Will Yun Lee (윌 윤 리)

A Korean Wave Rises in Hollywood

Source | 2008/04/08 | 0 comments | Permalink |

More and more young Korean-American actors and actresses are making their presence felt in Hollywood, the global Mecca of the movie world. One of them is Aaron Yoo. After graduating from the University of Pennsylvania, Yoo entered the entertainment industry and made his name with a supporting role in Paramount Pictures' "Disturbia" last year. Now he's enjoying growing popularity with his latest work in Columbia Pictures' "21", which opened in the U.S. last month.

In a recent interview with the Chosun Ilbo, Yoo acknowledged that good fortune has played a major part in his success so far, but he also believes his confidence in his acting ability has been another contributing factor. An admirer of Marlon Brando, James Dean and Cary Grant, the young actor expressed a hope to appear in a Korean movie if he gets a chance.

Yoo is only one of several ethnic Koreans who have made their names in Hollywood of late. Leonard Nam, who was born in Argentina and studied acting in New York, recen...| More

Cosmic crisis hits intergalactic star

Source | 2007/11/21 | 0 comments | Permalink |

It's not often that you find yourself identifying with creatures from another planet.
But that's what happened to actress Grace Park in the American television series "Battlestar Galactica".
Park, 33, plays pilot Sharon Valerii who discovers that she is actually a Cylon from the furthest reaches of space.
Cylons were created by humans, and, understandably, Valerii is faced with an identity crisis when she discovers the truth.
In her own life, Park has faced her own identity issues, though none as dramatic as discovering she comes from another planet.
But the show's storyline ― the space battle between the Cylons and Earth ― has taught Park a lot about identity, love and politics, the actress said.
Park was born in Los Angeles, raised in Vancouver and is ethnically Korean. But she considers herself more Canadian than Korean, even though her parents brought her up with a strong sense of her Korean identity.
And when she visits Korea, Park said she doesn't feel li...| More

Can the Korean Wave Crash Hollywood?

Source | 2007/01/04 | 0 comments | Permalink |

The Korean pop-culture wave has swept Asia. Now what? The challenges to Korean stars continue, and their next target is the heart of the international movie market, Hollywood. Park Joong-hoon, Lee Byeong-heon and Jeong Joon-ho already have their engines revving. With their dreams seeming to come into focus, the group of top stars may even be seen in Hollywood this year.

Park Joong-hoon, the first to break into Hollywood with the film "The Truth About Charlie" (2002), is now involved in his second project, working title "Bibimbap". "Bibimbap" is a romantic comedy that tells the story of a Caucasian restaurant critic who falls in love with an Asian chef. If everything works out, it will be the actor's first starring role in a Hollywood film.

The U.S. magazine Variety recently said of the actor, "Of all Korea's top-ranked male stars, Lee Byeong-heon may be best placed to break through internationally". As a K-Wave star with a huge following in Japan, Lee is also already linguistical...| More

Film market fosters Asian industry networks

Source | 2006/10/23 | 0 comments | Permalink |

Recently at the Cannes Film Festival, "Once in a Summer" ― a new film by Jo Geun-shik starring Lee Byung-heon ― sold to Japan for $400,000. That, however, was a rare case of success.
In order to foster more such cases, the Asian Film Market is an ambitious program launched by the Pusan International Film Festival this year to promote Asian filmmaking and open new markets for Asian actors.
The main part of the program introduced Asian actors, both established stars and newcomers, including Korea's Hwang Jeong-min, China's Guo Xiaodong and Yuu Aoi of Japan. Major management companies set up booths and held meetings with casting experts from other countries, to tout their contracted actors.
The central purpose of the event was for networking among film industry members in the Asian region as more and more local management companies seek to provide their actors with language expertise and set up branches overseas. In the long run, the Korean film market is geared toward one ...| More

Asian Film Market Ends With Fruitful Outcomes

Source | 2006/10/18 | 0 comments | Permalink |

By Kim Tae-jong
Staff Reporter

PUSAN _ The inaugural Asian Film Market (AFM), the most ambitious project by the Pusan International Film Festival (PIFF), ended yesterday, and its organizers said it was a success.

"In general, it was quite successful", said Park Kwang-su, co-director of the market along with PIFF director Kim Dong-ho. "There were some trivial problems and mistakes as it was an inaugural event. But as far as we are concerned, a lot of contracts have been made".

Taking place at Grand Hotel in Haeundae on Oct. 15-18, the AFM aimed to serve a pivotal role in making a total market, covering financing, production, post-production and sales.

Some 2,000 people from the film industry from Korea and abroad flocked to the venue for four days. Some 900 buyers and 151 companies set up sales offices. During the marketing portion of the event, more than 90 movies were screened at Primus Theater.

To win a competitive edge over other markets, such as Venice, Toronto and ...| More