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 Official website IFFR 2009
January 13, 2009
Ten S. Korean movies to hit screens at Dutch film festival
SEOUL, Jan. 13 (Yonhap) -- A record-breaking number of 10 South Korean movies, including director Yang Ik-june's "Breathless," have been invited to this year's International Film Festival Rotterdam (IFFR), the event's organizers said Tuesday.
"Breathless," portraying the lives of an ill-starred young man and woman, will be rivaling movies from Europe and Asia also invited to the festival's Tiger Awards Competition section. Director Yang also played the leading role in the movie, which received the best movie awards from Seoul's Association of Korea Independent Film and Video last year.
Other South Korean movies, including "A Cheonggyecheon Dog," "Exhausted," "Love in the Shadows," "The Pot" and "My Love, Yurie," have been invited to the festival's non-competition sections -- Bright Future, Signals and Spectrum -- screening works of young filmmakers around the world recognized for their potential. "South Korea continues to be a source of very diverse films," festival organizers said in a press release.
Dubbed Europe's own Sundance Film Festival, the IFFR is considered one of the most innovative film events in Europe, annually screening nearly 500 films at venues throughout the Dutch city.
South Korean movies "The Day a Pig Fell into the Well" and "Jealousy is My Middle Name" received the Tiger Awards in 1997 and 2003, respectively.
The 38th IFFR will run from Jan. 21 through Feb. 1, presenting 43 world premieres as well as 35 international and 34 European premieres of feature length films.
Credits: [email protected]
http://english.yonhapnews.co.kr/culturesports/2009/01/13/98/0701000000AEN20090113004600315F.HTML |
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Official website JIFF 2009
S. Korean film festival marks 10th birthday with Asian collaboration
By Shin Hae-in
SEOUL, Jan. 13 (Yonhap) -- Short but inspiring works of renowned filmmakers from Seoul, Tokyo and Manila will be featured at the Jeonju International Film Festival (JIFF) in May as the South Korean film event turns 10 years old this year.
South Korea's Hong Sang-soo, Japan's Naomi Kawase and the Philippines' Lav Diaz have each contributed a 30 minute-long short film to the "The Jeonju Three Digital Shorts Project," which helped shed the limelight on many emerging directors during the past decade. "During the past years, we have invited directors from Europe, Africa and elsewhere to our collaborated project," the program director Jung Soo-wan said at a press conference Tuesday. "This time, we are back to Asia, where we had started off the decade."
The JIFF, held each year at the traditional South Korean city of Jeonju about 240 kilometers south of Seoul, has been growing into one of the most important film festivals in Asia, noted especially for its effort to discover hidden films from non-Western regions.
The digital shorts project is considered JIFF's core program, providing 50 million won (US$36,820) to each of the three directors chosen annually to produce short digital pieces to be premiered at the event.
The project has been drawing keen attention from movie critics overseas with two JIFF-commissioned films, "Expectations" and "Memories," receiving awards at the 2008 Dubai International Film Festival and the 2007 Locarno International Film Festival, respectively.
South Korean director Hong, noted for his humorous portrayals of the hidden -- and often ridiculous -- desires of Korean men, again talks about tangled relationships in his first short film "Lost in the Mountains." "This is my very first short, but I tried not to make it any different from my past feature movies," he said. "The movie focuses on how people often mess up their good fortunes and relationships with distorted desires and ideals."
Japan's leading female director Kawase, who won the Cannes 2007 Grand Prix with her movie "The Mourning Forest," has contributed "Koma," a story about a third generation Korean who discovers his identity after meeting a Japanese woman.
Filipino director Diaz portrays the lives of former miners in the Marinduque Island, who face difficulties after a Canadian Mining Company shuts down the mine in his movie "Butterflies Have No Memories."
"I was honored to be invited to this project," Diaz told reporters here. "It was a good challenge for me to compete and work together with fellow filmmakers (from Korea and Japan)."
The 10th JIFF will run from April 30 through May 8, featuring over 200 films from 40 countries. Winner of the Woosuk Award, the festival's top prize for feature films and documentaries with a running time of more than 60 minutes, will receive $10,000.
Credits: [email protected]
http://english.yonhapnews.co.kr/culturesports/2009/01/13/28/0701000000AEN20090113005600315F.HTML |
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January 13, 2009
Kwon Sang-woo Resumes Romantic Role
By Lee Hyo-won
Staff Reporter
Actors Kwon Sang-woo, left, and Lee Bo-young walk down the aisle
in a cathedral wedding scene for the film "A Sad Story" in Seoul, Monday. / Yonhap
Newly wed actor Kwon Sang-woo was caught walking down the aisle once again ― this time with actress Lee Bo-young in the upcoming movie "A Sad Story" (working title).
As its title suggests, the film is about heartbreaking, unrequited love. The wedding shoot, revealed to the press Monday in a Seoul cathedral, featured Kwon's character walking down the aisle with the woman he loves (Lee Bo-young) ― but only to marry her off to another man (Lee Beom-soo).
Kwon returns to the romance genre after foraying comic or tough guy parts, such as in "Fate." He said he drew inspiration from his own marriage for his latest role. "I think being married enables me to think more deeply about playing melodramatic parts. Like my movie character, Kay, I also needed a lot of courage to bear the fruits of my love,'' he said.
The "Stairway to Heaven" star made headlines last year when his clandestine romance with actress Sohn Tae-young became public. The two tied the knot in September and are expecting a baby in the spring. "Kay braves his circumstances for love, and I thought I might have done the same if I were in his shoes,'' he said.
The project garnered interest for marking poet Won Tae-yeon's directorial debut. "It's my first movie, and I am very honored I got the opportunity to work with actors with such great acting skill and enthusiasm,'' said Won.
"The director always provides clear, detailed answers whenever we actors have any questions. Being the poet he is, he meticulously points out words and even syllables when directing our acting. He also pays a lot of attention to the timing of our speech,'' said Lee Beom-soo. The actor, known for his solid acting skills, recently rose to stardom through charismatic TV roles in "Doctor Bong" and "On Air." His movie "Death Bell" also fared well at last year's box office.
"A Sad Story" also drew attention because the three cast members invested in the production. "I decided to invest my salary into the movie because I believe in the director's script. I think I can at least break even because the story is very good,'' said Kwon.
"At first I was a little worried the movie would stop short of being just a pretty romance. But I think it will be a realistic yet beautiful film," said actress Lee ("Once Upon a Time"). The former Miss Korea looked graceful in her lacy wedding gown. Monday also happened to be her 30th birthday, and the cast and crew surprised the actress with a large three-tier cake, moving her to tears.
About 70 percent of A Sad Story has been filmed and the movie is slated for a March 14 release. Distributed by Showbox/Mediaplex.
Credits: [email protected]
http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/art/2009/01/141_37776.html
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January 13, 2009
S. Korean drama 'Iljimae Returns' sold to Japan
SEOUL, Jan. 13 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's upcoming prime time TV series "Iljimae Returns" has been sold to a major Japanese entertainment firm for US$55,000 an episode, producers of the drama said Tuesday.
The 24-part historical drama, portraying the life of the ancient Korean hero Iljimae, has been sold to Japan's Amuse Entertainment, Seoul's GP Workshop said. The series is scheduled to be aired by Korea's major broadcaster MBC beginning Jan. 21.
The deal signals a brighter outlook this year for domestic TV dramas, which saw a 35 percent decrease in exports last year with the fizzling of the "Korean Wave" of popular entertainment throughout Asia. The number of TV dramas sold to Japan and China fell by more than half from the previous year.
"Iljimae Returns" is based on a comic series written and illustrated by the late Ko Woo-young. Iljimae, often dubbed Korea's Robin Hood, was a widely known Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910) thief who led a dynamic life stealing money and goods from the privileged upper class to hand out to the needy.
Credits: [email protected], image from empas.com
http://english.yonhapnews.co.kr/culturesports/2009/01/13/14/0701000000AEN20090113007800315F.HTML
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January 13, 2009
Young Star Jung il-woo Returns With 'Iljimae'
By Han Sang-hee
Staff Reporter
Jung Il-woo stars as Iljimae in the new drama
"Iljimae Returns." It will start airing at 9:55 p.m.
on MBC Jan. 21 / Courtesy of MBC
Young star Jung Il-woo is back as the stylish and righteous warrior Iljimae, the Joseon Kingdom's Robin Hood. Originally a comic strip, it has been made into dramas most recently last year. But MBC is aiming to bring the popular storyline to the next level with "Iljimae Returns" (working title).
"It's an old story, but the plots and characters are very modern. I just thought Iljimae was charming and cool, but as I started to get to know him better, I realized that he was actually a very sad person. I still need to analyze him," Jung said at the press conference for the drama last week. "Iljimae" was a comic serial strip series in the Daily Sports, a daily newspaper focused on sports and entertainment, from 1975 to 1977. The work of famed cartoonist Ko Woo-young, its catchy plot and interesting characters helped it become a hit and it's only just reached its peak in popularity.
Jung will be the third actor to portray Iljimae after fellow actors Jang Dong-kun and Lee Jun-ki. Jang appeared in a 1993 drama and Lee in the SBS drama. The two Iljimaes ― Jung and Lee ― are drastically different in terms of their clothes, personalities and objectives, but comparisons are inevitable.
While the previous Iljimae was focused on the fight between conservatives and progressives and other social matters, the new Iljimae will look more into his personal life, including the love story between him and the heroine, Weol-hee, played by Yun Jin-seo, while still offering his journey to justice and peace, just like the original comic.
When asked about the pressure he might have experienced by playing a character who was already popularly portrayed by someone else, Jung was up and ready to receive the criticism. "I am fully prepared to receive viewers' and fellow actors' criticism" he said.
Born in China, Iljimae was sent to Japan, where he spent his early years before heading to Korea for his acts of heroism, still trying to find himself and the love of his life. Due to having lived in three different places, the drama took Jung to Taiwan and Japan for more realistic settings.
Jung had a particularly difficult time getting used to his character, as it was his first portrayal of an athletic warrior and the main character of a historical drama."I was overly exhausted after working non-stop for more than five months. I had to pay a few visits to the emergency room and sometimes the medicine was so strong I didn't feel like myself. But now, I'm trying to keep myself fit in order to continue filming," said Jung.
Being such a versatile character, Iljimae could be interpreted in many ways, but for producer Hwang In-roi, the original was the way to go. "The cartoon is more than 30 years old but the characters has more than just literal value. The power of the original work is so strong that many may start reading it again. We have strived to make our Iljimae totally similar to the original character and I hope viewers enjoy our efforts," Hwang said.
Amid high anticipation and the fun of comparing Iljimae's different incarnations, "Iljimae Returns" will start airing at 9:55 p.m. Jan. 21 on MBC.
Credits: [email protected]
http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/art/2009/01/201_37754.html
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January 14, 2009
Hip-hop group Big Bang抯 memoirs to hit shelves at end of the month
Big Bang, a local hip-hop and R&B idol group, is publishing a book titled, 揝hout to You in the World! |
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January 14, 2009
Korea抯 version of 慒ame |
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January 14, 2009
Stars and fans descend on southern Seoul cathedral as Yoon weds
Producer Yoon Seok-ho
The stars were out in droves for producer Yoon Seok-ho's wedding last Sunday.
The cathedral in Nonhyeon-dong, southern Seoul, where the wedding was held, was packed with stars who came to congratulate Yoon, 52, who tied the knot with Han Hye-soo, 39, a hanbok designer.
Yoon has produced many popular TV dramas, including 揥inter Sonata, |
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January 14, 2009
[TV REVIEW] Dire talk show destroys a pledge to 'be nice'
Park Jung-hoon, the host of 揝unday Night
with Park Jung-hoon. |
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January 14, 2009
Warrior empress rules over TV ratings with an iron fist
Chai Si-ra plays a legendary general
in the history drama 揟he Iron Empress. |
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January 12, 2009
Singer Yun-ha抯 Movie Due Out in Spring
Japanese film 揙n This Sunday |
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January 13, 2009
Jang Na-ra to Become an Honorary Jinan Citizen
Hallyu star Jang Na-ra will be appointed as an honorary citizen and honorary publicity ambassador of Jinan, Shandong Province coming Sunday. Jang has steadily done many charity works in China. Since 2005 this angelic singer has been involved in a program with local media and charity groups to help out young leukemia patients. The city of Jinan has decided to applaud Jang抯 steady philanthropic work by granting her the honorary citizenship.
In response to the decision, Jang has said that she抯 honored to be named an honorary citizen, especially as a foreigner working in China. Although honorary citizenship has been given to a number of businessmen and politicians who have done a lot of work for the city, she is the first Korean celebrity to receive such honor.
Jang is scheduled to visit Shandong, Sichuan and Ningsha Provinces from Saturday through Monday. She plans to distribute winter coats to the victims of Sichuan earthquake and make an appearance on the spring festival program of a Nishang satellite TV channel.
Source: KBS World |
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January 14, 2009
1,000 Japanese Fans Flock to Airport to See Rain
1,000 Japanese Fans Flock to Airport to See Rain
Singer Rain (Jeong Ji-hun, 27) flew to Japan Sunday for his first official schedule of the year. He was welcomed by 1,000 Japanese fans at the airport.
He released the Asia edition of his 5th regular album "Rainism" (released in Korea in Oct.) in Japan last Wednesday. He will hold a concert/fan meeting four times during his stay, twice Monday in Tokyo and twice Wednesday in Osaka.
He arrived late Sunday night at Narita International Airport to be greeted by 1,200 fans.
He will hold a press conference Monday morning at Hotel Okura Tokyo before the local media. His management agency J.Tune Entertainment says 200 Japanese reporters will attend the conference.
Upon its release last Wednesday, Rainism placed fifth on the Oricon charts. He will debut his new songs in the Japanese version during his 90 minute long concerts.
Source: KBS Global |
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January 14, 2009
Girls' Generation Soars to the Top
Female idol group Girls |
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January 14, 2009
Actor Jung Woo-sung Launches Men's Cosmetics Line
Jung Woo-sung
Words alone do not do Jung Woo-sung justice. His brand of manly beauty includes a tall, well-proportioned body, crystal-clear skin, and clean-cut features seemingly created by a meticulous sculptor.
The man of beauty recently started business in men's cosmetics. He has long been interested in beautification, as his appearance suggests. When asked what his motivation as a businessman was, he said, "I was always interested in the cosmetics field because I am someone whose beauty is consistently evaluated. I also wanted to share my tips on how to maintain good skin with men who are negligent of skincare. I know I don't have special knowledge in this field, but I took the courage to do what I like."
Monsieur J / empas.com
He has always determined his life's direction and even dropped out of high school to be an actor. His new challenge as a businessman also demonstrates his determination.
Credits: [email protected]
http://english.chosun.com/w21data/html/news/200901/200901140001.html
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Official website berlinale
January 14, 2009
S. Korean teen movie invited to Berlinale
SEOUL, Jan. 14 (Yonhap) -- A teenage film by South Korean director Jung Ji-yeon has been invited to join the Generation lineup at this year's Berlin International Film Festival, becoming the sixth domestic movie to hit screens at the internationally acclaimed event, event organizers said Wednesday.
Jung's short film "Blooming in Spring" centers on the plight of a teenage girl who suffers from eating disorders and bullying by class mates. The 25-year-old female director received the special jury award at this year's Seoul Independent Film Festival for her film.
Jung will be vying for the Crystal Bears award, given to the film chosen by a jury of teenage viewers.
Organizers of the event unveiled on Wednesday those films that will be competing in the Generation K-plus and Generation 14-plus categories, including 27 features, 10 world premieres and 30 short films from 25 countries.
The Berlinale invited five South Korean features, including "My Dear Enemy," starring Cannes award-winning actress Jeon Do-youn, and "Treeless Mountain," to its non-competition Forum Section last week.
The 59th annual festival will run from Feb. 5 through Feb. 15 with more than 400 films up for competition.
Credits: [email protected]
http://english.yonhapnews.co.kr/culturesports/2009/01/14/51/0701000000AEN20090114002700315F.HTML
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January 14, 2009
S. Korean moviegoers decreased 5 percent last year: report
SEOUL, Jan. 14 (Yonhap) -- The number of South Korean cinema goers dropped by more than 5 percent last year, a local report said Wednesday, as the industry has been hit by an economic downturn and a surge of illegal on-line downloads.
Some 149 million people came to local theaters last year, a drop of 8.3 million, or 5.3 percent, from the number of moviegoers in 2007, according to the Korea Film Council. About 88 percent of the 2,400 adults surveyed between Nov. 28 and Dec. 5 said they saw at least one movie last year, a sharp fall from 94 percent in 2007. People saw an average of 9 movies in 2008, compared to 12 movies in 2007.
Forty-eight percent said they illegally downloaded at least one movie on-line last year, a slight increase of 0.5 percent. The popularity of domestic movies also took a hit from the deluge of foreign films released last year, the report said.
Close to 40 percent of respondents said they favored watching domestic movies, compared to 57 percent who said they preferred Hollywood films. South Koreans favored locally made films over foreign ones for seven consecutive years since 2001.
According to an earlier report by South Korea's largest film distributor CJ Entertainment, domestic movies saw their worst sales in eight years in 2008, with their market share plunging by more than 20 percent from the previous year to 42.5 percent.
The market share of domestic movies had been steadily increasing since 2002, hitting a record-high 64.9 percent in 2006.
Credits: [email protected]
http://english.yonhapnews.co.kr/culturesports/2009/01/14/10/0701000000AEN20090114007000315F.HTML
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January 14, 2009
JIFF to feature 3 renowned Asian directors
There are so many film festivals in Korea that it's difficult to stand out. But the Jeonju International Film Festival has weathered the competition in the past decade, thanks to its unwavering focus on promising filmmakers and their digital projects.
In 2000, the festival introduced its first Digital Project as a core event, focusing on the future of digital movies. Since then, 27 filmmakers from around the world have joined the project, producing digital short films. What's notable is the organizers' attempt to broaden horizons, featuring European and African filmmakers in 2007 and 2008.
This year, however, the Jeonju Digital Project has returned to Asian filmmakers to celebrate its 10th anniversary. "When we first launched the project in 2000, we set a new standard by helping promising filmmakers across the world to make digital films. This year, we are featuring three Asian filmmakers ahead of the anniversary," said Min Byung-lock, chief festival organizer, at a news conference in downtown Seoul on Tuesday.
The featured filmmakers are Hong Sang-soo from Korea, Naomi Kawase from Japan and Lav Diaz from the Philippines.
Hong, who directed "Virgin Stripped Bare by Her Bachelors," the opening film for the first Jeonju film festival, said that it will be his first digital short film project. His reputation as a filmmaker is likely to raise expectations about his new project "Lost in the Mountains."
The 30-minute film follows Mi-sook, who visits Jeonju to discover her close friend and ex-flame share a shocking secret.
Naomi Kawase, another participant of the project, acquired fame as the youngest winner of the Golden Camera Award at the Cannes International Film Festival for her first feature film, "Suzaku," in 1997. She then cemented her position as a leading filmmaker by winning the Grand Prix at Cannes for her film "The Mourning Forest of Mogari" in 2007.
For the Jeonju project, she will introduce "Koma," a tale with a heavy Korean influence. "There was a town named Koma in Japan, and I felt the place bears some features reminiscent of Korea's Goryeo period, and that's why I set out to work on this film," she said.
Lav Diaz, who won the Orizzonti Grand Prize at the Venice International Film Festival with his film "Melancholia" in 2008, joins the project with "Butterflies Have No Memories." "This is a film set in an island in the Philippines where its environment is destroyed, and I want to show that the environment, once damaged, tends to be a serious problem for many people for a long period of time," Diaz said.
The 10th Jeonju International Film Festival will be held from April 30 through May 8. For more information, visit www.jiff.or.kr
By Yang Sung-jin ([email protected])
http://www.koreaherald.co.kr/NEW ... 15/200901150013.asp |
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January 14, 2009
Movie Downloading to Be Legalized
By Bae Ji-sook
Staff Reporter
Some movies can now be downloaded legally from peer-to-peer (P2P) sites after an out-of-court settlement between the Korean Film Producers' Association (KFPA) and the Digital Contents Network Association, an association of P2P hosts.
P2P users will pay more than the current rate of 100-500 won per file in copyright fees.
The KFPA said the price of films would be graded according to the date of production and release, as well as the picture quality. "Copyright holders have sued P2P hosts for illegal downloading," KFPA official Cho Gwang-hee said. "But it may take years for both sides to settle disputes through legal battles. So both sides reached an out-of-court settlement."
Filmmakers claimed that they sustained more than $230 million in losses due to illegal downloading. More and more fans watch the latest movies at home free of charge, the Korean Film Council said Wednesday.
According to its survey of 2,401 people, 86 percent have seen movies through the Internet and mobile devices. About 48 percent said they have downloaded movies illegally and 19 percent said they have uploaded them.
Last March, 35 filmmakers sued eight Web hosting companies, but the lawsuits were unable to prevent illegal downloading. Once detected, an illegal download could cost perpetrators a 5-8 million won fine, but the punishment has failed to root out the illegal trade.
There are online streaming services available such as www.daum.net's Cube sections, where the Web host pays for copyright and users can watch movies only through that site, but they are not as active as was first anticipated.
In America people can buy online videos, ranging from the latest TV dramas to CNN news, through iTunes or amazon.com. The number of downloads through these sites are considered an important barometer for classifying hit items.
In Korea, filmmaker Silkroad provided a pilot download service for its summer smash hit "The Chaser" through cine21i.com and attracted 300,000 clicks and 600 million won in profit. "It means there is some hope and potential,'' Cho said.
Credits: [email protected]
http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/ ... 9/01/117_37858.html |
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January 13, 2009
Filmmaker Moon Dies
By Han Sang-hee
Staff Reporter
Filmmaker Moon Yeo-song passed away Sunday due to a chronic disease. He was 77.
Born in Jeju Island in 1932, Moon moved to Japan when he was three years old and graduated from the University of Tokyo抯 Arts division. In 1966 he made his debut with the anticommunism film "Spy Scheme," starring veteran actors Ko Eun-ah and Nam Gung-won.
The film "Never Never Forget Me" gained him recognition in 1976. The love story of two young students and their memorable relationship became a big hit, and he continued to gain popularity with films like "There Really is a Dream," "I抦 Really Sorry," "Crazy for You" and "Nobody Knows" in 1977 and "Our High School Years" the following year.
Moon started a teenage film boom with popular stars such as Lim Ye-jin and Lee Duk-hwa.
Moon was later known as one of the three representative filmmakers of teenage movies, along with the late directors Kim Eung-chon ("Momo is a Child," 1979) and Suk Rae-myeong ("High School Buddies," 1976).
After more prolific years with the movies "Making Love" (1983), "Hello, Tokyo" (1985), "The Barefoot Young 1987" (1987) and "The Spring of Weeds" (1989), Moon retired. His last work was a love story called "Bihwang" in 1992.
His "Really Really" series has recently been remade into a musical by younger artists, which brought the trendy movies back into the spotlight for younger fans while bringing back memories to older ones.
He is survived by two sons and a daughter.
Credits: [email protected]
http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/special/2009/01/178_37806.html
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Author
