edited as a television version and broadcast on EBS early next year.
 
An exhibition by photographer Eun Chun, who has documented Kim Yun Shin’s studio practice over an extended period, is also in preparation.

References

• 한국일보, 구순의 전기톱 조각가 김윤신, 영화 주인공으로 부국제 레드카펫, 2026.10.02
• 서울아트가이드, 모은 발 프로덕션의 한국 여성 미술작가 조명, 〈김윤신은 미술관에 없다〉
• 모인 발 프로덕션 (PRODUCTION PIEDS-JOINTS)
• 부산국제영화제, 김윤신은 미술관에 없다 (Busan International Film Festival, Kim Yun Shin Punches In)