Lim Soon-rye (임순례)

By Lee Hyo-won
Staff Reporter

There's nothing like spending a warm summer evening by the sea, but why not make it extra special with an outdoor movie screening? Two film festivals invite not only movie buffs but also vacationers to scenic vacation spots ― the Jeongdongjin Independent Film & Video Festival and Jecheon International Music Film Festival.

Cinematic Getaways

By the Beach

This weekend, Jeongdongjin, Gangwon Province, which is known for its beautiful beach, turns into an open-air film festival. The Jeongdongjin Independent Film & Video Festival screens its entire lineup outdoors, and visitors can indulge in the creativity and free spirit of indie flicks beneath the star-lit sky.

Director-actor Yang Ik-joon and actress Kim KKobbi will host the opening ceremony 7:30 p.m. tonight at Jeongdongjin Elementary School. Their indie film "Breathless" has been making headlines as it reaped one award after another at international film festivals ― three prizes were recently added to its roster, totaling 16. Quirky rock band Oh! Brothers will perform for festivalgoers.

The 11th edition of the event brings together 24 independent films. The lineup includes two feature films, "Fly, Penguin", a human rights film by feted femme filmmaker Lim Soon-rye, and "A Better Tomorrow on the Street", which documents the courage of street musicians.

The rest are unique short films including live action and animated stories. Not to be missed are the environment-themed animation "My Friend Go-ra-ni" by renowned animator Jang Hyung-yoon and the world premiere of "Roti", "Pictogram Story" and "On Fire". The shorts will be screened in groups under five different sections.

Screenings begin at 8 p.m. each evening through Sunday at Jeongdongjin Elementary School. In order to service fans for late-night shows, a free shuttle bus will run between the festival venue and downtown Jeongdongjin.

During the daytime, the IndiePower Noon program invites visitors to participate in various fun activities under the sun, including a "jjajangmyeon" (black curd noodle) eating contest on the bea...More

By Lee Hyo-won
Staff Reporter

Every summer, big budget Hollywood movies flow in, and many worry about the potential threat to homegrown films. Recent trends, however, suggest that competition is healthy.

"The fact that such a comparison (between national and international franchises) is even possible is unique; there aren't so many countries around the world where domestic films can compete with American ones", Han Seung-hee, researcher at the Korean Film Council, told The Korea Times.

After the turn of the new millennium, the Korean film industry enjoyed rapid growth, with blockbusters rewriting box office history each year. But the market plummeted for the first time last year, and investment and production hit an all time low. Moviegoers even criticized films that fared well at the box office as being formulaic.

So far, 2009 looks better. The success of "A Frozen Flower" and "Scandal Makers" ("Speedy Scandal") opened up a promising new year. Although February and March were rather lukewarm months _ viewership was split among three crime thrillers, "The Scam", "Marine Boy" and "Hand Phone" _ "Private Eye" picked things up and was widely loved for its unique themes.

Sleeper hit movies such as "Old Partner" and "Breathless" also reva...More

2002 Venice Film Festival's Best actress winner Moon So-ri will challenge herself this time with a leading role in director Hong Sang-soo's next project. Details about HONG's film are sparse. The celebrated indie director is known for improvisation, writing and rewriting while filming.
 
Kim Sang-kyeong has been cast in the male leading role. It will be KIM's third film with HONG after "...More

The 10th Jeonju International Film Festival (JIFF), one of Korea's three major cinema showcases along with PIFF and PiFan, has revealed a selection of 11 new films for its Korean Feature Competition section that will vie for the JJ Star Award for top film, a cash award of 10 million Won.

Among the films selected are director Sin Dong-il's third feature, "Bandhobi", which tells about the relationship between a Bangladeshi laborer and a Korean high school girl. SIN debuted with the award-winning "Host and Guest" (2005) and followed it up with the critical...More

Korea's top woman filmmaker Lim Soon-rye, director of 2008's first local hit, "Forever the Moment", is back in 2009 with her fourth feature, "Fly, Penguin" which will have its world premiere at the 10th Jeonju International Film Festival in the Korean Feature Competition section.

The feature stars award-winning actress ...More