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January 9, 2009
Five S. Korean movies to hit screens at Berlinale
SEOUL, Jan. 9 (Yonhap) -- Five South Korean movies including "My Dear Enemy," starring award-winning actress Jeon Do-youn, have been invited to the Forum section of this year's Berlin International Film Festival, the event's organizers said Friday.
The Forum is the festival's non-competition section which screens works of emerging filmmakers around the world noted for their potentials.
The five South Korean movies include "Treeless Mountain," "Members of the Funeral," "The Day After" and "Land of Scarecrows." "My Dear Enemy," directed by Lee Yoon-ki, caught moviegoers' attention with Jeon, winner of the best actress award at Cannes film festival in 2007, playing the starring role of a woman who spends a bittersweet day with her playboy of an ex-boyfriend.
"Treeless Mountain," directed by Kim So-young, is a story of two orphaned sisters, who at a very early age are confronted with a world that does not welcome them. The movie has also been invited to the Santa Barbara International Film Festival.
"Korean cinema, which many skeptics have already seen as entering a crisis, has pulled out all the stops in these films," festival organizers said in a press release. "Korea, the United States, Romania, and the Netherlands contribute films that delight in telling stories from close to home in emotional and social terms."
The 59th festival, also known as Berlinale, will run from Feb. 5 through 15 with more than 400 films up for competition.
Credits: [email protected]
http://english.yonhapnews.co.kr/culturesports/2009/01/09/51/0701000000AEN20090109002700315F.HTML |
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January 9, 2009
TVXQ 4th Album Sells 5-Year-High 500,000 Copies
The 4th album from the idol group TVXQ, entitled "MIROTIC," has sold over 500,000 copies.
The group's management agency, SM Entertainment, said that since the album was released on Sept. 26, it sold 167,697 copies online and 335,140 offline for a total 502,837 copies as of Tuesday.
This figure, reached 103 days after the album's release, is the highest figure of all Korean single albums that were released last year. It's also the highest in five years since Kim Gun-mo's 8th album sold 529,416 copies in 2003 (tallied by the Music Industry Association of Korea).
MIROTIC posted 300,000 copies in advance sales even before its release, and the album topped charts in Japan, Taiwan and Thailand.
TVXQ will hold the "TVXQ 3rd Asia Tour Concert-Mirotic" on Feb.20-22 at the Olympic Park gymnastics stadium.
Source: KBS Global
http://english.kbs.co.kr/entertainment/news/1564539_28572.html |
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January 9, 2009
More than 2 million see local movie 'Ssanghawjeom' in S. Korea
SEOUL, Jan. 9 (Yonhap) -- Ticket sales for the South Korean movie "Ssanghwajeom (A Frozen Flower)" topped 2 million as of Friday, making the film the first to pass the mark this year, movie distributors said Friday.
The fictional tale of homosexual romance between King Kongmin and his bodyguard during Korea's ancient Goryeo Dynasty (918-1392) drew an audience of 1.96 million as of Thursday, the film's 10th day of screening, movie distribution company Showbox said.
Domestic filmmakers have been striving to fight the ongoing economic slump and a deluge of Hollywood blockbusters to be released this year.
South Korean movies saw their worst sales figures in eight years in 2008, which fell by more than 20 percent from the previous year.
Just eight films last year saw ticket sales top 2 million compared to 16 films in 2006 and 10 in 2007.
Credits: [email protected]
http://english.yonhapnews.co.kr/ ... 0109005200315F.HTML |
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January 8, 2009
Former H.O.T. Lee Jae-won on Sexual Assault Charge
Lee Jae-won, former member of H.O.T., made his first on-air comments about having been accused of sexually assaulting a Miss Kim, a singer hopeful. On an entertainment news program 揈NEWS |
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January 9, 2009
BoA Climbs in U.S. Billboard Chart
Korean pop star BoA抯 揈at You Up |
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January 9, 2009
Celebrities Joining Boom of Writings
By Chung Ah-young
Staff Reporter
"Pieces of You," written by pop group Epik High frontman Tablo, has topped bestseller lists in recent months, shoulder-to-shoulder with veteran novelists.
 
Tablo's book "Pieces of You", Epik High frontman Tablo
The number of books penned by celebrities has soared dramatically from last year. According to the publication industry, the number of books by stars increased by five percent last year. Celebrities such as comedienne Jo Hye-ryeon, actor Shin Hyun-jun, actress Bae Doona and hip-hop group Big Bang are rushing to write, breathing fresh air into the publication industry.
It's nothing new for celebrities to be published, but the genre has grown increasingly varied and one might wonder why such books are becoming increasingly popular."Even in the past, stars had books published from time to time but they were more about their personal love stories in the form of essays. Nowadays, their books are increasingly diverse and professional in content and genre," said Kim Hyun-jung, a member of the promotional team at Kyobo Bookstore.
In fact, they are expanding their horizons to novels, travel essays, language studies and even religion. Tablo's success with his first published collection of short stories, "Pieces of You," features 10 he wrote while living in the United States from 1998 to 2001.
Due to his academic background ― he studied English and creative writing at Stanford ― he originally wrote the stories in English and translated them into Korean.
Building her career in Japan, Korean comedienne Jo Hye-ryeon has recently released a Japanese language study book, "Break Up Japanese," based on her language acquisition and life in Japan. She studied the Japanese language by herself and two years after her Japanese debut, she became a co-hostess of an NHK program.
Comedian Kim Young-chul published English study guide "Brave Young-chul English" and will release a second English study book early this year. He also studied alone and offers language acquisition advice.
Actor Shin Hyun-jun, a devout Christian, wrote "Shin Hyun-jun's Confession," a reflection on his past and religious life.
Actor Hong Suk-chun, who revealed he was gay eight years ago, is a renowned celebrity businessman with several popular restaurants in Itaewon and recently released "Designing My Own Restaurant," a guide to operating successful restaurants.
Actress Bae Doona's "Doona's Seoul" has topped the travel section for a few months. It is the third in her series of travel photo essays, following "Doona's London" and "Doona's Tokyo."
An avid fan of photography, Baek Sung-hyun, known as the rapper from pop group Koyote, has recently published a photo essay of his life titled "Talking to You."
Notably, five-member group Big Bang will publish the self-help book "Shout Out to World," to be released on Jan. 28, which offers their success strategies for going from apprentices to iconic idol band members. Each member wrote a chapter about his goals and surviving the cutthroat competition of show business. "We've rejected many proposals from publishers because we didn't want to rely solely on brand recognition or follow the autobiographical trend, which seemed to be geared only for profit," YG Entertainment, the group's agency, said.
But Big Bang's new book is trying to offer something different from the previous star-authored books, offering guidelines and advice aimed at those aged 10-20 who lack goals. "In our book, each member wrote a personal history and Kim Se-ah compiled and edited the stories," the agency said.
Actor Cha In-pyo is currently writing a fairytale for children, "Goodbye, Hill (working title)," to be published in the first half of this year.
The boom in celebrity publication is attributed to the efforts of the stars themselves, whose social status has been enhanced. "Readers are curious about their (celebrities) works, such as Bae's photo travel book and Tablo's short story collection, as they can peer into their thoughts and share their experiences and learn something," said Kyobo Bookstore representative Kim, adding that the various efforts of the stars are appealing to general audiences by making good use of their knowledge and experience.
"Readers are changing. Gossip and personal love stories are no longer of interest nor do readers read books solely because of who their authors are," she went on.
However, she said the economic recession is undeniably affecting the publication industry _ part of the reason for the increase in the popularity of celebrity authors. "Many publishers don't want to risk publishing books by unknown writers in these economically difficult times," she said.
But not every celebrity-written book is a hit. "If a book is of poor quality, it will be shunned by readers and the writer's reputation will be negatively affected," Kim said.
Credits: chungay@koreatimes.co.kr |
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January 9, 2009
S. Korean actress named YouTube goodwill ambassador
SEOUL, Jan. 9 (Yonhap) -- South Korean actress Song Hye-kyo was named regional ambassador for the world's first online orchestra being set up by YouTube, the video-sharing web site said Friday.
In a ceremony in Hong Kong, Song, 26, was appointed Goodwill Ambassador to the Asia-Pacific for the envisioned "YouTube Symphony," the Google-based web site said.
"As a lover of classical music, I'm here to remind you that there's only a month left to sign up for a global audition," Song said on a video clip posted on YouTube.
Song soared to fame with her role as a leukemia-stricken girl in the mega-hit Korean TV drama "Autumn in My Heart" in 2000. The drama was later broadcast in Japan and several other Asian countries, making her an Asia-wide celebrity.
YouTube is accepting video entries from hopefuls looking to become part of its online orchestra, which started in December and will run until Jan. 28. Those who pass the audition will join the virtual symphony to be launched in April, it said.
Finalists will be chosen by a panel of judges and YouTube users and will travel to New York in April to participate in the YouTube Symphony Orchestra summit and play at Carnegie Hall with American conductor Michael Tilson Thomas.
YouTube launched a Korean-language version of its service in January and has since seen its traffic expand rapidly.
Credits: [email protected], image from empas.com
http://english.yonhapnews.co.kr/culturesports/2009/01/09/71/0701000000AEN20090109006700320F.HTML
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January 9, 2009
(Yonhap Feature) Critics urge steady sellers, new faces to keep Korean Wave rolling
By Shin Hae-in
SEOUL, Jan. 9 (Yonhap) -- Five years ago, South Korea's television producers would have said it was "a piece of cake" to lure viewers throughout Asia. They only needed pretty actors and actresses, and a typical love triangle.
What they ignored, however, was human nature: people don't like to see the same story more than once. Japan and China -- once the main buyers of Korean TV dramas and the fan base that started and fed the "Korean Wave" -- have been much less enthusiastic for the past few years.
"'Korean Wave' is no longer the right term. It's more like a really weak breeze now," media critic Lee Moon-won said. "The signs have been there for ages, but production companies were too proud to notice."
Local experts had warned for some time of doom and gloom in the domestic entertainment industry. Sure enough, exports of Korean TV dramas have been steadily decreasing.
Exports of Korean TV dramas fell by an average of 35 percent last year. The number of TV dramas sold to Japan and China was more than halved from the previous year.
Although one can argue the ongoing economic crisis contributed to the slump, producers who neglected developing newer content to keep overseas fans interested is more to blame, experts say. "Fooled by the massive success of a few dramas including 'Winter Sonata' and 'Daejanggeum,' producers overlooked the importance of making steady sellers to keep up the reputation of Korean series even during the bad times," Lee said. "It is wise to target overseas buyers, especially when circumstances are bad in the domestic market. We need renewed strategies to keep the Korean Wave alive."
While domestic movies have been relatively well-received by Western audiences, the success of TV series has been largely limited to Asia, mainly because producers focus too much on plots and themes appealing to the regional viewers. Turbulent romances and family problems have long been the favorite staples for Korean dramas, but the global trend is for realistic stories about doctors, lawyers, police and even prisoners.
"There is a need for us to diversify the genre of dramas," said Lee. "Even local viewers are looking for different types of dramas. The success of the American series 'Grey's Anatomy' and 'Prison Break' here is an indication of the changing taste." The only positive note in gloomy 2008 was the return of top celebrities to television.
A trail of big name actors and actresses, including Choi Ji-woo and Kwon Sang-woo, made a comeback to TV dramas from the big screen. The response at home was lackluster, but Japan bought into the stars' fame and bought several of their dramas. "Bad Love," "Star's Lover" and "Strongest Chil-woo" are lined up to be aired in Japan this year.
"The top stars' return to television was a relief for us," said Ko Dae-hwa, head of Olivenine, which produced "Star's Lover," starring Choi Ji-woo, the heroine of "Winter Sonata." "This year might be better for us than the last." But their return is not all good news to producers and broadcasters, who are tightening their belts to lower production costs amid the economic recession. Although the exact amount is usually kept secret, some actors receive as much as 100 million won (US$75,300) per episode.
"Actors' wages are one of the main reasons for the deficit we saw last year," said Kim Young-sub, head of the drama division at SBS. "Not only are they expensive, but they are aging. We need to find new faces, fast."
As Kim said, most of the so-called "Korean Wave" makers are nearing 40. Bae Yong-joon, better known as "Yonsama" to his fans in Japan, turned 37 this year, while "Daejangguem" heroine Lee Young-ae turned 38.
"Although age is not an obstacle in acting, it is the younger stars who draw fans from all generations," Kim said.
Chorokbaem Media is one company in search of new faces this year. "We expect this year to be a year of rookies, especially due to the economic downturn," company head Kim Ki-bum said. "The past few years have taught us that we can't live off the fame of stars forever." The dilemma is that overseas buyers are less drawn to dramas with little-known actors.
"The power of a strong story line and the overall quality of dramas, which rely more on directors and writers than actors, was proven in the local market over the years," Kim said. "We have to be patient to see the same effect overseas."
Credits: [email protected]
http://english.yonhapnews.co.kr/ ... 0108006900315F.HTML
[ Last edited by katt at 9-1-2009 09:37 PM ] |
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January 9, 2009
Webtoon charts new course for entertainment
Web page views stand at near 600 million. Each episode attracts about 2 million online users. And these incredible figures involve neither a large-scale news website nor a YouTube clip. They just explain how influential Korean Webtoon artist Jo Seok is.
Jo's "The Voice of the Mind (Maeum-eui sori)" appears twice a week on the Webtoon section of Naver.com, a leading online portal, and its reception has been hotter than a major TV series.
The internet is now abundant with images and articles parodying his famous lines such as "I would be gentle to my woman" and "I'm a cold-hearted urban guy". If you do not get the humor, you're either too old or shut off from the Korean online community.
Jo's "The Voice of the Mind" is mostly about his own experiences. He spent much of his childhood at a chicken restaurant chain, so a host of hilarious episodes are devoted to mysterious chicken recipes. He also served in a police squad for his military service and much of the content is about his not-so-usual life as a sleep-deprived policeman.
His episodes almost always have a surprising twist. Episode 204 shows that he is struggling to come up with an idea for his Webtoon series. He falls asleep, believing that something creative might occur in the dream. While he is in dreamland, his mother comes by and leaves a note about what to eat when he wakes up. And then his father also comes by, leaving an encouraging note to his son. His older brother, whose appearance is, if anything, minimal, comes in the room, after messing up a toilet. He also leaves a candid note about the toilet disaster.
Online cartoons, or Webtoons, are reshaping the way people read comics and creating a new industry that affects other entertainment sectors such as movies.
When Jo wakes up, he comes across a notebook where the three family members left their messages. And when the three messages, in a single page, are read together, a whole different meaning emerges, a clever joke that prompted as many as 34,000 online users to log in to the portal service to leave their comments.
Jo's surging popularity and influence illustrate a new phenomenon in the Korean online community. Unlike foreign Web portals which provide links to outside content, Korean portals are hosting their own content through professionals such as Webtoonists.
Dozens of professional online cartoonists make a living by uploading new content on a regular basis. This has lead to a dramatic increase in Web traffic because Webtoon content is free.
Korean portals create free content, especially humorous and addictive cartoons, to increase online traffic in hopes of attracting more users -- the key yardstick for setting their online advertisement fees.
The strategy of Korean portals when it comes to Webtoons seems to be highly successful. A growing number of students and office workers make it a daily routine to log on to the cartoon sections of Naver or Daum to check out the latest episodes, a trend that continues to fuel online traffic and strengthen the portals' overall influence among Korean online users.
For Webtoon artists, getting a slot at Naver and Daum means an instant success, not only in internet fame but also in offline book sales. Most Web cartoonists publish their online cartoons in book format and people tend to buy them even though all the episodes are already available for free.
Jo Seok, for instance, has published a fourth installment of his Webtoon series. Despite the protracted slump in the publication industry, Jo's cartoon series sold more than 60,000 copies, emerging as a bestseller.
A host of other well-known Webtoonists are also rushing to the publication bandwagon. Seo Na-rae, another popular cartoonist who recently completed her first season of "Narm's Story," put out her second comic book, whose episodes are selected from her online cartoons. Seo, fresh out of college, has a huge following thanks to her candid descriptions of her everyday life and her family members.
Kang Do-ha, who serialized "Great Gatsby" at Daum, also published his refined cartoons in book format, targeting online readers who want to read the famous series offline as well.
The pioneer of Webtoons is Kang Do-young, whose pen name is Kang Pull. His highly sophisticated and moving online tale titled "Sunjeong manhwa" began to get serialized at Daum in 2003, heralding a new era of online cartoons. Kang's cartoon series eventually made it to the silver screen last year, demonstrating that online cartoons are now a chief source of creative stories for other entertainment genres, especially movies.
By Yang Sung-jin ([email protected])
http://www.koreaherald.co.kr/NEW ... 10/200901100014.asp |
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January 9, 2009
HAF Selects 4 Korean Projects
The Hong Kong |
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January 9, 2009
Crossing Goes to Palm Springs
KIM Tae-kyun抯 Crossing, the touching tale of North Korean defectors, has generated a lot of international interest, and will screen this month at the Palm Springs International Film Festival in California, U.S. The film will play in the Awards Buzz category, a competition section for foreign films submitted to the Academy Awards.
Crossing is South Korea抯 choice for consideration as Best Foreign Film nominee at the 2009 Academy Awards. The film will vie among 50 features in the Awards Buzz line-up. A special jury of international critics will convene to present the prestigious FIPRESCI to the winning film. In addition to the Best Foreign Language Film of the Year prize, the jury will award prizes for Best Actor and Best Actress from the Awards Buzz category.
The Palm Springs festival runs January 6 |
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January 10, 2009
Korean '*****cat Dolls' Poised for Takeoff
Son Dam-bi
Sexy singer Son Dam-bi is forming a group of five women called After School with the aim of launching it in January. Son's management agency Pledis Entertainment has been secretly building the group for the last two years.
The buzz in the industry is that the five girls are all rival Son for charm and sex appeal and are going to be a Korean version of the *****cat Dolls.
A Pledis spokesman said, "After School are the product of an ambitious two-year project. They'll be able to stage the best performance Korea has ever seen."
Credits: [email protected]
http://english.chosun.com/w21dat ... 1/200901100001.html |
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January 9, 2009
HAF Selects 4 Korean Projects
The Hong Kong |
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 Weekly Box Office 2009.01.09 ~ 2009.01.11 3-day Gross/Total Gross (won)
Frozen Flower/empas.com
1. A Frozen Flower (South Korea) 2,350,684,500 / 14,621,921,514
2. Overspeed Scandal (South Korea) 1,774,291,500 / 36,647,008,000
3. Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa (U.S.) 1,487,443,500 / 1,703,730,500
4. Transporter 3 (France) 1,388,312,500 / 1,697,868,000
5. Bolt (U.S.) 429,032,000 / 3,867,116,500
6. Yes Man (U.S.) 436,860,500 / 7,818,730,000
7. Defiance (U.S.) 327,977,000 / 389,004,000
8. Ponyo On The Cliff (Japan) 218,252,000 / 8,949,709,000
9. Journey To The Center Of The Earth (U.S.) 152,013,000 / 8,711,950,500
10. The Day the Earth Stood Still (U.S.) 77,159,500 / 10,209,966,500
Source: KOFIC |
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NEWS INDEX page 80
Jan 12: Dong Bang Shin Gi on fame, censorship and work
Jan 12: New KBS History Drama to Target Both Genders
Jan 13: Korean charts frozen at "Flower"
Weekly Box Office 2009.01.09 ~ 2009.01.11
Jan 13: Bong Joon-Ho's Mother
Jan 13: Ten S. Korean movies to hit screens at Dutch film festival
Jan 13: S. Korean film festival marks 10th birthday with Asian collaboration
Jan 13: Kwon Sang-woo Resumes Romantic Role
Jan 13: S. Korean drama 'Iljimae Returns' sold to Japan
Jan 13: Young Star Jung il-woo Returns With 'Iljimae'
Jan 14: Hip-hop group Big Bang抯 memoirs to hit shelves at end of the month
Jan 14: Korea抯 version of 慒ame |
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January 12, 2009
Dong Bang Shin Gi on fame, censorship and work
Dong Bang Shin Gi released their fourth album
last September. [JoongAng Ilbo]
Is it a covert intelligence operation? Or perhaps a film shoot?
At the arrival gate at Gimpo International Airport, five men elbow their way through a mob of screaming fans. Despite the presence of bodyguards, they barely make it to their black van parked outside. The van immediately takes off and a dozen cabs quickly trail behind.
The five are members of Dong Bang Shin Gi, a popular Korean boy band also known as Tohoshinki in Japan and TVXQ in other Asian countries. Many people find their schedules full of engagements at the end of the year, but their idea of being busy would pale in comparison next to the itinerary of a pop group like Dong Bang Shin Gi. After a rehearsal for a year-end pop award ceremony in Tokyo, Dong Bang Shin Gi came to Korea briefly on Dec. 29 to appear in a local pop show.
The next morning, they flew back to Japan to receive an award at the 50th Annual Japan Record Awards. Then on Dec. 31, they appeared in a New Year抯 Eve annual music show called 揜ed and White Song Battle |
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January 12, 2009
New KBS History Drama to Target Both Genders
The new KBS 2TV period drama series "Empress Cheon Chu" starring Chae Si-ra is off to a smooth start.
Ratings pollster TNS Media Korea said the drama, centered around a Goryeo-era female warrior, posted 20% in viewer ratings in its first show on Jan. 3 and rose to 24.3% for the second installment.
Cheon Chu is the first of a number of historical series starring heroines planned by Korean broadcasters.
Cheon Chu's action saga combined with the main character's story as a lover and mother is expected to appeal to both male and female viewers.
Another ratings agency, AGB Nielsen Media Research, said the drama's first two shows were most watched by men and women in their 40s, with each group representing a 12.3% rating.
The demographic of middle-aged men is believed to have been impressed by an animal action scene featuring bears, shown in the first series, which is a first in Korean drama-making history.
The cast including Chae trained in martial arts and horseback riding for months at action schools.
Particularly noteworthy is the reaction of female viewers to a heroine series. War stories have been mostly enjoyed by men, but as this drama centers around an empress this time, this trend may change.
The love story with Kim Chi-yang (played by Kim Seok-hun) and Gangjo (Choi Jae-seong) may also stir women's hearts.
Producer Sin Chang-seok said, "The material is new to the audience but it's off to a good start. Men love the war scenes and women will cry over the heartrending love story as the main story line unravels."
Source: KBS Global
http://english.kbs.co.kr/entertainment/news/1564903_28572.html |
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Weekly Box Office 2009.01.09 ~ 2009.01.11 3-day Gross/Total Gross (won)
Frozen Flower/empas.com
1. A Frozen Flower (South Korea) 2,350,684,500 / 14,621,921,514
2. Overspeed Scandal (South Korea) 1,774,291,500 / 36,647,008,000
3. Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa (U.S.) 1,487,443,500 / 1,703,730,500
4. Transporter 3 (France) 1,388,312,500 / 1,697,868,000
5. Bolt (U.S.) 429,032,000 / 3,867,116,500
6. Yes Man (U.S.) 436,860,500 / 7,818,730,000
7. Defiance (U.S.) 327,977,000 / 389,004,000
8. Ponyo On The Cliff (Japan) 218,252,000 / 8,949,709,000
9. Journey To The Center Of The Earth (U.S.) 152,013,000 / 8,711,950,500
10. The Day the Earth Stood Still (U.S.) 77,159,500 / 10,209,966,500
Source: KOFIC
January 13, 2009
Korean charts frozen at "Flower"
Erotic period film beats "Madagascar," "Defiance"
Written by Han Sunhee
SEOUL |
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From Variety Asia via Kaiju Shakedown
January 13, 2009
Bong Joon-Ho's Mother
Some stills emerged from the set of MOTHER and while they're not the world's most gripping photos, it's kind of weird that Bong Joon-Ho, red hot after MEMORIES OF MURDER and THE HOST, is keeping such a low profile for his next movie, which he describes as "...the saddest but most beautiful crime drama ever seen." You'd think that there would be people swarming all over one another to get a scoop on the latest film from, arguably, Korea's most successful director but for the most part folks seem to be staying mellow about it. Maybe it's because of the small size of the story.
"Widowed for a long time, a mother lives alone with her only son. He抯 28 years old, a shy and quiet young man, who抯 also socially awkward, lacking the ability to deal gracefully with other people, always rubbing them the wrong way and getting into trouble around town.
One day there is a terrible murder, and the woman抯 hopeless, helpless son become the prime suspect. There is no real evidence against him, but he is an outcast and the police groundlessly suspect him almost instantly. He is a convenient scapegoat, but the trouble is that there is no way he can easily prove his innocence, either.
Eager to close the case, the police are happy with their cursory investigation and they make their arrest. His defense attorney turns out to be incompetent and unreliable and a conviction seems inevitable. So, faced with no other choice, his mother gets involved, determined to prove her son抯 innocence.
She knows that the real murderer is still out there, somewhere, hiding and watching while her son gets punished for a crime he didn抰 commit, and so she vows to track him down. Racing into the darkness of the strange countryside her obsessive love for her only son burns in her breast, like an all-consuming flame, driving her into the darkness on her mad, futile quest, dragging up and cracking open the darkest secrets of her small town, one by one."
Budgeted at about US$5 million, the film stars Won Bin in his first film in four years as the son, and actress Kim Hye-Ja making her comeback after a ten year absence from the big screen, as his mother. Won is most famous for his roles in GUNS AND TALKS and TAE GUK GI and he was honorably discharged from his mandatory military service back in 2006 due to a knee injury.
Won Bin on the set of MOTHER
More photos [X]
Some older photos from the film [X]
Source: Variety Asia Online |
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Author
