Lee Chang-dong (이창동)

PARK Chan-wook Retrospective at Asian Film Fest in Germany

Source | 2009/11/19 | 0 comments | Permalink |

The Asia Film Fest which in 2007 held a KIM Ki-duk retrospective is this time focusing on Korean master director PARK Chan-wook. The retrospective will play 4 of his films from "JSA - Joint Security Area" (2000), "Old Boy" (2003), "Sympathy for Lady Vengeance" (2005) through to "I'm a Cyborg, but that's OK" (2006). Director PARK's "Thirst" which premiered to rave reviews at Cannes and did good business at the box office in Korea will also play in the Korean section. Other films in the Korean section include current films "Chaw", "The Sword with No Name", "A Frozen Flower" (2008), KIM Ji-woon's "The Good, The Bad, The Weird" (2008) and Lee Chang-dong's "Secret Sunshine". Also of note, playing in the Special Presentation section is "Blood: The Last Vampire" staring Korean Gianna Jun (Jeon Ji-hyeon).

The Asia film festival which began in Munich in 2004 has enjoyed a 10% growth rate in audiences every year. It begins this year October 28 through to November 8 and then moves to Be...| More

Two Korean Classics to be Remade

Source | 2009/11/13 | 0 comments | Permalink |

Two Korean classic films from 2 prolific Korean directors whose films were part of and contributed to the famous Golden Age of Korean cinema are about to be remade. This period between the 1960's and 1970's helped lay the ground work for many of today's modern directors. The original "Housemaid" (1960), a melodramatic, sexual thriller became a signature film for director KIM Ki-young known for his eclectic mix of genre combining anything from the above through intense psychological horror to realism. The careful manipulation of genre is a style now exemplified by many modern day directors such as BONG Joon-ho. The film concentrates on a family who take in a housemaid because of the wife's exhaustion working at a factory. Soon after, the housemaid starts to exhibit bizarre tendencies, catching rats with her hands, spying on the family and then finally seducing the husband who she becomes pregnant to. So starts a wicked journey of murder, intrigue and the break up of the family.
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Book on Korean modern artists released in English

Source | 2009/11/03 | 0 comments | Permalink |

The Korea Foundation (http://www.kf.or.kr/) recently released an English translation of the book "Modern Korean Artists". The publication is a compilation of articles about contemporary artists from the quarterly magazine "Koreana" from 2000 to 2008 and lists various genres of Korean art from fine arts to Korean film.

Korea Foundation explains in its announcement that although Korea's contemporary art world can't be dealt with fully within a single volume, the book provides a close-up look at several key figures who have contributed to the advancement of the modern art scene in Korea.

The book is divided into five sections: visual art, performance, music, architecture and film. In the visual art section, 12 notable artists are introduced, including Park Soo-geun, Lee U-fan, Bae Bien-u and Park Seo-bo; in performance artists, Lee Ae-ju and Kang Soo-jin; in music, 10 musicians including Kim Duk-soo, Ahn Sook-sun, Jo Sumi and Chung Myung-hoon; in architecture, the three architects J...| More

Korean-French Movie Honored at Tokyo Film Fest

Source | 2009/10/26 | 0 comments | Permalink |

The film "A Brand New Life" directed by Korean-French Ounie Lecomte won the Best Asian Film Award at the 22nd Tokyo International Film Festival, which ended on Sunday.

Lecomte was born in Korea and adopted by a French family at a young age. A joint Korean-French production, "A Brand New Life" was made with the assistance of renowned Korean director Lee Chang-dong. It tells the story of a nine-year-old girl who was deserted by her father.

The film also won the top honor, the jury prize, at the Cinekid Festival in Amsterdam last week. It will be released in Korea on Thursday....| More

An orphan struggles to overcome abandonment

Source | 2009/10/08 | 0 comments | Permalink |

Jin-hee's morning begins on a bicycle, her arms wrapped around her father's waist as he navigates the streets. She enjoys the ride and the warmth of his back as she presses into him.

It's a big day. Her father bought her new clothes, which she is now wearing. He also bought her a large cake, though it's not her birthday. She is so happy that, during lunch at a restaurant, she sings a little song for her father.

The day, however, takes an abrupt turn. Jin-hee's father drops her off at an orphanage, where she's left with a dozen children she has never met. It's the beginning of a brand new life for her, one she tries desperately to escape until she realizes that there is nowhere for her to go and that her father is not coming back.

She quickly learns that life at the orphanage is full of separation and sadness, as other children are adopted and leave her life, one by one. Her best friend Sook-hee (Park Do-yeon) lands in the arms of an American family and is whisked to a land whe...| More