Ahn Seong-gi (안성기)

[ChanMi's star news] A great star has left us!

Source | 2009/06/28 | Permalink |

A well known and respected Korean movie director, Yoo Hyeon-mok has left us on the 28th.

At the age of 84 he leaves many of his masterpieces and inspiration for the next generation.

He has been fighting his health for the last 2 years and had been bedridden. Finally, his time had come to leave his friends and family.

The funeral for this great giant in films will be held for 5 days as a "Korean Film Director Funeral" starting July 2nd.

The host for the funeral will be Ahn Seong-gi. And memorandum will be by Kim Hye-soo, Jang Mi-hee...| More

Movie into Musical: Our Sweet Days of Youth

Source | 2009/06/05 | Permalink |

The musical "Our Sweet Days of Youth" is currently playing at You Theater in Cheongdam-dong.

[Interview : Oh Won-taek, Audience member] "I heard this musical was originally a movie, so I'm pretty excited. I'm planning on watching the movie after this".

[Interview : Seo Jeong-hyeon, Audience member] "Actors Ahn Seong-gi and Hwang Sin-hye starred in the movie. I thought it might be fun to watch the musical rendition".

The audience has high expectations.
The main characters of "Our Sweet Days of Youth" are Yeong-min and Hye-rin.
Their love story is made even more poignant with the captivating musical score.
Of course, musicals are all about tunes.

[Interview : Kim Jae-seong, Producer of Our Sweet Days of Youth] "The musical score follows the movie. "Toselli's Serenade" captures the entire storyline. Some tracks focus on stirring emotions, some add fun to the performance through each character in the musical, and some give a sense of collectiveness. These tracks were distin...| More

Actors Donate Lecture Fees to Scholarships for Young Actors

Source | 2009/05/29 | Permalink |

Seven top actors, including Kim Hye-soo and Ahn Seong-gi, have donated the entire amount of fees that they had received for giving lectures to students to scholarships for young actors. The seven actors were invited to teach the "master class" at Im Kwon-taek Film and Art College of Dongseo University this year, receiving 10 million won in fees. They donated the entire amount to scholarships for nurturing young actors.

The donation ceremony was held May 27 at Dongseo University. It was attended by Dongseo University Professor Im Kwon-taek, film director Kim Hong-jun and actor Lee Deok-hwa, who was the last to teach the master class this semester.

The seven actors who taught the class in the first semester are Jo Jae-hyeon, Choi Soo-jong, Seol Kyeong-gu, Kim Hye-soo, Ahn Seong-gi, Park Joong-hoon and Lee Deok-hwa. In the second semester the class will be taught by experts in lighting, filming and music effects. Last year, the instructors included actress Kang Soo-yeon, directors S...| More

Celebrities Serving as Guardian of Documentaries

Source | 2009/04/13 | Permalink |

Entertainment stars and documentaries have been thought to be an odd combination, but that perception is now changing. Recently, stars have not only been lending their voices to, appearing in and producing documentaries, but are also becoming the subjects themselves.

◇ Celebrities taking active part in making documentaries

It is no longer unusual for a star to narrate a documentary, as the genre is trying to appeal to more viewers regardless of the topic dealt with.

Actor Kim Sang-kyeong recently narrated a "MBC Special" program investigating an arson incident in a crammed residence in Nonhyeon-dong, Seoul in February. Comedienne Kim Mi-hwa, TV show host Kim Sung-joo, and actor Lee Beom-soo lent their voices to the MBC medical documentary "Doctors", and actor Ahn Seong-gi lent his to "Tears of the Arctic", an eye-opening documentary about arctic inhabitants which was aired on MBC late last year and received a positive response. Famous actresses Kim Hye-soo, Kim Jeong-eun...| More

The Emergence of Korean Cinema: Out of the Darkness, Onto the World Stage

Source | 2009/03/11 | Permalink |

Korean cinema has taken a long, winding road to where it is today: in the 20th century, it has weathered foreign occupation, civil war, political censorship, a maze of regulations, a barrage of imports, and South Korea's turbulent democratization movement two decades ago.

At least a shortage of dramatic inspiration is not a problem.

In recent years, with the full support of a proud government that realizes the power of its cultural exports, Korean films have finally arriving at a well-deserved place on the world stage.

To choose but a few highlights, Korean films have boasted wins in 2007 for best actress at Canne (Jeon Do-yeon) and best actor at the Asian Film Awards (Song Kang-ho), in 2004 for best director at the Berlin Film Festival (Kim Ki-duk's "Samaria") and the Grand Prix at Cannes (for Park Chan-wook's "Old Boy"), plus a growing plethora of domestic festivals, chief among them the Pusan International Film Festival, one of Asia's biggest.

"I would say that the major...| More