Hyundai Motor turns 12-year Motorstudio journey into feature documentary

'The Studio' opens Monday

Film spotlights spatial philosophy of 6 global venues

Busan International Film Festival screenings also planned

Main poster for "The Studio." [Hyundai Motor]

Hyundai Motor announced Monday the release of "The Studio," a feature-length documentary chronicling the 12-year journey of Hyundai Motorstudio.

The full title — "The Studio: From Space on Wheels to Space on the Ground" — traces how Hyundai Motorstudio, which first opened in Seoul in 2014, grew from a vehicle exhibition space into a place connecting people, culture and local communities. Hyundai Motor provided backing for the film, Innocean handled planning, and Studio Orbit and Giringeurim produced it.

The documentary is set across six Hyundai Motorstudio locations worldwide: Seoul, Hanam, Goyang, Busan, Beijing and Senayan Park in Indonesia. It examines the distinct spatial philosophies and architectural values each location embodies and weaves together perspectives from designers, operations staff, visitors, cultural figures and architects to capture the layered meanings the spaces have accumulated over time.

Hyundai Motor said the film conveys the challenge and sincerity behind its effort to move beyond the automobile — a "space on wheels" — and create "spaces on the ground" that move people and grow alongside their communities.

Director Jeong Da-woon, whose work has explored the relationship between architecture, cities and people, helmed the project. Jeong has drawn attention at domestic and international film festivals through works including "Poems Written on the Ground," "The Great Contract: Paju, Books, City" and "Itami Jun's Sea."

"I wanted to show how the spaces of Hyundai Motorstudio create diverse beauty and meaning as time passes, and to let audiences feel as though they had visited the spaces themselves," Jeong said. "I hope this documentary becomes an opportunity to share with the public the power and meaning that architecture and space hold, and to create new value."

On opening day, Hyundai Motor will hold a post-screening audience talk featuring Jeong and Jang Young, executive vice president of Hyundai Motor's brand marketing division, who will speak directly with viewers about the stories behind the film.

A still from "The Studio" showing the exterior of Hyundai Motorstudio Busan. [Hyundai Motor]

"The Studio" had its world premiere as an official selection of the 18th Seoul International Architecture Film Festival and will screen at Arthouse MoMo through Oct. 9. On Oct. 8 and 9, it will also be shown at cultural complex F1963 and Hyundai Motorstudio Busan as part of "BIFF Everywhere," a community outreach program of the 31st Busan International Film Festival.

To coincide with the release, Hyundai Motor will mount a special exhibition, "Hyundai Motorstudio Archive: 12 Years of Records," at Hyundai Motorstudio Busan from early October through early next year. The exhibition will introduce the studio's journey through architectural models, mockups and early sketches. Hyundai Motor also plans to donate six archive books — each capturing the perspectives of architects, artists and planners involved in the project — to major libraries and arts institutions nationwide.

"Hyundai Motorstudio started from a desire to go beyond automobiles and create broader social value by connecting people, culture and local communities," said Ji Seong-won, executive vice president and head of Hyundai Motor's brand marketing division. "We hope audiences will vividly feel the stories and values that the people who built these spaces and the visitors who experienced them have built together over the past 12 years."

Meanwhile, Hyundai Motor held a joint festival with car enthusiast clubs at Hyundai Motorstudio Seoul on Sept. 5 to mark the first anniversary of the venue's renovation. Hyundai Motorstudio Seoul was relaunched last year as a community space embracing diverse car cultures beyond a single brand.

eyre@heraldcorp.com