Seo Jang-won (서장원)

Korean film "Pruning the Grapevine" (2006), by Min Byeong-hoon, will screen in the Official Selection – Competition section of the 42nd Karlovy Vary International Film Festival. The event which is held each year in the picturesque valley also known as Karlsbad, in the western province of Bohemia, Czech Republic, opens on June 29th for a nine-day run. A total of six Korean features will screen in various sections of the festival.

Grapevine director MIN is known to Karlovy Vary programmers, after his first film, "The Flight of the Bee" (1998, co-directed by Jamshed Usmonov) and his second, "Let's Not Cry", were scr...More

"Pruning the Grapevine" by director Min Byeong-hoon is a movie of a theological student who is swaying between love for God and secular love. Su-hyeon (played by Seo Jang-won) leaves his girlfriend Su-ah (played by Lee Min-jeong) and focuses on the theological school. But he is shaken upon receiving a wedding card from Su-ah. He tries to quit school, but the head of the school advises him to go to a monastery. There, he meets sister Helena (played by ...More

Yoon Jong-bin
The Unforgiven in Un Certain Regard

First-time feature director Yoon Jong-bin makes his international debut in the Un Certain Regard at this year's Cannes. His film is about two boyhood friends who meet during their mandatory military service and later experience the tragic consequences of habitual violence in the army. With its steady and non-self-indulgent approach to drama, the film made its world premiere at the Pusan International Film Festival to accolades from critics and audiences alike, garnering invitations from the world's most prestigious festivals.

The Unforgiven was originally 27 year-old Yoon Jong-bin's graduation film from the Film Studies Department at Chung-Ang University, based on his experiences while serving in the army himself. "Every Korean man that does military service has experiences like this", says Yoon, referringto the bullying and violence. "It's not a special story. If you are a man and live in Korean society, you can't live apart from military service, even after you are discharged. No one really talks about what happens much, so I decided to make it into a film". Although not a special story, it is told with a unique sort of irony and a subtle feel for absurd situations.

Yoon Jong-bin shot the film over a month during a summer vacation and another during winter vacation on a shoestring budget which included prize money from Korea's Mis-en-scene's Genres Film Festival, a Pre-production Support Fund from the Korean Film Council (KOFIC), and personal funds that he put together "just like any other film student".

He met lead actor Ha Jeong-woo - who plays the superior that tries to protect his friend in the army - after seeing him in a play. Seo Jang-won, who plays the problematic subordinate, was introduced to him through an acquaintance. Yoon himself plays the newcomer that is trained by SEO in the film. The three belatedly found out they were all from the same university, one known for its drama and film departments.

With so little time and money for production, Yoon took advantage of the time before and in between shoots to do a great deal of pre-production work. Because the actors had their own busy schedules and the film's locations weresometimes hard to access one of them was a real army base with strict rules - Yoon went to the sites during pre-production and shot scenes from the script with his crew on video. "I would take the videos back to the actors and talk with them about different ways to do things", says Yoon. Once they got on set, they would change things andcould get more creative, but they were also prepared in advance - something Yoon found helps the creative process and plans to continue doing in the future.

When The Unforgiven was shown at his department's graduation screenings, a professor, ...More

There was a sense of excitement and genuine curiosity that filled the famed theater in the downtown district of Seoul Jongro-gu, before the recent premiere of "The Unforgiven". The young cast of more than 10 took the stage to make their welcoming remarks prior to the press conference. The audience was taken aback by their innocent, and rather plain, appearances. They stood like deer caught in the headlights, quite contrary to the confidence generated by overwhelming praise for and popularity of their movie.

"I still cannot believe I am standing here today", exclaimed Jang Seon-hee (27), a member of the production crew, "it all began so unexpectedly and I never thought I would come this far". Another comment was made by Seo Jang-won (22), one of the actors of this underdog film, "I was cast because I said I ...More

By Lee Jin-woo
Staff Reporter

Director Yoon Jong-bin's first feature film "The Unforgiven" drew keen attention at the Pusan International Film Festival earlier this month with its precise depiction of Korean military hierarchy. Those who missed the film in Pusan will have a chance to see it when it opens in Seoul this Friday.

Yoon, 26, a recent college graduate, tells the story of two junior high school friends who meet later in life. One is a sergeant who quickly adjusts to military life and the other is a private who struggles to resist the army's malpractices.

In the film, the sergeant, Tae-jung, tries to help his rebellious friend, private Su...More