By Chung Ah-young
Staff Reporter
In recent years, it has become more likely for Korean cineastes to be placed under the international spotlight at major film festivals worldwide.
Over the past decade, Korean cinema has proven to be commercially viable both on local and overseas markets, enjoying a renaissance and appealing to cinephiles on the festival circuit.
"South Korean Film Renaissance: Local Hit Makers, Global Provocateurs" written by Choi Jin-hee in English probes how the Korean film industry turned an economic crisis into a cinematic renaissance through globalization based on historical reviews of the industry.
In the late 1990s, the Korean blockbuster established itself as a feasible production/marketing strategy on the domestic market, with the commercial success of such films as "
Shiri" and "
JSA - Joint Security Area". Since then, box office records have been constantly exceeded by subsequent movies, including "
Silmido", "
Taegukgi", and
"The Host", which attracted audiences of more than 13 million.
Korean cinema has become one of the strongest commercial film industries in the region, outperforming Hollywood at the local box office. In past years, annual paid cinema admissions in the region have more than tripled from 42 million people in 1996 to 148 million in 2005 during which time Hollywood's market share was cut in half, dropping from 77 percent to 36 to 38 percent. By 2005, Korea had becom...
MoreThe film "Café Noir" by critic-turned-director Jeong Seong-il-I and starring
Moon Jeong-hee has been invited to the Bright Future section of the 39th annual International Rotterdam Film Festival in the Dutch city.
Moon's agency said it is the actress' second film to be invited to Rotterdam, the first being "Falling Season" in 2002.
The festival is one of the leading non-competition film festivals dedicated to introducing new directors and films to the global industry and serving as a global movie marketplace. But it also has a competiti...
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By Lee Hyo-won
Staff Reporter
This weekend in Seoul, movie buffs can re-watch a handful of contemporary classics of Korean cinema on the big screen and meet directors:
Hong Sang-soo and
Song Il-gon.
The Korean Film Archive is hosting a retrospective of 10 films by the minimal realist Hong through Jan. 24 at Cinematheque KOFA, Sangam-dong, Seoul, while "
The Magicians", by artsy experimentalist Song, will reopen Sunday in Daehango.
Hong has established an international reputation as a unique minimalist with video journal-style movies reminiscent of the late Eric Rohmer. The retrospective lineup includes his 1996 directorial debut piece, "...
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By Lee Hyo-won
Staff Reporter
The past year was a fruitful one for local independent cinema, with
Lee Chung-ryoul's documentary
"Old Partner" rewriting box office history for the genre and
Yang Ik-joon's
"Breathless" blazing through international film festivals. The festivity culminates with the Seoul Independent Film Festival (SIFF), which continues through Friday in Spongehouse Myeongdong (Joongang Cinema).
The annual year-end event kicked off on Dec. 11 under the theme "Hit and Run". This year SIFF received a whopping record of 722 submissions, up about 100 from last year. A total of 45 works (34 shorts, 11 features) have been selected to compete for several cash prizes. The awards, including the grand prize, amount to 51 million won and will be g...
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'It would be a lie to say I feel no pressure because the movie captures us in such private moments'.
For actress
Ko Hyeon-jeong, the year 2009 will be remembered as the busiest, yet most rewarding of her career, as she has been recognized for her powerful acting skills on both the small and big screens.
She displayed an unprecedented amount of charisma in the hit TV drama "
Queen Seon-deok" as Mishil, a strong female character in whom good and evil coexist as she enforces her rule and pursues her own desires. The show marked the rare appearance of a strong female character in the Korean drama scene.
Ko also won acclaim for her role in the movie "
Like You Know It All" directed by
Hong Sang-soo. It was her second collaboration with the director after the 2006 movie "
Woman on the Beach".
She left acting in 1995 when she got married to current Shinsegae Group CEO Chung Yong-jin. She returned to acting 10 years later following a...
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