Bong Joon-ho

I don't write any kind of sequel or remake.

I regard remaking a film as creating something again.

When I was a kid, I was always watching genre movies on TV.

The multilevel, the conscious and the unconscious, is natural when I write scripts, when I come up with ideas and stories.

My favourite genre lies inside myself, and as I follow my favourite stories, characters and images, it sums up to a certain genre. So at times even I have to try to guess which genre a film will be after I've made it.

I like to draw my storyboards myself.

In Korean films there is only really a strong tradition of melodramas.

When you first think of making a monster movie you have to realize that a lot of people may be down on you because there is a big prejudice against such films.

As a director, or just a film fan who wants to enjoy the festival, Cannes is the worst place to be. But it must be a paradise for distributors and importers.

The mother's love for her child is very strong in Korean society - almost on the borderline of being an obsession.

I'm sure mothers are important across every culture, but particularly in Korean society, the role of the mother is of great importance.

The superhero is a really popular figure in the West. In Asia or Korea, the young viewers are amused by the figure, but it is not really so sensational.

No matter where I am working, I cannot make a film without 100% creative control and final cut. If there is such a guarantee, I can work anywhere.

I am a fan of the monster and horror genre but that's not my style as a director.

I think each film should be regarded as its own specific text.

I love the Japanese director Shohei Imamura. His masterpiece in 1979 called, the English title was 'Vengeance is Mine.'

I always write the script by myself.

There's hardly any governmental censorship in Korea.

Until the end of elementary school, I lived in a suburban area, so the type of village I used to live in is borderline between village and the city, so I'm familiar with the rustic environment.

I really hate the creature film convention that says you have to wait until the end to see the monster. One hour and all you've seen is just the tip of the creature's tail.

People have said, 'Why don't you make your own company like Chan-wook Park has his own company,' but my head is full of writing and directing and I don't feel like I want to run a company. That's not really within my personality as well.

I really love 'The Thing.'

I have a group of cafes and coffee shops that I go to regularly. They usually have an area where I can plug in my computer and have a corner seat where I can do a couple hours of writing or whatever, even the noise of the surrounding people walking by. Those things are the things that stimulate me into writing.

In the mid 1990s the Korean film industry was really open-minded.

I don't intentionally make my films with the express goal of surprising the viewer.