‘Time of Cinema’ Unique Supporting Characters Oh Man-seok, Kim Ddeut-dol, Shim Hae-in!

〈Time of Cinema〉 is an anthology film consisting of three short films created by directors Lee Jong-pil, Yoon Ga-eun, and Jang Geon-jae, serving as a cinema love letter to theaters and films that have always been unchanging friends, laughing, crying, and dreaming together. 〈Time of Cinema〉 brings to life the cinematic fun as well as the unique experiences and memories that the theater as a place provides, featuring various characters such as audiences, directors, and actors. In particular, it is a work produced to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the representative art cinema Cinecube in South Korea, drawing even more attention by presenting new challenges and hopes for the future of theaters and films. Most notably, during its screening at the 30th Busan International Film Festival last year, President Lee Jae-myung and his wife watched 〈Time of Cinema〉 and promised support for the Korean film industry, creating a significant buzz.

In director Lee Jong-pil's episode [Chimpanzee], actor Oh Man-seok appears as the 'zookeeper' at the zoo visited by 'Godo', 'Momo', and 'Jeje'. He plays the role of answering questions about the 'chimpanzee from Poland' that the three are curious about, sharing old stories from the zoo. Oh Man-seok debuted in 1987 with the play [Cadenza] and has showcased impressive performances in various works including the film 〈The Outlaws〉(2012), 〈Hunt〉(2022), and the drama [Romantic Doctor Kim Sa-bu 2](2020). Additionally, he has taken on unique characters in notable independent art films such as 〈About My Daughter〉(2024), 〈Jangson〉(2024), and 〈Seagulls of the Morning Sea〉(2024), demonstrating a wide acting spectrum. In [Chimpanzee], the 'zookeeper' leads the character to actually encounter the chimpanzee, deepening the story.

Actor and singer-songwriter Kim Ddeut-dol appears as the zoo staff 'Seo-yoon' in director Lee Jong-pil's [Chimpanzee]. She is a character who checks the inquiry left by 'Godo', who has become a film director, and comes to watch 'Godo's film. Kim Ddeut-dol made her screen debut in 2024 as 'Mina', the younger sister of 'Gye-na', in director Jang Geon-jae's 〈I Hate Korea〉, and gained attention by appearing on screen for the second time through 〈Time of Cinema〉. As a musician, Kim Ddeut-dol showcases music influenced by various genres such as shoegazing, dream pop, and psychedelic, based on folk music, attracting public attention. In [Chimpanzee], 'Seo-yoon' leaves a strong impression with her natural portrayal of checking 'Godo's story and enjoying the film with friends, despite her brief appearance.

Actor Shim Hae-in is the character who opens and closes the doors of the film 〈Time of Cinema〉. In the short film 〈Sisters' Climb〉, where she collaborated with actress Kang Jin-ah, she perfectly performed sign language acting, receiving attention by winning the Best Actor Award at the 2025 Mise-en-scène Short Film Festival. In 〈Time of Cinema〉, she accompanies the day of an elderly projectionist in the prologue and epilogue placed before and after the three short films, taking on the role of learning the job as a new projectionist, showcasing a natural performance reminiscent of a documentary. It is rumored that Shim Hae-in learned the film projection process directly from Hong Seong-hee, the head projectionist who has worked at Cinecube for 25 years, for her performance.