Though anticipation is high for Park Chan-wook's next projects, he has also released a new film to tide fans over until then. The acclaimed director worked with Apple to shoot "Life Is But A Dream" on the iPhone 13 Pro for his latest project.

South Korean cinema has become known for its bold storytelling and compelling characters, evidenced by the emergence of a new generation of filmmakers who are pushing the envelope by shooting their films on smartphones. Some earlier titles shot on a smartphone include Tangerine, Unsane, and Searching For SuperMan.

Park is no stranger to shooting his films on a phone. He previously did phone cinematography with Night Fishing, which won the 2011 Berlin Film Festival's Golden Bear for Best Short Film.

The South Korean director and filmmaker is currently working on two projects. "Decision to Leave", which revolves around an investigator who falls for a widow, is one of them. The other is "The Sympathizer", an upcoming series starring Robert Downey Jr and based on Viet Thanh Nguyen's Pulitzer Prize-winning novel.

Life Is But A Dream's plot
Details of the film's plot reveal that it tackles various paranormal themes and is unafraid to explore different genres. It follows an undertaker who is tasked with stealing a coffin. But then it escalates when an awakened ghost befriends the ghost inside the coffin.

The short film features a cast of impressive actors, including Kim Ok-vin, Park Jeong-min, and Yoo Hai-jin. It is a multi-genre film that uses traditional Korean storytelling and outdoor play format "Madanggeuk".

Making Life Is But A Dream
During a press conference for his new film, Park noted that being able to make short films allows him to explore different genres without the pressure of having to spend a lot of money. He also stated that being able to make these films enables him to have creative freedom.

"It's not easy to dive deeper into genre experiments in a full-length feature film because it costs a lot of money and there is a lot of pressure. When making short films, I have creative freedom," Park said.

'Life is But a Dream’ from Park Chan-wook was entirely #ShotOniPhone in Korea. Excited to grab some ? and watch the latest from this singular talent! https://t.co/Y1I2G0znmL

— Greg Joswiak (@gregjoz) February 20, 2022

Together with cinematographer Kim Woo-hyung, Park worked on Life Is But A Dream for the first time. The film was shot using the iPhone 13 and 13 Pro Max. According to reports, the devices' cinematic features such as macro video, cinematic mode, ProRes video recording, ultra-wide camera, telephoto camera, optical image stabilization, and night mode helped make the short film look cinema-worthy.