Lee Song-hee-il (이송희일)

[ChanMi's drama news] Soon to be wed, So Yoo-jin in a new movie

2008/07/22 | Source | Permalink |

The cute soon to be bride, So Yoo-jin will return to the screens with her new short haircut!

After 3 years through "I'm O.K" she will be back in the new movie "Escape" as the main character Lee So-young.

She is currently filming action runaway scenes through the rainy and sultry weather. She even cut her long hair for this character....| More

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12th PIFF Names Jury and Awardees

2007/08/28 | Source | Permalink |

The 12th Pusan International Film Festival (PIFF) has announced that Iranian director Dariush MEHRJUI is to head the jury of this year's New Currents awards section during the upcoming event which takes place October 4th – 12th. MEHRJUI has won numerous awards during his over 40-year filmmaking career, including the Venice Critic's Award for his second feature The Cow (1970).

Also on the jury are celebrated Korean director LEE Chang-dong, whose "Secret Sunshine" won the Best Actress prize at Cannes this year, fellow Cannes competitor Cristian MUNGIU of Romania, who took home the Palme d'Or for 4 Months, 3 Weeks & 2 Days, award-winning Chinese actress Nan YU, and top director Goran Paskaljevic of Serbia. They will select 3 films from the New Currents section for awards worth US$ 30 000 each.

On the Jury of the US$10 000 Sonje Award, given to the best short or documentary film in PIFF's Wide Angle section, are three Korean filmmakers: documentary director, CHOI-HA Dong-ha, in...| More

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'D-War' stomps box office to pieces

2007/08/06 | Source | Permalink |

"D-War", a graphics-rich monster fest directed by Shim Hyung-rae, is setting a new record at the box office amid the intensifying dispute about its unabashed appeal to patriotism.

Released on Aug. 1, the country's most expensive film, which cost $33 million to produce, sold about 2.9 million tickets in five days, surpassing the previous opening week box-office record set by "Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End".

As "D-War" continued to sell out in major theaters across the nation, the film's distributor Showbox said the box-office figure passed the 3 million mark around noon yesterday. The film opened on 530 screens and, thanks to the enthusiastic response, is now being screened in 689 theaters.

The sweeping success of "D-War" came as a surprise because the delay-saddled film made by a former comic actor did not inspire critics much. After all, director Shim had failed miserably with his previous attempt at a similar monster film "Yonggary", and "D-War" suffered a slew of...| More

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Supports and Applause to D-War, Along With Ambivalent Reactions

2007/08/06 | Source | Permalink |

"D-War", directed by Shim Hyung-rae, has recorded a 2.2 million-ticket sale as of Saturday. The SF film features a legendary Korean monstrous creature, and contains a huge volume of computer graphic works. It has also set a new record. No Korean movie has attracted more than 2 million moviegoers in four days. Its distributor, Showbox, estimates that it would sell more than three million tickets as of August 5.

The rising ticket sales of "D-War" match the sales pace of the biggest-ever box office hit "The Host". Another Korean movie, "May 18" now on screen, sold more than three million tickets in 10 days. But it's not a match. Jumping on the wagon, almost 160 more movie theaters have begun to show "D-War". Originally, 530 theaters agreed to show the film.

Critics, as usual, gave bad reviews to the movie. But the film is selling just "off the shelf". Its awful CG effects and G-rating has fueled its commercial success. The highlight comes in the scene where the monster fights with t...| More

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Korean Competitors at Barcelona Fest

2007/03/19 | Source | Permalink |

The ninth edition of the Barcelona Asian Film Festival has selected KIM Tae-yong's "Family Ties" ("The Birth of a Family") (Gajokui Tansaeng), LEE SONG-Hee-il's "No Regret" (Hoohwehaji Anha) and ROH Kyeong-tae's "The Last Dining Table" (Majimak Babsang) for its competition.

Barcelona will host the festival from April 27 until May 6. The festival presents contemporary Asian cinema. Besides feature films, Barcelona also includes sections for digital projects and animations. HYAZGAR("Desert Dream") by Korean-Chinese director ZHANG Lu will open the film festival.

"Family Ties" ("The Birth of a Family") deconstructs the traditional family in three related narratives. The film received critical acclaim and was awarded at the Thessaloniki Film Festival.

"No Regret" is the top grossing independent film at the Korean box office. The gay-themed film revolves around the relationship between a wealthy man and a male escort. Distributor Fortissimo obtained the international distribution ri...| More

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