Park Jong-won (박종원)

KOFIC to promote Korean films at Cannes

Source | 2008/05/15 | Permalink |

The Korean Film Council (KOFIC) will be engaged in diverse efforts to promote Korean cinema at the upcoming Cannes Film Festival.

With five titles screening in various sections of the festival including KIM Ji-woon's "The Good, the Bad, the Weird" (Official Selection, Out of Competition), NA Hong-jin's "The Chaser" (Midnight Screenings), omnibus film Tokyo! (Un Certain Regard) which contains a contribution by BONG Joon-ho, PARK Jae-ok's animated short "STOP" (Cinefondation), and KIM Ki-young's 1960 masterpiece "The Housemaid" (Cannes Classics), KOFIC will be doing its best to provide advance publicity for the screenings. At the same time, it will exert efforts to support sales companies in the Cannes Market who are selling Korean films.

As usual, representatives will also operate the KOFIC Pavilion (Booth #122) in the International Village. The large booth next to the beach will provide a space where festival visitors can collect promotional materials and learn more about Kore...| More

TV Drama 'Taewangsasingi' Goes to Japan

Source | 2007/12/04 | Permalink |

By Lee Hyo-won
Staff Reporter

The last episode of the TV series "Taewangsasingi" (The Four Guardian Gods of the King) airs tonight.

The drama's legacy, however, is expected to live on, especially now that it is showing on the small and big screens in Japan. The "blockbuster" TV drama is garnering a cult following with the likes of J.K. Rowling's "Harry Potter" empire, with novels, books, CDs and DVDs among other products pouring onto the Korean and Japanese market.

Conquering Screens

Weaving together age-old myths and remnants of ancient Korean history with sophisticated computer graphics, "Taewangsasingi" has led the renaissance of period dramas on TV.
It has transcended the boundaries of conventional Korean TV soaps and signaled the rise of a new genre "TV picture", which combines the advantages of TV dramas and movies, according to director Park Jong-won of "Eight Days", a mystery thriller set during the Joseon Kingdom (1392-1910) that is currently airing on cable movi...| More

Renaissance of Joseon King Jeongjo

Source | 2007/11/13 | Permalink |

Political Season Stirs Up Interest in Kings, Epic Dramas

By Chung Ah-young
Staff Reporter

"History is an unending dialogue between the present and the past", historian E.H. Carr once noted.

People living in the modern times seek wise answers by looking to the past, especially when the present is sometimes thrown into a critical state.

The huge popularity of epic dramas is an example of this, although the times are different, the issues are closely related to the present.

Among other historical subjects, King Jeongjo (1776-1800) is receiving attention in major dramas and even books nowadays.

"Lee San, Wind of the Palace" ("Yi San"), now being aired on MBC, is gaining popularity since it opened on Sept. 17. The drama consists of 60 episodes covering the whole life of King Jeongjo who brought the Joseon Kingdom into "the era of renaissance".

Also, a 10-episode drama, titled "Eight Days", which will be broadcast on the cable movie channel CGV on Nov. 17, portrays myst...| More

LIM's The Old Garden Opens January

Source | 2006/12/28 | Permalink |

Romance meets politics in renowned director LIM Sang-soo's latest film "The Old Garden", one of the first local releases in 2007. The story of a doomed love affair, set against the backdrop of the tumultuous 1980's when university students risked their lives and happiness in the struggle for democracy, is slated for nationwide release on January 4th. It was previewed to the public on December 26th, as the opening film of the University Film Festival, which will showcase student films from over 60 Korean universities as well as major overseas film schools.

Adapted from a best-selling novel by Hwang Seok-yeong, "The Old Garden" retells the story of democracy activist Hyun-woo (played by JI Jin-hee) and a young public school teacher Yoon-hee (YEOM Jeong-ah). Six months into their relationship, the couple are torn apart when Hyun-woo joins a student activist group and is arrested almost immediately and sentenced at a farcical trial to life imprisonment. The film is set in Gwangju ar...| More

The very best Korean films ever - maybe

Source | 2006/11/02 | Permalink |

If you had to pick a selection of Korean films to save for posterity, which would they be?
Any answers are bound to be controversial but a recent online survey conducted by the Korean Film Archive showed that at the top of most people's lists is "Our Twisted Hero" by Park Jong-won, an allegorical film about totalitarian regimes. The best films were selected from a list of 100 classic Korean movies made between 1936 and 1996. Based on the selections, the archive is holding a film series through Nov. 12.
In second place was "Seopyeonje", a film about pansori artists by Im Kwon-taek; next came "Mother and a Guest" by the late filmmaker Shin Sang-ok.
The list shows the wide spectrum of Korean cinema, which has undergone a dramatic transformation over the last few decades as a new generation of Korean directors began to sweep through the industry, developing a new style which has been increasingly popular with the international film community.
"Our Twisted Hero", which is based on a pop...| More