Five Is Too Many (2005) - 다섯은 너무 많아 (Da-seot-eun Neo-moo Manh-a)

Korean Films Premiering at PIFF

2007/10/02 | Source | Permalink |

A slew of Korean features will have their World Premiere at the 12th Pusan International Film Festival, which opens October 4 for a 9 day run. A special highlight of the festival is "The Friends", a long-awaited second feature from director LEE Yeong-jae, whose debut was the endearing classic "The Harmonium in My Memory" (1999). The Friends is the story of three 6th graders who, curious about death, decide to visit a dying old man.

Films from new voices and recent film school graduates include KIM Sun-hee's "Drawing Paper", her HD feature debut - a coming-of-age story about the members of a girls high school band, and "Nowhere to Turn" by debut director LEE Seung-yeong, a similar-themed story of a young musically inclined girl discovering life.

The documentary "Lineage of the Voice" follows two boys from very different backgrounds as they develop their talent for the traditional singing practice called pansori. It is directed by Baek Yeon-ah, who was the editor on Daniel Gor...| More

[DVD review]Independent views of life on the edge

2007/02/28 | Source | Permalink |

Independent film makers in Korea do not have an easy time. It's hard for them to get funding and even more difficult for them to get distribution. Three directors who overcame these obstacles have just had their latest films released on DVD.


"Five is Too Many"

Directed by Ahn Seul-gi
Drama
81 minutes
English subtitles

This film, which was shot in just 20 days, delves into the unique relationships between five people who become close enough to be called a family.
By coincidence, Dong-gyu, a runaway teenager, meets an older lady. She brings him home and introduces him to another woman, an ethnic Korean, who also has nowhere to go. The story is about the alternatives that these people explore.
Like the phrase "dreaming of a humble miracle", which appears at the end of the documentary about the film, the story is about special friendships and unambitious love. In a way the film's title was contradicted by its popularity ― "Five is Too Many" attracted an audience of 3,...| More

KOFIC announces recipients of indie DVD support fund

2006/08/07 | Source | Permalink |

The Korean Film Council has selected ten works to be released on DVD as part of the 2006 DVD Production/Distribution Support for Independent Films. The recipients were selected out of 24 submissions, and will be made available for sale to the general public in special DVD box sets.

The following features, documentaries and short film collections will be included:

708ho, Yideungbyeong-ui Pyeonji ("#708, Letter from a Second-Class Private"), dir. KIM Hwan-tae, 6mm DV, 82 min.
The Forgotten Child: Shin Sung-il is Lost, dir. SIN Jae-in, beta, 103 min.
Annyong, Sayonara, dir. KIM Tae-il, 6mm DV, 107 min.
The Camellia Project, dir. CHOI Jin-seong et al., beta, 107 min.
Five is Too Many, dir. AHN Seul-gi, beta, 80 min.
Korea Short Animation Collection 2, dir. Jang Hyeong-yun et al., beta, 70 min.
The Murmuring, dir. BYUN Young-ju, 16mm, 98 min.
Habitual Sadness, dir. BYUN Young-ju, 35mm, 71 min.
My Own Breathing, dir. BYUN Young-ju, 35mm, 77 min.
Yijung-ui jeok, dir. LEE Ji-you...| More

KOFIC supporting release of small-scale films

2005/11/23 | Source | Permalink |

The Korean Film Council has stepped up its support of small-scale arthouse releases, with three films scheduled to be released in November through the KOFIC-supported ArtPlus Cinema Network.

The three films all drew a positive reception at the recent Pusan International Film Festival, and include multiple prize winner The Unforgiven by YOON Jong-bin, about the experiences of several young men during their obligatory two-year military service; independent feature Five Is Too Many by AHN Seul-gi, about the relationship that develops between five outsiders in Korean society; and Korean-Japanese documentary Annyong, Sayonara by KIM Tae-il and Kumiko KATO, about the efforts of a Korean woman and a Japanese man to sue to Yasukuni Shrine, which holds the remains of several Japanese war criminals.

The films will be screened nationwide through the various venues that have signed up to the ArtPlus Cinema Network, giving audiences a chance to experience smaller, less commercially-oriented f...| More