Controversial South Korean director Kim Ki-duk died in a hospital in Latvia where he was being treated for COVID-19. He was 59.
Vitaly Mansky, director of Latvia’s Artdocfest film festival, confirmed the news, as did Kim's family in the Korean media.It's understood Kim was developing a film project set in the Baltic region.
Kim was known as the bad boy of Asian art-house cinema and made his name with a series of visually stunning but extremely violent films, including The Isle (2000) and Bad Guy (2001).
The Isle, which features gruesome scenes involving fish-hooks, was sanctioned by authorities in Britain for animal cruelty. Kim's films divided critics but he was celebrated on the international festival circuit.
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