---
title: 'Why Has Bodhi-Dharma Left for the East? (1989)'
type: 'film'
director: 'Bae Yong-kyun'
released: '1989-01-01'
runtime_minutes: 123
genres:
  - 'Drama'
countries:
  - 'South Korea'
canonical: 'https://cinepixo.com/movies/why-has-bodhi-dharma-left-for-the-east-1989'
review_count: 0
imdb: 'https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0097195/'
publisher: 'CinePixo'
---

# Why Has Bodhi-Dharma Left for the East? (1989)

1989 · 123 min · Drama · South Korea

Original title: 달마가 동쪽으로 간 까닭은

## Synopsis

Why Has Bodhi-Dharma Left for the East? is a 1989 South Korean film written, produced and directed by Bae Yong-kyun, a professor at Dongguk University in Seoul. Known principally as a painter, Bae spent seven years making this film with one camera and editing it by hand. The film was screened in the Un Certain Regard section at the 1989 Cannes Film Festival. It was the first South Korean film to receive a theater release in the United States. The US distributor Milestone Films premiered the film in New York City on September 24, 1993 and then expanded to more than 30 cities.

## Credits

- **Director:** [Bae Yong-kyun](https://cinepixo.com/people/bae-yong-kyun)
- **Screenplay:** [Bae Yong-kyun](https://cinepixo.com/people/bae-yong-kyun)
- **Director of Photography:** [Bae Yong-kyun](https://cinepixo.com/people/bae-yong-kyun)
- **Editor:** [Bae Yong-kyun](https://cinepixo.com/people/bae-yong-kyun)

## Criticism on CinePixo

No reviews published yet.

Source: https://cinepixo.com/movies/why-has-bodhi-dharma-left-for-the-east-1989
Film facts: Wikidata (Q562534); synopsis from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0. Reviews, themes and notes are the work of this site's members.