20th DIMF, TIMELESS: Park Tae-jun [Daegu]

[SYNOPSIS] Park Tae-jun, a contemporary composer who graduated from one of South Korea's top 1% music universities but failed to secure a respectable job, finds his artistic identity shaken as he faces the harsh realities of making a living. One day, at an old tea house called 'Mido Darbang' in Daegu, he accidentally turns on an old film projector and encounters his younger self—the Park Tae-jun of his youth who composed "Thinking of My Brother" and "Thinking of My Comrade." His past self, who believed art was the "reason for existence," and his present self, ready to give up music in the face of reality, engage in fierce questioning and debate. As the projector flickers back to life, an elderly Park Tae-jun who has lived through a full life appears before them. When three versions of Park Tae-jun from the past, present, and future meet as one piece of music, he comes to a realization: Art is not the spoils of success, but rather a continuous series of choices—a commitment to never give up, even as time flows on.