By Lee Hyo-won
Staff Reporter
The past year was a fruitful one for local independent cinema, with
Lee Chung-ryoul's documentary
"Old Partner" rewriting box office history for the genre and
Yang Ik-joon's
"Breathless" blazing through international film festivals. The festivity culminates with the Seoul Independent Film Festival (SIFF), which continues through Friday in Spongehouse Myeongdong (Joongang Cinema).
The annual year-end event kicked off on Dec. 11 under the theme "Hit and Run". This year SIFF received a whopping record of 722 submissions, up about 100 from last year. A total of 45 works (34 shorts, 11 features) have been selected to compete for several cash prizes. The awards, including the grand prize, amount to 51 million won and will be g...
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Best film in the 30th Blue Dragon Film Awards on Wednesday went to
"Mother - 2009" directed by
Bong Joon-ho. The ceremony was held at the KBS Hall in Seoul.
"Mother - 2009" tells the story of a mother whose son is wrongly indicted for murder and who struggles to hunt down the real killer. The film was invited to this year's Cannes International Film Festival for the Un Certain Regard section.
Best director went to
Kim Yong-hwa, who directed
"Take Off", and best actor to
Kim Myeong-min for his part in "...
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By Lee Hyo-won
Staff Reporter
Kim Myeong-min and
Ha Ji-won, who starred as a married couple in
Park Jin-pyo's tearjerker "
Closer to Heaven", were named Best Actor and Best Actress, respectively, at the Blue Dragon Awards, Wednesday evening, in Yeouido, Seoul.
"I'm not sure if I deserve this award. I am thankful, though, as I have to try twice as hard because of my less-than-perfect acting abilities", said Kim, who had previously made headlines for shedding 20 kilograms to play a terminally ill patient. Ever since his breakthrough role in the TV drama "
Immortal Admiral Yi Sun-shin", he has been sweeping various Best Actor awards for characters he played on both the big and small screen.
Kim Myeong-min
winner of the Best Actor Award
The 37-year-old, eyes welling with tears, went on to thank his co-star Ha: "I was able to finish the movie because of you ...
More46th Annual Daejong Film Awards Nominees
- Best Movie:
"Take Off",
"Mother - 2009", "
The Divine Weapon", "
Sky and Sea",
"Haeundae"
- Best Director :
Kim Yong-hwa (
"Take Off"),
Yoon Je-kyoon (
"Haeundae"),
Jeon Yoon-soo ("
Portrait of a Beauty"),
Jeong Gi-hoon (
"Ae-ja"),
Bong Joon-ho (
"Mother - 2009")
- Best Actor :
Kim Myeong-min ("
Closer to Heaven"),
Kim Yoon-seok (
Running Turtle),
Seol Kyeong-gu (
"Haeundae"),
Jeong Jae-yeong ("
The Divine Weapon"),
Ha Jeong-woo (
"Take Off")
- Best Actress :
Kim Min-seon ("
Portrait of a Beauty"),
Kim Hye-ja (
"Mother - 2009"),
Soo-ae (
"Sunny"),
Jang Nara ("
Sky and Sea"),
Choi Kang-hee (
"Ae-ja")
- Best Supporting Actor :
Kim In-kwon (
"Haeundae"),
Jin Goo (
"Mother - 2009"),
Jeong Kyeong-ho (
"Sunny"),
Jang Geun-seok ("
The Case of Itaewon Homicide"),
Kim Nam-gil ("
Modern Boy")
- Best Supporting Actress :
Kim Bo-yeon ("...
MoreBy Lee Hyo-won
Staff Reporter
The red carpet is ready to be unrolled for the opening tonight of the 14th Pusan (Busan) International Film Festival (PIFF).
Haeundae Beach in the southern port city will sizzle with the longest ever lineup of 355 films from 70 countries and a VIP guest list featuring more than the usual number of high profile stars and cineastes from near and far.
Fans are invited to take part in not only star-studded screenings and events but also concerts, exhibitions and other eye-catching sideline events.
Star-Gazing
The opening ceremony takes place at 7:30 p.m. tonight at Suyoung Bay Yacht Marina. The 1970s screen siren
Jang Mi-hee and
"The Chaser" star
Kim Yoon-seok will host the event, while top South Korean actors plan to grace the red carpet. The list includes heartthrobs
Jang Dong-gun and
Lee Byeong-Heon, and actresses
Jeon Do-yeon,
Uhm Jung-hwa,
Eom Ji-won,
Ha Ji-won,
Kim Ha-neul and ...
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