Synopsis

Simon Baker is a highly respected Australian musician internationally renowned for his jazz drumming. Seven years ago, Simon heard a recording that would change his life. Hearing an immense energy and complex technique, Simon knew immediately he was listening to one of the world’s great improvisers. He discovered the musician is Kim Seok-Chul, an esteemed Korean hereditary shaman, unbelievably already in his seventies at the time of the recording. Simon commits to find and learn from the enigmatic shaman. Officially designated as Intangible Asset Number 82, Kim Seok-Chul was living a hard life in the wilds of the eastern Korean seaboard, occasionally appearing for villagers to perform rituals for a bumper fishing harvest or to settle restless souls of the dead. With the conviction that he must find and learn from the enigmatic shaman, Simon begins a committed search. As an outsider, Simon stands little chance of ever being granted access, but he is not deterred. After seven years of setbacks and obstacles, and with the shaman now in his eighties, Simon’s commitment has intensified and he returns to Korea for the seventeenth time. Imbued with a sense of destiny, the journey becomes a rite of passage, as Simon has transformative encounters with the engaging and exotic characters who will eventually lead him to the shaman. Simon’s philosophical search for the tools of self-expression provides intimate access to the processes of a creative musician. Simon and the artists who have become immersed in his journey discover their growing influence on each other and move naturally towards collaboration. A true testimony to the universal language of music and its power to transform players and audience alike. ​

Director

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  • Emma Franz
  • Emma Franz, who majored in visual and performance arts, is a jazz singer with 17 years of experience. She has released three albums as a singer and songwriter with Warner Chappell, and has performed in various shows. In 1998, she reached the final round of the Australian National Jazz Awards. Having worked on feature films, short films, and documentaries, Franz established her own production company, In The Sprocket Productions, in 2005 and has been actively producing ever since. 'Searching for Intangible Cultural Asset No. 82' is Emma Franz’s directorial debut.