Beyond the Years (2007) - 천년학 (Cheon-nyeon-hak)

Moscow Honors IM Kwon-taek with Retrospective

2008/06/04 | Source | Permalink |

An impressive 12 film retrospective, surveying the work of legendary Korean director IM Kwon-taek, will be held in the Russian capital of Moscow this June. Running the 19th to the 28th at the Moscow State Central Cinema Museum in Arbat Square. Director IM has completed 100 feature films in his lifetime, winning the best director prize at Cannes in 2002 for Chihwaseon.

Cinema Museum director Naum Kleiman will introduce the retrospective with director IM and his wife especially invited to Moscow for the event. Kleiman, with the help of IM An-cha, vice-chairman of the committee for Korea's Jeonju International Film Festival, selected 12 representative films out of the director's 100-feature oeuvre.

Films included in the program are "Genealogy" (1978), the Buddhist-themed "Mandala" (1981), "Daughter of the Flames" (1983), Venice Best Actress (KANG Soo-yeon) winner "The Surrogate Mother" (1986), North-South family reunion drama "Gilsoddeum" (1986), all-time classic "Seopyeonje" ...| More

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Oh Jeong-hae Spreads Korean Beauty through Music, Acting

2008/05/07 | Source | Permalink |

Traditional Korean music singer cum actress Oh Jeong-hae is one of the true artists of today. Her refined appearance and heartrending voice embody traditional Korean beauty.

Debuting through the old fashioned Miss Chunhyang pageant and best known for her appearance in the film 'Seopyeonje', she is foremost associated with a tidy image after donning hanbok (Korean attire). But casual Western clothes also suit her well. Any fan of Korean film will remember her in Seopyeonje, a sensational hit of the time, in which she painstakingly acted out her singing role.

Over the years, she has done many different things -- appearing in dramas, films, hosting a radio show and teaching at university -- in places all over the country, including Seoul and the Gyeongsang and Jeolla provinces.

Singer turned Actress Pursues Diverse Activities

Oh was afraid that her distinguished singing talent would limit her acting career, which is why she delved into different activities. For instance, she ...| More

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Korean Films Win Recognition in Europe

2008/03/14 | Source | Permalink |

Now, there appears to be growing interest in Korean films overseas.
Domestic productions are winning critical acclaim at major film festivals in particular, in Europe.
Jeong Soyun explains.

Korean films are gaining increasing recognition on the international stage, winning numerous awards and honorable mentions in various film festivals.
Park Chan-wook's "I'm a Cyborg, But That's OK" received an Honorable Mention at the FantasPorto 2008, the 28th edition of the Oporto International Film Festival, which opened March 9th in Portugal.
The film takes place in a mental hospital, where a girl who thinks she's a cyborg falls in love with another mental patient.
Park is one of the most acclaimed directors in Korea today and is famous for his "vengeance trilogy", which includes the films "Old Boy" and "Sympathy for Lady Vengeance".
The film "Breath" by director Kim Ki-duk is a story about a deathrow inmate who falls in love with a married woman.
It won the Jury's Special Award in the ...| More

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[Year-end Review : Movies] 'Sunshine' offers hope to Korean cinema in 2007

2007/12/24 | Source | Permalink |

The Korean movie industry got off to a shaky start this year, due to the weakened market position of local flicks versus Hollywood blockbusters, but it received a big shining ray of hope from director Lee Chang-dong's thought-provoking drama, "Secret Sunshine".

Jeon Do-yeon, the heroine of "Secret Sunshine", grabbed the prestigious Best Actress award at the 60th Cannes Film Festival in May, setting the upbeat tone for the domestic film industry.

The 34-year-old actress won international acclaim for her brave and inspiring depiction of a grieving Korean woman struggling to rebuild her life in a new city in "Secret Sunshine", the first picture in four years by Lee Chang-dong, a former Korean culture minister.

Despite the positive turn on the filmfest front, the local movie market faced increasing pressure this year. Although the market volume of the Korean film industry remains relatively solid, with 104 films released between January and November this year, the number of movieg...| More

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Korean movie director awarded France's Legion of Honor

2007/12/02 | Source | Permalink |

Im Kwon-taek, a Cannes-winning Korean movie director, received France's elite Legion of Honor for promoting Korean films in France, news reports were quoted as saying by Associated Press.

French Ambassador Philippe Thiebaud presented Im with a "knight" medal of the Legion of Honor at his embassy in Seoul on Friday, the newspaper Dong-a Ilbo and other Korean media reported with pictures of the envoy pinning the medal on the director.

Embassy officials could not be reached for comment Saturday. Im, 71, is one of Korea's best known directors and has received a number of prizes at home and abroad, including a best director award at the 2002 Cannes Film Festival for "Chihwaseon", a beautifully filmed look at the life of a 19th-century Korean painter.

His latest and 100th production, "Beyond the Years", recently earned Oh Jeong-hae the best actress honor at the Three Continents Film Festival in France's Nantes. Napoleon Bonaparte established the Legion of Honor in 1802 as the highes...| More

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