Song Il-gon (송일곤)

KIM Ki-duk's "Dream" to compete in San Sebastian

2008/06/26 | Source | Permalink |

"Dream" (Korean title: "Bimong"), the fifteenth film by director KIM Ki-duk, has been selected to compete at the 56th San Sebastian International Film Festival, to be held from September 18-27.

The film, which stars Japanese heartthrob ODAGIRI Joe and Korean actress LEE Na-young, centers around a man who experiences a startlingly realistic dream about a car accident, and later discovers that the accident occurred in real life.

KIM's previous films have premiered at Cannes, Venice, Berlin, Locarno, Karlovy Vary and Moscow, but this will be the first time for him to compete at the prestigious Spanish festival. Other Korean films that have competed at San Sebastian in recent years include BONG Joon-ho's "Memories of Murder" (2003), SONG Il-gon's "Spider Forest" (2004), HEO Jin-ho's "April Snow" (2005), LIM Sang-soo's "The Old Garden", and KIM Mi-jeong's "Shadows in the Palace" (2007).

In 2003, KIM's Spring, "Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter... And Spring" screened out of competiti...| More

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[THE HIGH TIDE OF THE KOREAN WAVE(25)] Hallyu: the Koreanization of world culture

2008/03/21 | Source | Permalink |

In the last few years, Korean films, TV dramas and pop music have become immensely popular abroad, a phenomenon known as the Korean Wave. This is the 25th in a series of essays by a select group of scholars and journalists looking at the spread of Korean pop culture in Southeast Asian countries and beyond. - Ed.

"Hallyu", or the Korean Wave, marks the long overdue re-emergence of Korean culture into the global arena. Korean culture's newfound international vogue situates South Korean cinema, TV melodramas, K-pop, and computer games as active participants in the transformation of world culture.

These "domestic" electronic audio-visual cultural creations are no longer limited to just the Korean peninsula and the global Korean diaspora despite that they are produced in the Korean language - a language that is not one of the globalized imperial languages such as English, French, Spanish, Japanese, and Chinese.

Despite this linguistic barrier, hallyu is now a recognized agent of gl...| More

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MOON Seong-geun Cast in SONG Il-gon Horror

2008/02/26 | Source | Permalink |

Acclaimed actor MOON Seong-geun will take the lead role in "Sahwa" (meaning 'Royal Massacre') a horror from Cannes winning director SONG Il-gon. MOON has been a notable figure in the Korean film industry since the 1990's, when he starred in films by top new wave directors, PARK Kwang-soo ("Black Republic"), JANG Sun-woo ("Road to the Racetrack"), and in LEE Chang-dong's debut film "Green Fish".

MOON also provided memorable performances in such films as HONG Sang-soo's "Virgin Stripped Bare by Her Bachelors" and PARK Chan-ok's "Jealousy is My Middle Name". He came late to his acting career, having first spent time as a business man in Saudi Arabia. Throughout the 90's he was deeply involved in supporting the Korean film industry and served as Vice-chairman of the Korean Film Council in 1999.

In SONG's fifth feature, a Chosun dynasty-set tale of bloody power games between rival families, MOON will play the central role of a king beset by curses and vengeful murders. Supporti...| More

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SONG Il-gon Horror to Shoot this Spring

2008/01/09 | Source | Permalink |

Director SONG Il-gon is in pre-production on his latest project, an historical horror set in the Joseon Dynasty. The film is being budgeted at around US$4 million and is titled Sahwa – meaning 'royal massacre'. No word on who will star in the feature and casting is currently ongoing.

The production company behind the film is Masulpiri Co. which produced "Family Matters" (2006), "A Tale of Two Sisters" (2003), and JEONG Jae-eun's "Take Care of My Cat" (2001).

"Sahwa" is about a bloody power game between rival families. When the Park family massacres the Shin family, and takes the throne, a child, Wan, is born to them that very same night of the killings. Seven years later, an attack on the king's family leaves everyone but young Wan dead. Wan grows deadly ill, and the king tries to save him but curses, strange happenings, and mysterious murders draw nearer.

The film will be SONG's fourth feature, following the critical success of "The Magicians" (2006), "Feathers in t...| More

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SONG Il-gon Tackles Modernization of Korea

2007/02/14 | Source | Permalink |

Experimental director SONG Il-gon is developing a film tentatively titled "Telephone Girl". The titular girl lives in the 1920-30s when Korea was modernizing, albeit, under Japanese colonial rule.

The story depicts the girl becoming a modern woman with a focus on the girl's romance. The girl is from humble descent and works as a switchboard operator.

The film is to be produced by new-comer JinJin Pictures, affiliated with art-house film distributor/exhibitor Dongsoong Art Center. JinJin Pictures will handle the production and distribution side. JinJin Pictures will also explore commercial opportunities and Telephone Girl is an exponent of the new direction with a budget of US$ 5 million.

Director SONG Il-gon directed the mainstream film "Spider Forest" in 2004. Outside Korea he is best known for his experimental low-budget films, which featured at International Film Festivals. He started attracting attention with his 2001 Flower Island, a selection of the Venice Film Festival...| More

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