By Lee Hyo-won
Staff Reporter
Song Il-gon's mise-en-scene is admired for its poeticism and arresting imagination, and his trademark qualities prevail in his first feature documentary, "
Dance of Time".
He brings a gem of a film that, though rooted in reality, gives full bloom to romanticism, reading more like a love letter to Cubans rather than a historical account of a unique branch of the Korean Diaspora.
"I've always wanted to travel to Cuba", the 38-year-old cineaste told The Korea Times over a shot of espresso, in a small cafe in downtown Seoul last week.
He had his heart set on the Caribbean country as the backdrop of a new love story. But when Cuba's national baseball team visited Korea last year, he met a local interpreter and was surprised to learn about fifth- and sixth-generation "Coreanos".
A century ago a group of Joseon (1392-1910) laborers set sail for Cuba in hopes of returning with a fortune. But they were forced to toil away on henequen farms, never making enough money for the trip back. They would nevertheless go on to build Korean schools and even fund Kim Gu's resistance movement against colonial Japan (1910-45). They be...
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" (tentative title)...
MoreThe Suyeong Bay area in Busan was packed on the evening of October 8, when the opening ceremony of the 14th Pusan International Film Festival was held. All 5,000 seats of the venue were filled. The less fortunate ones among the movie fans had to stay outside.
Red Carpet Gowns
Gowns with low-cut backs were the leading trend at this year's red carpet ceremony. Despite the chilly fall weather, many actresses appeared in surprisingly low-cut gowns.
Han Hye-jin's gray dress with a low-cut back evoked loud cheers from the fans.
Han Ye-seul's white gown made many fans shout out, "You look so beautiful".
Kim So-yeon showed up in red, while
Han Eun-jeong chose white.
Jeon Do-yeon, who made a public appearance for the first time since giving birth to her baby, was wearing an airy gown with a slightly see-through front.
Jeon Hye-bin,
Choi Kang-hee, ...
More
The 14th Pusan International Film Festival opening was held at Pusan Swim Yacht Racing Open Arena.
