Breathless, which has won eight trophies at six international film festivals, is so intense throughout that audiences find it hard to take their eyes off it. The film’s director Yang Ik-june, the 34-year-old star of the Korean independent movie world, is just as intense.

Breathless vividly depicts domestic violence and abusive language, but nobody can really call the film brutal. Breathless is Yang’s debut film, and is based, he says, on his direct and indirect experiences.

We sat down with Yang recently for an exclusive interview for Jade Screen magazine. Check it out in the March 2010 issue.