Jo Jae-hyeon (조재현)

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

Gyeonggi Province Aims to Become Film Hub

Source | 2009/02/02 | Permalink |

By Lee Hyo-won
Staff Reporter

Gyeonggi Province is stepping up efforts to become a cinematic hub with actor Jo Jae-hyeon as its front man. The Gyeonggi Film Council named the top actor as its new chair Thursday to promote filmmaking in the region.

The 44-year-old star of the upcoming film "Marine Boy" accepted his two-year tenure at a ceremony Friday in downtown Seoul.

"This is a great honor and I hope the special guests with us today will serve as the council's advisory committee", said the versatile actor, who has appeared in art films such as Im Kwon-taek's "Beyond the Years" and hit TV soaps like "New Heart" (MBC).

Cineastes including directors Im Kwon-taek and Lee Joon-ik and actors Ahn Seong-gi, Choi Bool-am, Kang Soo-yeon, Cha Tae-hyeon and Park Si-yeon attended the event. Kim Moon-soo, governor of Gyeonggi Province, passed on the letter of appointment from director Lee Hyeon-seung to Jo.

"Gyeonggi Province is very rich; we spend 13 trillion won each year", sai...| More

Marine Boy hooked on diving for drugs

Source | 2009/01/27 | Permalink |

Trying to pigeonhole the upcoming crime caper "Marine Boy", which opens next Thursday, is no easy task.

Characters come and go in this hyperrealistic depiction of how drug smugglers go about their business, an industry that the director neither condemns nor condones.

"Many viewers will be puzzled over this unusual but realistic synopsis", said Yoon Jong-seok, the film's director, at a press conference earlier on this month.

It's Yoon's first feature work following his two short films, "An Elegy of Revenge" (2002) and "Stakeout: 29th" (2001).

"Marine Boy", which stars Jo Jae-hyeon, rising star Kim Kang-woo and Park Si-yeon and was filmed on Cebu Island in the Philippines, involves a complex plot revolving around a drug crime.

Cheon-soo (Kim), a former national swimmer, dreams of taking off for Palau, an island nation east of the Philippines and a popular destination for scuba diving.

To cover the cost of his trip, Cheon-soo teaches swimming during the day and gambles a...| More

'Marine' Stays Afloat With Supporting Acts

Source | 2009/01/22 | Permalink |

By Lee Hyo-won
Staff Reporter

It's about time the Korean Peninsula saw a maritime action flick. "Marine Boy" indeed features the most water treading sequences in South Korean cinema ― something only a fearless newcomer like Yoon Jong-seok can brave ― but it keeps afloat with classic premises like dramatic tension and great supporting characters.

An ocean-crossing drug mule the movie has named "marine boy" calls for extensive oceanic shoots that make up about 20 percent of the film, yet this is no big budget version of drug mule stories like "Maria Full of Grace" nor is it a raw crime thriller like "The Chaser". A complex "trust no one" formula fuels the seaside story, but the main dramatic tension lies in an obscure love triangle rather than underwater skirmishes. While the two-hour running time could have been cut shorter, Cho Jae-hyun and other bona fide actors keep the film from completely conforming to Hollywood.

The vast ocean blue invites viewers to plunge ...| More

Best Play Series Project Draws Curtain

Source | 2009/01/06 | Permalink |

By Chung Ah-young
Staff Reporter

The "Yeongeuk Yeoljeon 2 (A Series of the Best Plays)", which began on Dec. 7, 2007, finally drew its curtains Monday, reinvigorating the faltering theater scene in Daehangno.

For the last 13 months, ten plays were performed under the motto of "popularization of the theater arts" by veteran actor and programmer Cho Jae-hyun, along with Dongsoong Art Center's Theater Company to save the sagging theater industry with the star-studded cast.

Scoring a big success in economically hard times, the project came four years after 2004's " Yeongeuk Yeoljeon", which put 14 plays on stage.

In the closing ceremony at Dongsoong Art Center, actor Song Yeong-chang, who starred in the play "University of Laughs" written by Japanese dramatist Koki Mitani, won the award for best acting and the play (University of Laughs) received the best play award judged by participating actors, staff, reporters and audience members.

Results of 13-Month Project

The pro...| More