Kong Soo-chang (공수창)

Seoul-Stockholm Korean Film Festival

Source | 2008/09/11 | 0 comments | Permalink |

Following the success of its previous edition, the Seoul-Stockholm Korean Film Festival will showcase recent artistic and commercial hits from South Korea. Running September 17 – 21 at the Zita theater in Stockholm, the event will screen 8 Korean features, up from 5 shown in 2007.4 Korean directors will attend the event as special guests.

This year's selection includes two features presented at the Berlin Film Festival: HONG Sang-soo's "Night and Day" which screened in the 2008 competition section, and LEE Yoon-ki's "Ad-lib Night", shown in the 2007 Young Forum section. Also in the program are fest favorites, JEON Soo-il's "With a Girl of Black Soil" which screened at Venice 2007, and Thessaloniki Int'l Film Festival's top-prize winner "Family Ties" ("The Birth of a Family") by KIM Tae-yong.

Another indie gem making the festival rounds, "Milky Way Liberation Front" by YOON Seong-ho, will screen with the director invited to Stockholm for a guest Q & A session. Two popular featu...| More

"Death Bell" ("Gosa") is unafraid of big-budget competitors

Source | 2008/08/22 | 0 comments | Permalink |

Local horror title "Death Bell" ("Gosa") looks set to axe fellow horror films from their top rankings to become the second most popular Korean horror film.

In a star studded summer of big-budget entertainment, the modest budgeted 'rookie' project "Death Bell" ("Gosa") accumulated over 1.2 million victims in cinemas during 18 days, according to its producer Go-eo Contents Media.

"Death Bell" ("Gosa") is the feature film debut of former music video director Chang and the acting debut of singer NAM Gyoo-ri. Young actor KIM Beom was previously seen in the film "Hellcats" and the popular TV sitcom "High Kick!". Their teachers are played by popular actor LEE Beom-soo and actress YOON Jeong-hee.

KIM Ji-woon's "A Tale of Two Sisters", the most successful horror film with 3.2 million viewers, is still not in sight for "Death Bell" ("Gosa"), but "Death Bell" ("Gosa") seems likely to overtake number Kong Soo-chang's "R-Point" (1.6 million) and YOON Jae-yeon's "Wishing Stairs" (1.8 millio...| More

Gore-Drenched 'The Guard Post' Is Mostly Confusion

2008/08/03 | 0 comments | Permalink |

Kyu Hyun Kim (qhyunkim)

Kong Soo-chang's follow-up to "R-Point" is a disappointment

There are hundreds of guide posts (GPs) along the length of the North-South Korean border. South and North Korean troops stationed at them are at a constant state of alert, with heavy artillery pointed at one another. These installations, a cross between a military depot and an underground bunker, are almost self-contained worlds.

One of them, GP 506, has stopped sending messages to headquarters. An experienced MP investigator Sergeant Noh (Cheon Ho-jin, "A Dirty Carnival") and a cynical medical officer (Lee Jeong-heon, "Humming", "Silmido") are sent to find out what happened. They find the troops literally drawn and quartered: the video evidence indicates the murders were committed by Private Kang (Lee Yeong-hoon, "No Regret"), a resident clown and the least likely candidate for going postal.

Further...| More

In Jeonju, spring brings wonderful films

Source | 2008/04/19 | 0 comments | Permalink |

By Nigel D'Sa
Contributing Writer

The 9th Jeonju International Film Festival (JIFF) is nearing, and an impressive line-up of films has been announced for this year's event.

Set in its picturesque namesake city in Jeollabuk-do (province), JIFF runs May 1-9, bringing together innovative and independent films and filmmakers from around the world.

This year's program boasts a record total of 169 films with opening night going to Manda Kunitoshi's The Kiss in its International Premiere.

Japanese writer-turned-director Manda has already gained notice and won prizes at Cannes for his previous films, making this latest work highly anticipated.

JIFF's curtain-closer will be the Korean omnibus film "If You Were Me 4", produced by the National Human Rights Commission.

Each film in the series has a human rights issue as its theme with past concerns ranging from discrimination to forced surgery and bringing together a group of talented directors.

This year's project fe...| More

Jeonju Welcomes World Cineastes

Source | 2008/04/17 | 0 comments | Permalink |

9th Jeonju International Film Fest Opens May 1-9

By Lee Hyo-won
Staff Reporter

Before Busan welcomes Asia's largest film event Pusan (Busan) International Film Festival (PIFF) each fall, Jeonju, the traditional arts hub of the nation, becomes a cinephile's paradise in the spring.

The 9th Jeonju International Film Festival (JIFF) brings 195 movies from 40 nations beginning May 1 through 9. JIFF, while large in scale like PIFF, offers a more intimate and homey environment.

While most international film festivals usually boast the number of world or international premieres, JIFF focuses on sharing high quality films, both old and new, that moviegoers may not be able to see outside of a film festival, festival programmer Jeon Su-wan said in a press conference earlier this month.

Film Feast

The opening and closing ceremonies will be held at Sori Arts Center. This year's opening film is "The Kiss" by Kunitoshi Manda. On May 1, local film buffs will be able to appreciate t...| More