Chang Chen (장첸 (張震 ))

2007/12/24 | Source | Permalink |  Digg |  del.icio.us | Stumble It! | Share this news

The Korean movie industry got off to a shaky start this year, due to the weakened market position of local flicks versus Hollywood blockbusters, but it received a big shining ray of hope from director Lee Chang-dong's thought-provoking drama, "Secret Sunshine".

Jeon Do-yeon, the heroine of "Secret Sunshine", grabbed the prestigious Best Actress award at the 60th Cannes Film Festival in May, setting the upbeat tone for the domestic film industry.

The 34-year-old actress won international acclaim for her brave and inspiring depiction of a grieving Korean woman struggling to rebuild her life in a new city in "Secret Sunshine", the first picture in four years by Lee Chang-dong, a former Korean culture minister.

Despite the positive turn on the filmfest front, the local movie market faced increasing pressure this year. Although the market volume of the Korean film industry remains relatively solid, with 104 films released between January and November this year, the number of movieg...

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2007/05/28 | Source | Permalink |  Digg |  del.icio.us | Stumble It! | Share this news

CANNES, France -- Korean actress Jeon Do-yeon, who stars in a tragic movie on death and faith, "Secret Sunshine", won the Cannes film fest's best actress award Sunday.

The 34-year-old actress was acclaimed for her brave performance as a grieving wife and mother in the Korean melodrama, the first picture in four years by Lee Chang-dong, a former Korean culture minister.

"I can't believe I'm here", said Jeon, wearing a silver evening gown.

"There are many fabulous actresses here at the festival, and I would like to represent them all here tonight. It is a great honor for me to have this prize".

She appears in nearly every scene of Lee's two-and-a-half-hour-long film, portraying Shin-ae, a piano teacher who moves with her son to the hometown of her late husband, whose death is still the source of nearly unbearable pain.

She dotes on her young son as a link to his father, and the two have a palpably close relationship.

When, in a cruel and unexpected twist in the story, t...

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2007/05/21 | Source | Permalink |  Digg |  del.icio.us | Stumble It! | Share this news

The Korean director Kim Ki-duk screened his movie "Breath" on Saturday in competition at the 60th Cannes Film Festival. The official screening and press conference were held at the Lumiere Theatre in the French resort town.

Kim, wearing dark sunglasses at a press conference, joked, "The sunglasses I'm wearing now are the ones I wore when I appeared as a prison official in the film. You may be still watching the movie right at this moment". "Breath", which opened in Korea on April 26, depicts a woman who starts a relationship with a condemned criminal after discovering her husband's infidelity. Korean actress Zia (Park Ji-ah) and Taiwanese actor Chang Chen play the leads. "I wanted to highlight the difficulty of social and human relations -- so much so that you find it hard to breathe", Kim said. "At the same time, I wanted to show the difficulty of getting the message of my films across in the Korean society". Many of Kim's previous films have been criticized and shunned by general ...

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2007/04/20 | Source | Permalink |  Digg |  del.icio.us | Stumble It! | Share this news

Two internationally renowned Korean directors will present their latest efforts in the Competition section on the 60th anniversary of the Cannes International Film Festival. LEE Chang-dong's "Secret Sunshine" and KIM Ki-duk's "Breath" will have their International Premiers along with 19 other contenders for the coveted Grand Prize and Palme d'Or, the event's top two awards. The festival will run May 16th to 27th in the city synonymous with cinema, on the southeast coast of France.

Korean presence at Cannes remains strong this year while overall Asian presence has dimmed. Of the 21 competition films, only four come from Asia, while US and European films dominate. The international co-production éBlueberry Nightsé by Hong Kong's leading auteur WONG Kar Wai, will open the festival. The other Asian pick is Japanese director Naomi Kawase's The Forest of Mogari.

KOFIC will again set up a venue during the festival to provide a range of services and publications on Korean film. Alo...

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2007/04/20 | Source | Permalink |  Digg |  del.icio.us | Stumble It! | Share this news

Two Korean movies will be screened in competition of this year's Cannes Film Festival. "Secret Sunshine" by Lee Chang-dong and "Breath" by Kim Ki-duk were invited to the 60th anniversary extravaganza.

Since the first Korean movie, "Chunyang", was introduced in competition in 2000, there have been a string of Korean movies at Cannes, with "Strokes of Fire" in 2002, and "Old Boy" and "Woman Is the Future Of Man" in 2004. The Korean film industry welcomed the news since no Korean movies entered the competition last year. Industry sources expect the two movies to give a much-needed boost to the Korean movie industry, which some say is in crisis.

Meanwhile, Korean actress Jeon Do-yeon will take her first steps on the red carpet in Cannes, while Son Kang-ho notches up his second invitation to the French city in as many years. Last year, "The Host", in which Song starred, was screened as part of the Director's Fortnight at the festival.

"Secret Sunshine" gained a publicity boost from...

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