Actress Kim Yoon-jin [Chae Ki-won/10Asia]
Kim Yoon-jin spent her childhood in the United States and made her first step into the world of acting on Broadway. Hence, English was the language she acted in and also used for over 20 years to speak her mind. But 10Asia's interview with the actress revealed that her Korean was just as accurate and rich in expression. Whatever the question, she gave clear answers while appropriately adding in adjectives which would embellish her sentences. Her style of speech was just like her acting -- on point yet elaborate.
Many people associated Kim with the term 'female soldier' for a long time after she made her film debut playing a North Korean spy in "Shiri". The audience was unfamiliar with this actress who till then had made a few unnoted appearances in Korean dramas, but she left her mark with "Shiri", standing strong with her role opposite top Korean actor Han Suk-kyu who played the South Korean agent she loves. She then took on "Gingko Bed 2: Danjeobiyeonsu" where her piercing eyes reached beyond the camera to the audience. And just when it seemed she would forever trap herself in the image of a female soldier, Kim started expanding on her scope of acting. In "Ardor", she suffered just like her character Mi-heun did until she found hope in her life. And she may have ended up being the stereotypical Asian woman and finicky lawyer with her roles in the "Lost" series and Korean pic "Seven Days" but with her belief that "it is up to the actor to fill in the empty spaces", her characters became individuals with something more than empty hearts....More
By Lee Hyo-won
Staff Reporter
The past year represented hope and revitalization for Korean cinema. While problems such as piracy linger on, the forecast for 2010 cinema appears promising with diverse projects in the making.
Cineastes are finding inspiration from the past and are bringing remakes of Korean classics as well as unique period movies. Big action flicks are gearing up for the 60th anniversary of the Korean War (1950-53) while much-anticipated sequels will cater to fans. Furthermore, a couple of Hollywood projects will head here for shoots.
2009 in Review
Both commercial blockbusters and unique indie films pulled the industry out of a three-year slump and cineastes made their mark near and far.
Kim Choung-ryoul's documentary
"Old Partner" rewrote box-office history for the genre, while
Yang Ik-joon's
"Breathless" made waves by sweeping almost two dozen prizes at international festivals.
Park Chan-ok's low-budget drama
"Paju" was well-received among critics and moviegoers and the micro-budget road movie "
Daytime Drinking" gained popularity near and far.
The positivity peaked in the summer. The success of the sports movie
"Take Off" fed directly into the big-time box office scores set by the tsunami blockbuster
"Haeundae", which drew over 10 million audience members in Korea for the first time in three years since
"The Host" in 2006.
Stars shined strongly through the big screen. Korean actors debuted in foreign works, most notably
Lee Byeong-Heon in "G.I. Joe" and
Rain in "
Ninja Assassin", while
Kim Myeong-min made headlines for shedding 20 kilograms for his role in "
Closer to Heaven".
Celebrity directors also made long-awaited returns.
Park Chan-wook revisited the Cannes Festival with his vampire flick
"Thirst" while
Bong Joon-ho made a splash with the thriller
"Mother - 2009".
On the flip side, illegal online distributions of
"Haeundae", before its release in Chinese theaters, and of
"Thirst", before DVD sales opened in the United States, led to big financial blows and signaled the red light on piracy. The country's top stars, including
Jang Dong-gun and
Kim Tae-hee, stepped up as representatives for the anti-piracy campaign: "Good Downloader".
Meanwhile, imported 3D movies tapped into the local theater market. While the number of theaters catering to the genre remains relatively small, there seems to be growing reception for 3D films. Animations such as "Monster vs. Aliens" and "Up" drew family audiences while "Avatar", new in theaters, has drawn over 1 million audiences in the shortest timeframe among 2009 films.
2010 Forecast
Back to Classics
During Korean cinema's Golden Age of the 1960s, well over 100 films rolled out per year (more than 200 from 1968 to 1969), and cineastes are finding inspiration in films from that time. Classics never go out of style, and next year...
MoreThe film industry is already preparing for next year. Many renowned filmmakers have returned to Korea to produce movies about war and sequels to hit movies.
Director
Im Kwon-taek will produce his 101st movie "
Scooping Up The Moonlight". Directors
Kim Tae-yong and Lm Sang-soo will produce remakes of "Late Autumn" (
"Manchu") by
Lee Man-hee and "The Housemaid" (
"The Housemaid - 2010") of Kim Ki-young, respectively. Films about war will also be introduced to mark the 60th anniversary of the Korean War.
◇The return of maestros
"
Scooping Up The Moonlight", which will be produced under the auspices of the Jeonju City government, is
Im Kwon-taek's first film to be shot with digital cameras. It is a story about seventh-grade public servant Jong-ho, who wants to become a fifth-grade official. To achieve his dream, he takes charge of the traditional Korean paper "hanji" at the municipal government and becomes completely mesmerized by it. Jong-ho is played by actor
Park Joong-hoon, who will appear in a Lim production for the first time. Actress
Kang Soo-yeon will work together with Lim for the first time since her appearance in the 1989 movie "Come Come Come Upward".
Actress
Yoon Jung-hee, who was one of the top three actresses of the 1960s along with Moon Hee and Nam Jung-im, will make a comeback for the first time after her 1994 movie "Two Flags". She will appear in
Lee Chang-dong's new movie
"Poetry". It is a story about a 60-something woman who raises her teenage granddaughter and receives basic living subsidies. One day she signs up for a literature class and begins to write her own poems for the first time. The movie is slated to open in early May.
◇War movies
Four films about war will open next year. They will deal with diverse subjects, including student soldiers and maritime clashes between South and North Korea. The majority of them will be large-scale productions costing more than 10 billion won.
Director
Lee Jae-han's "
Into the Gunfire", which is to open in June, is about a 12-hour battle that was held between 71 student soldiers and the North Korean Army at the end of the Nakdong River battle during the Korean war. Actors
kwon Sang-woo and T.O.P. (
Choi Seung-hyeon) of the music group Big Bang will play student soldiers. Actor Cha Weung-won will appear as a North Korean commander, while actor
Kim Seung-woo will play a South Korean commander. It is a blockbuster production that will cost 15 billion won to produce and market.
Director Lim Yeo-bin, who produced "Terrorist" in 1995, will this time produce "The Red Muffler 2", which will be a sequel to late Shin Sang-ok's movie "The Red Muffler". The grandson from the original production will appear as an Air Force pilot. The production cost have reached 8 billion won, and the movie is scheduled to open in October on National Army Day.
The second Yeonpyeong Clash of 2002 will be reenacted in the 3D film "We Are Beautiful" (tent...
More
Veteran master
Im Kwon-taek will begin production on his HD debut next month, a feature drama on the traditional Korean paper art of 'hanji', titled "
Scooping Up The Moonlight". The 75-year-old director's 101st film will be his first venture into digital cinema, prompting him to switch from his longtime cinematographer JUNG Il-sung to work with the young, HD-experienced DOP, HWANG Gi-seok.
The new project was supported by KOFIC's newly launched Masters' Films Production Support Program which aims to elevate Korea's top name directors on the international stage and produce high-quality art films. The Jeonju International Film Festival (JIFF), known for producing various digital films, will produce the project.
The lead cast includes two of Kore...
More
The Korean government is currently intensifying its efforts to promote Korea and its cultural assets overseas, most notably hansik, or Korean food. But less attention has been paid to hanji, the Korean paper made from mulberry trees that is known in Asia for its beauty, flexibility and high quality.
However, a new film by internationally acclaimed Korean director
Im Kwon-taek and produced by the Jeonju International Film Festival could change that. With a budget of 2 billion won ($1.73 million), the film will begin shooting in January. If completed in April as scheduled, it could go on to open the Jeonju film festival, which, true to its name, attracts a global audience.
The city of Jeonju is known for the beauty of its hanji, so it was a natural place for the project to begin. Festival organizers came up with the concept and then approached Im about directing the film.
"While we have carried out various projects to promote hanji, [making a movie about hanji] will be the highlight, particularly because it is with director Im", Song Ha-jin, president of the JIFF committee, said.
Im' s career dates to the early 1960s and his filmography consists of 100 movies, many of which have won critical and popular acclaim.
...
More
