Director Yoo Lee revives stop-motion animation for documentary ode to Korean photographer
Published: 25 Sep. 2025, 15:52
Updated: 26 Sep. 2025, 20:04
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- KIM JI-YE
- [email protected]
Audio report: written by reporters, read by AI
![A still from director Yoo Lee's stop-motion film ″A Man Who Takes Pictures of Flowers,″ which was invited to this year's Busan International Film Festival [AARON WISE]](https://koreaseafood.online/data/photo/2025/09/26/f8a9af15-24d7-4cd2-8392-32478488c420.jpg)
A still from director Yoo Lee's stop-motion film ″A Man Who Takes Pictures of Flowers,″ which was invited to this year's Busan International Film Festival [AARON WISE]
BUSAN — Nowadays, animation has become a technological battlefield, with studios racing to perfect every detail, striving to push visuals closer to real life or come up with extravagant computer-generated images that no live-action film is able to emulate.
Amid this trend, one Korean American director is heading in the opposite direction, devoting herself to stop-motion — one of the oldest forms of animation. Stop-motion animation is a filmmaking technique where objects are physically moved and shots are taken frame by frame. The shots are then stitched together to create the illusion of motion. The technique has been utilized by famed directors like Tim Burton, as shown in “The Nightmare Before Christmas” (1993).
“Stop-motion to me is the fairest medium in the world,” director Yoo Lee said to the Korea JoongAng Daily last week during the 30th Busan International Film Festival (BIFF).
Lee was invited to BIFF's Korean Short Film Competition for her latest animated film “A Man Who Takes Pictures of Flowers.” The winner of the section will be announced on Thursday night.
Her 14-minute short documentary film tells the story of late photographer Kim Jung-myung, who dedicated 40 years of his life to capturing images of wildflowers. The film seamlessly weaves in stop-motion, with puppets portraying Kim, dialogue voiced by Kim, as well as still photos and video footage that Kim actually shot.
![A still from director Yoo Lee's stop motion film ″A Man Who Takes Pictures of Flowers,″ which was invited to this year's Busan International Film Festival [AARON WISE]](https://koreaseafood.online/data/photo/2025/09/26/aa780fc5-1167-43d8-90d5-d072f92ffb30.jpg)
A still from director Yoo Lee's stop motion film ″A Man Who Takes Pictures of Flowers,″ which was invited to this year's Busan International Film Festival [AARON WISE]
No room for cheating
Lee explained that she used 24 frames per second and that it took three weeks to complete a single 38-second scene of Kim sitting on a bed of yellow flowers.
“I just love this medium. I'm a very black and white person and I like fairness,” she added. “It's exactly how much time you put in, how much you've put effort in, you get out. You can't cheat this, so that's why I love what I do.”
In an era dominated by advanced technology and the rise of AI, the painstaking tasks of making puppets, backdrops, props, costumes and adjusting a puppet’s pose frame by frame often push people toward AI and high-tech alternatives. But Lee said she feels “turned off” by AI, instead finding beauty in the imperfections of stop-motion.
“I love stop-motion because I like humanity, and humanity is imperfection and flaws,” said the director. “We make mistakes. We have scars, and that's what makes us who we are. And we fail and we learn.”
“Because stop-motion is done by hand, it's imperfect. There are flaws everywhere. But what I'm doing is I'm adding humanity. I'm adding my soul. I'm adding Kim's story.”
![The puppets from director Yoo Lee's ″A Man Who Takes Pictures of Flowers,″ which depict the different ages of the film's protagonist, late photographer Kim Jung-myung [KIM JI-YE]](https://koreaseafood.online/data/photo/2025/09/26/51c88aec-f4bc-46e0-bf10-ff6be274d92c.jpg)
The puppets from director Yoo Lee's ″A Man Who Takes Pictures of Flowers,″ which depict the different ages of the film's protagonist, late photographer Kim Jung-myung [KIM JI-YE]
From fashion to filmmaking
Now in her 50s, Lee has a relatively short filmography and an unusual background. Before turning to stop-motion, she spent nearly 20 years as a fashion designer, running her own brand.
“I couldn't understand what I was contributing to the world other than pollution and vanity. I was like, 'I don't like this,'” she recalled.
While experiencing a midlife crisis is not uncommon, Lee was struck by hers with particular intensity — a turning point that ultimately changed her career path.
“I was a fashion designer for almost 20 years, and I had a baby and everything changed for me,” she said. “I was going through a midlife crisis and took up photography, and I loved it so much that I wanted to continue. Then, I started making a stop-motion music video for my daughter, with lullabies, the alphabet and phonics, and I absolutely had the most amazing time.”
Lee paused her fashion career for six months to focus on stop-motion, crafting puppets and even sewing their clothes — putting to use her fashion background. Then what began as a hobby soon grew into something more serious, which led her to pursue academic studies in animation.
At 47, she enrolled in a master’s degree program in Animation and Digital Design at the University of Southern California, making five films during her studies. She graduated at 50, and “A Man Who Takes Pictures of Flowers” became her first post-graduation project.
![Director Yoo Lee of the stop-motion film ″A Man Who Takes Pictures of Flowers,″ which was invited to this year's Busan International Film Festival [AARON WISE]](https://koreaseafood.online/data/photo/2025/09/26/3baa7925-d8f4-46f3-b24c-57cac13995bd.jpg)
Director Yoo Lee of the stop-motion film ″A Man Who Takes Pictures of Flowers,″ which was invited to this year's Busan International Film Festival [AARON WISE]
Living with passion
Initially hesitant to attempt a documentary, she wanted to “stretch her brain,” tell a story she would not “regret on her deathbed” and make something meaningful. The theme was “passion,” as shown through Kim’s 40-year-long devotion to flowers.
However, the film took an unexpected turn when Lee learned that Kim had been diagnosed with cancer just before a planned interview in Korea. While many filmmakers might have focused on his illness, Lee chose instead to highlight Kim's career and passion.
“I made a decision: this isn't a cancer film,” she said. “This isn't a trauma film. This is a film about a man who feels passionate about flowers and mountains — that's it. So, it's going to be a celebration of that, and I think that's what it ended up being.”
Through Kim’s story, Lee hopes to inspire audiences to pursue their passion, encouraging them to “slow down and breathe and feel the joy that Kim feels when he talks about flowers” while watching the film.
“It doesn't have to be grand,” she said. “Anything that you really love and enjoy — it's never late. And I think having passion is how you know that you're going to live a good life. I think if we have more passionate people in the world, the world wouldn't be in this dystopian state with so much conflict and war.”
With this universal theme, the film brought together strong collaborators, including VFX supervisor Cameron Carson, who worked on Guillermo del Toro’s Oscar-winning “Pinocchio” (2022).
It was also selected for Proof of Concept, an accelerator program co-founded by actor Cate Blanchett, Coco Francini and Stacy L. Smith to support filmmakers whose stories reflect the perspectives of women, trans and nonbinary people. Lee was chosen as one of 10 recipients from more than 1,200 applicants.
![A still from director Yoo Lee's stop-motion film ″A Man Who Takes Pictures of Flowers,″ which was invited to this year's Busan International Film Festival [AARON WISE]](https://koreaseafood.online/data/photo/2025/09/26/98e74831-f574-48d7-a282-6be725aae5a3.jpg)
A still from director Yoo Lee's stop-motion film ″A Man Who Takes Pictures of Flowers,″ which was invited to this year's Busan International Film Festival [AARON WISE]
A goodbye screening
Kim died in June, which was longer than doctors had expected, as he was told he would live until January. Before Kim passed away, Lee and Kim's daughter, Shinae Kim, who also served as producer for the film, held a special event where they hired a venue to screen the film and invited Kim’s friends and family.
“We knew he was getting really sick,” Lee said. “So, I stayed in LA to do the post and Shinae ran literally [to Korea] with the rough cut of the finished film and rented a small theater.”
“He invited all his family and friends, and he has gathered quite a lot of loyal patrons over 30 years. They all came to an 80-person theater. It was packed, there were people standing and they got to watch it. Everybody was crying, but it was more like a celebration. Kim got to speak, which was incredible."
After the screening, Lee met Kim one last time, creating an experience etched into her memory. Lee was stunned as Kim, who had been traveling in a wheelchair at this point, stood up and opened his home's door for her.
"He was so happy after he saw the film that adrenaline kicked in, and although he still felt some pain, he was healthy for a good few weeks before he got really sick again," Lee said.
It has been less than half a year since Lee had finished her latest project, but she already has in mind a story she truly believes needs to be told in a possible project — the topic of animal abandonment.
She plans to tell a story about why dogs and cats end up in the pound.
“I love animals. I love dogs and cats, but what I love more is rescuing animals,” Lee said.
"But it's not just about dogs and cats, it's going to be about human stories intertwined with the animal stories. It's going to be sad, but it's also going to be funny, because if it's not funny, you can't watch it,”
BY KIM JI-YE [[email protected]]
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
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