Chungmuro in central Seoul used to be the of the local film industry, with the landmark Daehan Cinema one of Korea's first movie theaters.
However, as film production facilities and movie studios have moved out to other areas as well as multiplexes mushrooming in Seoul, it is now more remembered as a historic of symbolic center of Korean cinema.
Efforts have been underway to counter the phenomenon and an international film festival was launched last year to restore the fame of Chungmuro as the center of Korean filmmakers. This is the annual Chungmuro International Film Festival.
Last year, the festival emphasized the reinterpretation of classical movies from Korea and elsewhere, but this year's festival, to be held Sept. 3–11, is shifting its focus to more current films, which have the potential to become classics.
The film festival will feature 170 films from 40 countries at the Daehan Cinema, ChungAng Cinema and Myeongbo Theater in Seoul. These theaters are at the center of Chungmuro.
The festival opens with Higuchi Shinji's Hidden Forest: The Last Princess. The film is a remake of Akira Kurosawa's 1958 film, The Hidden Fortress. The Hidden Fortress is widely known to have been an inspiration for George Lucas' Star Wars.
Since the movie is a remake, organizers say that it well represents the festival's motif, which tries to bridge the gap between the past and present.
To focus more on current films that have the potential to become classics someday, the festival has added a competition section this year in a bid to expand its coverage and attract more foreign movies for local moviegoers.
Organizers say that all foreign films in the section will be shown for the first time in Korea, and four awards will be given to movies that have the potential to become classics.
American filmmaker Michael Cimino (The Deer Hunter, The Sunchaser) is to lead the jury for the international competition section, along with four other jurors.
The 11 finalists including Johnnie To's Mad Detective, Antonello Grimaldi's Quiet Chaos and Amos Kollek's Restless, and The Mermaid by Anna Melikyan will compete for a $30,000 grand prize and the rights to have their film shown at the close of the festival.
Besides Higuchi's remake and the International Competition winner, other movies will be screened for public viewing of course.
The movies range from international classics such as Fred Zinnemann's From Here to Eternity and Martin Scorsese's Raging Bull, to more contemporary titles such as
Kim Hyeon-seok's
"Scout" and
Yoon Seong-ho's "
Milky Way Liberation Front".
The festival does not neglect classic films, with a range of programs honoring Douglas Trumbull, David Lean and Deborah Kerr.
In addition, the history of German cinema, Japanese director Ichikawa Kon and Korean director
Jang Sun-woo will be shown in retrospectives, while during the "Celebrating the 40th Cannes Directors Fortnight" films that have premiered at Cannes will be screened for the benefit of local viewers.
The Silent Film Fest will review famous silent movies along with live music performances by three cinema music groups.
Ticket reservations start from Aug. 12. For further information call (02) 2236-6231 or visit the homepage at
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By Han Aran
Korea.net Staff Writer
