Ahn Seul-gi (안슬기)

Director Kim Gok's "Exhausted" received the Grand prize from the Seoul Independent Film Festival which ended on December 19. "Exhausted" is a film about a prostitute in an industrial area.

The Best film award went to PARK Ji-youn's animation "The Things She Can't Avoid in the City". The imaginative story of a struggling woman in the city previously competed at the Melbourne International Animation Festival, Women's Film Festival in Seoul, and Seoul International Cartoon & Animation Festival.

Kim Gok directed the 2006 productions Geo-Lobotomy and a short film which is part of the omnibus film "If You Were Me 3", both co-directed with KIM Sun.

Yi Ch...More

The Pusan International Film Festival (PIFF) is putting its weight behind local films this year, and, under the catch-phrase 'Way to Go, Korea!' will host the World Premier of 15 Korean features. Headlining is closing film "I Am Happy" by Yoon Jong-chan, a psychiatric drama based on a novel by Korean literary giant, the late LEE Chong-jun. The fest runs Oct 2 – 10 in the south-eastern port city of Busan.

PIFF's competition section, New Currents, will see the World Premieres of 3 Korean features. "Land of Scarecrows" is the sophomore effort by Noh Kyeong-tae ("The Last Dining Table"), a poetical cross-section of the lives of Korea's outsiders in pursuit of vanishing dreams. "Members of the Funeral" by Baek Seung-bin is an HD feature about a family mourning the passing of relative and the memories it triggers, wh...More

Director Ahn Seul-gi has a discerning eye for Korean youth and their wanderings. As a teacher, Ahn has observed how they struggle to figure out their roles in society where the outlook remains gloomy for many poverty-stricken students.

"My Song Is... " (Korean title: "Na-ui norae-neun") is a small-budget film that Ahn shot and produced during a school vacation period. Though the movie's overall scale is small, the challenges facing key characters are profoundly intense and realistic.

On a cold day, Hee-cheol (Sin Hyeon-ho) wakes up to find out he is missing a crucial college entrance exam. His indifferent grandmother has apparently turned off his alarm clock. Frustrated at her car...More

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 sto...More

The Pusan International Film Festival (PIFF) will continue its progress with 275 films and a record number of 193 premieres and the inauguration of new programs. PIFF's flagship New Currents competition boasts a complete selection of eleven world and international premieres. The 12th edition of Asia's major international film festival will run from October 4 until the 12th.

New Currents showcases low-budget independent films of emerging talented filmmakers. The Korean innovative competitors in New Currents are Yoon Seong-ho's "Milky Way Liberation Front" and "My Song Is... " by Ahn Seul-gi. The Chinese-Korean co-production "Life Track" (director Jin Guang-hao) is another contender.

PIFF complemented its ...More