Lee Doo-il (이두일)

Shanghai Picks HONG as Asia's Best New Director

Source | 2008/06/23 | Permalink |

Director HONG Hyeon-gi presented his feature debut "Thirsty, Thirsty" at the 11th Shanghai International Film Festival (SIFF), winning the Best Director prize in the New Asian Talent section. SIFF, which ran this year June 14 – 22, made the announcement at an awards ceremony on the 21st. Taiwanese film Winds of September captured Best Picture in the same section.

HONG's "Thirsty, Thirsty" had its world premiere earlier this year at Korea's Jeonju International Film Festival in May. It was produced in HD and received funding support from North Jeolla Province and the Korean Film Council.

It tells the story of a soft-hearted, bumbling loan collector and his misadventures as he tries to make his quota. Unable to collect on the debtors he is in charge of, he himself is pursued by a younger loan collector for debts that he owes. The dog-eat-dog tale is enriched by black comedy and a sympathetic view of its characters. It stars LEE Doo-il in the main role.

Director HONG s...| More

Popular sitcom Francesca is now an animated film

Source | 2006/07/11 | Permalink |

Actors from the original sitcom lend their voices to Hello, Francesca

Hello, Francesca, MBC's hugely popular sitcom, has been re-released as an animated film and a comic book.

Hyoin Animation announced recently that it is screening the animated film version of Francesca, a collaboration between Whiteline and Orange Animation Studio, at the opening of the Pucheon International Fantastic Film Festival (PIFAN) on July 13.

Completed after 10 months of production, the comic animation, based on the characters of the first season of the TV sitcom Hello, Francesca, is about a family of vampires who came to live in the world of mortals and find themselves escaping one crisis after another.

What is particularly interesting is that actors in the original sitcom such as Park Seul-gi (Sophia), Sin Hae-cheol (Andre), Lee Doo-il (Doo-il), or "Lee Kyeon" (Kyeon) also lent their voices to their characters in the animation.

After its screening at the PIFAN on July 14, 16, and 18, Frances...| More