By Lee Hyo-won
Staff Reporter
Esteemed director
Jeon Soo-il rarely watches movies showing in theaters but always tunes into experimental works by novice filmmakers.
Those longing for something fresh can look forward to a film festival featuring films by students from the Korean Academy of Film Arts (KAFA).
Thursday through Sunday at Sangsang Madang, Hongdae, the KAFA will present some 40 works by its 26th graduating class and aspiring directors from its feature-length research program.
The lineup includes 33 mid-length movies and four features by local students as well as a batch of works from prestigious foreign film academies. Also to be screened are animation pieces and hybrid projects that combine different media.
The KAFA, apart from its main scholastic program, offers aspiring filmmakers a chance to make feature-length projects. So far eight works have been produced and screened at various film festivals.
"The year 2009 was marked by tough challenges due to the struggling local film market, but the 26th graduating class of the KAFA has nevertheless persevered to set foot into the future of Korean cinema", said students in a statement. "Filmmaking is no sweet fantasy; it's painstakingly cutthroat reality. We have no choice but to endure reality and make truthful movies. We hope our efforts can bear fruit through the film festival".
"Hard-Boiled Jesus", running 50 minutes long, is about a young preacher whose wife falls into a coma after a car accident. When he discovers that his wife had been intoxicated at the time and hadn't stopped by the church as she was supposed to, he starts suspecting that she may have been having an affair.
"Coffee Whistle", a 35-millimeter color animation piece by
Lee Jin-hwa, is rendered in hand-drawn graphite cartoons and cut-out photography. It tells the story of a young girl who works on a coffee plantation. Out of hunger she starts chewing on a piece of coffee bean but can neither swallow nor spit it out. The situation reflects the grinds of her everyday life but she must stay strong, pushed on by hope.
The festival has invited "Passion" by Ryusuke Hamaguchi, a graduate student at the Tokyo University of the Arts. The film has been featured in prominent events such as the San Sebastian, Spain and the Tokyo Filmex. It has been noted for its keen examination of human relationships as it looks into the lives of five men and women in their 30s. It is a must-see for Japanese cinema fans.
For more information about the festival, visit www.sangsangmadang.com or www.kafafilm.com.
