The title means a drunken painter-saint. While Heungseon Daewongun and Empress Myeongseong had power struggles in the late Joseon Dynasty, Catholic churches were persecuted under the closed-door policy and the kingdom suffered from frequent foreign invasions. Depicting the life of a genius painter Jang Seung-up, director Im highlighted his self-destructive aspects. Dissatisfied with his works, the artist released his anger by drinking alcohol and painted while intoxicated. The director experimented with music in his previous film, Chunhyang (2000). In this film, he followed the painter’s traces and emotions with paintings. Thanks to the unwavering support from producer Lee Taewon and cinematographer Jung Il-sung who became his canvas, Im won the Best Director Award at the 2002 Cannes Film Festival for the first time in Korean film history, making the culmination of his career. [HUH Nam-woong]