Jang Yoon-hyeon (장윤현)

SONG Hye-kyo's Fetish premieres at PIFF

Source | 2008/09/18 | Permalink |

Pan-Asian favourite SONG Hye-kyo sets another step on the global scene with her English-language debut "Fetish". The indie film will premiere at this year's Pusan International Film Festival (PIFF). Fetish is the feature film directorial debut of SON Soo-peom.

SONG's latest film was the costume drama about the historical figure "Hwangjin-y - Movie - 2007" which also starred YOO Ji-tae and was directed by JANG Yoon-hyeon. The film was partly shot in North Korea where it also enjoyed a special screening.

SONG's other silver screen efforts are the romantic film "My Girl and I" and John Woo's 1949. Her popularity across Asia is mostly due to the success of her television dramas.

Busan will host the 13th Pusan International Film Festival in October, from the 2nd until the 10th.

Yi Ch'ang-ho (KOFIC)...| More

YOO Ji-tae's short film to Tokyo and Seoul fest

Source | 2008/06/05 | Permalink |

Actor YOO Ji-tae – well known for his roles in PARK Chan-wook's "Old Boy" and JANG Yoon-hyeon's "Hwangjin-y - Movie - 2007" – is successful with the short film "Out of My Intention" (Nado Moreuge) which he directed. "Out of My intention" is invited by the Tokyo based Short Shorts Film Festival (SSFF), and the Mise en Scene Short Film Festival (MSFF) in Seoul.

The Tokyo Short Shorts Film Festival, one of the major short film festivals, opens on June 6 and YOO's short film will feature in the competition section. Afterwards, from June 26 until July 2, "Out of My Intention" will be back in Korea in the imaginative power section of the 7th Mise en Scene Short Film Festival.

Out of My Intention stars JO An ("Project Makeover" - "Go Go Sister"/Eonniga Ganda) and LEE Dae-yon (Camel(s)/Nakta(deul)). The two share a car, but seem to be in different worlds when they try to communicate.

YOO debuted as a short film director in 2003 with "The Bike Boy" (Jajeongeo Sonyeon). His next shor...| More

"R-point"'s KONG Soo-chang returns with The Guard Post

Source | 2008/04/04 | Permalink |

Writer/director KONG Soo-chang's latest film "The Guard Post" (GP506) opens on April 3. Like his previously directed film R-point, the film is a horror film situated in the military. This time the setting is the Demilitarized Zone between North and South Korea.

JO Hyeon-jae and CHEON Ho-jin star in the horror film about a mysterious slaughtering at guard post 506 and the investigating team who gets trapped at the same guard post due to worsening weather. CHEON Ho-jin played in director YOO Ha's crime film "A Dirty Carnival" (Biyeorhan Geori) and alongside JEON Ji-hyeon in "Daisy". JO Hyeon-jae starred in "Untold Scandal" (Scandal).

KONG initially worked as a scenario writer. He wrote the scenario for the JANG Yoon-hyeon directed thriller "Tell Me Something" starring HAN Seok-kyu. He debuted as a director with "R-point" which unfolds in Cambodia where a Korean military unit is dispatched during the Vietnam War.

Yi Ch'ang-ho (KOFIC)...| More

Expensive drama stylish but miscast

Source | 2007/10/15 | Permalink |

Appearing on-screen is a young woman with smoky eye make up, peach-toned blush and a lush purple dress.
To go with her black silk jacket finely embroidered with a golden flower print, she put on a black lace hat almost as big as an umbrella, with a piece of chiffon that drapes down to her shoulder.
It's hard to tell if this is the Hwang Ji Nyi we know ― a renowned 16th-century gisaeng and a poet who always appeared on screen with pale cheeks and red lipstick matching her dress, ridiculing aristocratic society with wit and scholarly insight.
Instead, what we have is an expensive period drama, which took four years in production and 7.1 billion won ($7.7 million) to complete.
Visually, however, the money pays off in the film adaptation of Jang Yoon-Hyeon's "Hwangjin-y - Movie - 2007".
Whether in designer-made costumes or the period settings, the film glows with style, providing a poisonous glimpse of the self-deprecating heroine who led herself to tragic isolation through ...| More

A Fresh Start for Korean Cinema: Overview of the First Half of 2007

Source | 2007/07/23 | Permalink |

Korean films have delved into new topics and covered a wide range of genres the first half of the year. Coming off of a disappointing year at the box office, the Korean film industry has answered with a number of truly noteworthy works of art. Although many of the films released this year were funded before the industry crisis of 2006, they have not generated the type of profits that once raised eyebrows around the world during the Korean film boom a few years ago.

The Industry has suffered greatly in the past year for many reasons. The Korean film boom spawned many hastily planned productions that ended up failing in theaters. Recently, after the loosening of the screen quota and the influence of the labor union on production costs, Korean film companies are investing with far more reluctance. None the less, this year Korea has unleashed the last batch of films that were direct products of the boom.

Whether funded during the boom or during the cr...| More