Yoo Yeon-mi (유연미)

Art Film Showcase 2008 to screen in Japan

Source | 2008/03/06 | Permalink |

For the second year in a row, four Korean arthouse films will be presented to audiences in Japan through the Art Film Showcase in Tokyo. The eight-week series of screenings is sponsored by KOFIC and the Image Forum arthouse theater in Tokyo.

The showcase is an effort to introduce Japanese viewers to a wider spectrum of Korean cinema by presenting high quality works that would otherwise not receive a theatrical release in Japan. Each selected film will screen for two weeks in relay fashion.

The Art Film Showcase 2008 will open on March 8 with a screening of JEON Soo-il's "With a Girl of Black Soil" (2007). The film originally premiered in the Horizons section of the 2007 Venice International Film Festival, where it won the Art Cinema CICAE Award and the Lina Mangiacapre Award. The film tells the story of a single father who loses his job in a coal mine.

On March 22, NOH Dong-seok's "Boys of Tomorrow" (2006) will open its run. The story of two young men who struggle to ...| More

JEON's Girl In Competition at the Fribourg Film Festival

Source | 2008/03/04 | Permalink |

Director JEON Soo-il's independent feature "With A Girl of Black Soil" is in competition at the Fribourg International Film Festival, running March 1 – 8 in Switzerland. The film will compete along with 12 other features for the Regard d'or, the festival's top prize worth US$30 000. Now in its 22nd year, Fribourg, focuses primarily on films from across Asia, Africa and Latin America.

JEON's Girl is a moving minimalist portrayal of a young girl who takes on heavy cares, living with a mentally-handicapped brother and a down-on-his-luck-and-drinking father. The film screened last year in Venice, Pusan – where it won the NETPAC award – and Marrakech where its child actress YOO Yeon-mi won the best female interpretation award.

Fribourg also invited two Korean short films, Fever by YEO Jae-min and Mono Love Song by Zoe Min-suk. Additional Korean highlights include PARK Chan-wook's "Sympathy for Lady Vengeance" (2005) and BONG Joon-ho's "Memories of Murder" (2003) in the Noir Tot...| More

Yoo Yeon-mi Gets Best Female Interpretation by the Marrakech International Film Festival FIFM

Source | 2007/12/17 | Permalink |

The Marrakech International Film Festival FIFM

The South Korean Actress Yoo Yeon-mi was awarded Saturday on Dec. 15, 2007 the title of best female interpretation by the seventh edition of Marrakech International Film Festival for her role in "With a Girl of Black Soil".

The Golden star Award of the FIFM was attributed to the Estonian film "Autumn Ball" by Director Veiko Ounpuu, while Tommi Korpela, has got the best male interpretation award for his performance in "Man's Job'" of Finnish Director Aleksi Salmenpera.

The movies "The Hard-Hearted" by Russian filmmaker Alexey Mizgirev and "Slingshot" directed by Philippino Director Ma Mendoza, received both the jury award.

The seventh edition of FIFM, which paid tribute to Hollywood star Leonardo Di Caprio and to Moroccan Director Mustafa Derkaoui, was characterized by the participation of Some 110 films from 23 countries, notably from Estonia, Algeria, Japan, Czech, Finland, Philippines, Russia, China, United States, Serbia, Me...| More