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 get by in Seoul first premiered at the Pusan International Film Festival in 2006, and later was invited to the competition section of the 2007 Locarno International Film Festival.
Hwang Kyoo-deok's film "For Eternal Hearts" (2007) will follow from April 5-18. The fantasy romance set in the 1970s opened the Puchon International Fantastic Film Festival in 2007 and was also invited to the Tokyo International Film Festival.
Finally, Kim Tae-sik's debut feature "Driving With My Wife's Lover" (2006) will wrap up the event from April 19 to May 2. After premiering at the Pusan festival in 2006, the film screened in the World Competition section of the 2007 Sundance Film Festival and went on to win numerous awards at festivals around the world. The film tells the story of a man who goes on a long taxi ride with a man he suspects is sleeping with his wife.
At the opening ceremony, director Kim Tae-sik and actor Park Kwang-jeong from "Driving With My Wife's Lover", as well as child actress Yoo Yeon-mi from "With a Girl of Black Soil" will present their films and give interviews with the press. From KOFIC, Secretary General KIM Hyae-joon and PARK Jong-won from the International Promotion department will also be in attendance.
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