Yoon Jong-bin (윤종빈)

Korean Indie Film Wins at French Film Fest

Source | 2009/03/17 | 0 comments | Permalink |

By Lee Hyo-won
Staff Reporter

"Breathless" by director Yang Ik-joon won both the grand prize (Le Lotus du meilleur film) and the international critic's award at the 10th Deauville Asian Film Festival in France, which came to a close, Sunday. This is another feat in the international film circuit by the South Korean indie film, which recently won the top award at the 38th International Film Festival Rotterdam.

This is the second consecutive year the two coveted prizes went to a Korean movie at the esteemed event, following Jeon Soo-il's "With a Girl of Black Soil".

Numerous other local works appeared at the festival. Baek Seung-bin's "Members of the Funeral" competed in the competition section alongside "Breathless"; Na Hong-jin's hit film "The Chaser" and Kim Yoon-jin's big budget epic "The Divine Weapon" were shown in Action Asia; and Yoo Ha's controversial "A Frozen Flower" and Yoon Jong-bin's noir drama "The Moonlight of Seoul" were screened in the Panorama section.

The...| More

HA Jeong-woo in Korea-Japan co-production

Source | 2008/06/05 | 0 comments | Permalink |

HA Jeong-woo will star together with the Japanese actor Satoshi Tsumabuki in a film tentatively titled "Boat". KIM Young-nam is at the helm of the project and Aya Watanabe writes the scenario.

HA and Tsumabuki will portray smugglers who work together while they are based at each side of the East Sea. Complications arise when they receive the order to kidnap a Korean woman together.

HA commanded attention with his role in YOON Jong-bin's "The Unforgiven" (Yongseo Batji Mothan Ja). He extended his name internationally with Gina KIM's "Never Forever" (Doobeonjjae Sarang). With his latest film "The Chaser" (Choogyeokja) he also scored a major box office hit.

KIM directed the film "Don't Look Back" (Nae Cheongchunaegae Goham) which was invited by the Locarno International Film Festival for its 2006 international competition section where it received the FIPRESCI and NETPAC awards. His debut film Outcry of Youth was selected for KOFIC's 2005 Production Support Program for Internati...| More

Five Korean films join Cannes fest

Source | 2008/05/15 | 0 comments | Permalink |

The 61st Cannes Film Festival has kicked off with fanfare, spicing up the festive mood for moviegoers all around the world. The ebullient mood remains largely the same here in Korea, but one thing is palpably different: There's no chance for a Korean movie or actor grabbing an award in the competition section this year.

Last year was special for the Korean film industry. Jeon Do-yeon won the prestigious best actress award for her impassioned role in the heart-wrenching flick "Secret Sunshine". This year, however, such dramatic development is unlikely to occur because no Korean film has been invited to the competition section.

But it is too early to shift attention from Korean filmmakers toward Hollywood stars. After all, five Korean movies are to be screened in various sections at Cannes, and all of them have a potential to charm foreign filmmakers, critics and media in various ways.

At the forefront stands director Kim Ji-woon's big-budget flick "The Good, the Bad, the Weird"...| More

Actor Goes From Killer to Professional Casanova

Source | 2008/04/29 | 0 comments | Permalink |

Actor Ha Jeong-woo has gone from cold-blooded murderer to a professional Casanova whom women pay to be with.

In his new movie, "The Moonlight of Seoul" ("Beastie Boys" in Korean), the actor plays a man who serves drinks and dances with women at a host bar.

The role is a substantial departure from the brutal killer he played in the hit thriller "The Chaser", which attracted five million viewers nationwide.

In "Moonlight", Ha plays Jae-hyeon, who lives for the day, talks big and tries to con people. While using his roommate/girlfriend to get 50 million won, he brings other women to their home. Instead of being driven away by his brazenness, plenty of women seem eager to vie for his affection.

To perfect his role, Ha said he read interviews of 200 men who worked at host bars and met some of them. He told the Dong-A Ilbo, "Some of these guys are real professionals. They know how to get their clients to open their wallets. They even have detailed manuals to win their hearts".

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'Moonlight' Shines on Seoul's Nightlife

Source | 2008/04/24 | 0 comments | Permalink |

By Lee Hyo-won
Staff Reporter

Young, stylish director Yoon Jong-bin is releasing "The Moonlight of Seoul" (aka. "Beastie Boys"), his second feature film starring Ha Jeong-woo. The gleaming cast also includes singer-turned-actor Yoon Kye-sang and up and upcoming actress Yoon Jin-seo.

Director Yoon and Ha reunite for another guy movie dealing with a provoking subject matter after their critically acclaimed homosexual soldier story "The Unforgiven" (2006), which made both of them landmarks on the cinematic map.

Away from army barracks, "Moonlight" takes us to the posh strip of Cheongdam-dong in the heart of downtown Seoul. When night falls, the glitzy Louis Vuitton road shop and high-end art galleries go into deep slumber and another world awakens.

But "Moonlight" goes beyond your idea of a thrilling nightlife. It's about excessive partying in all its capitalistic glory: rich but lonely ladies (mostly 30-something businesswomen) flock to an upscale "room salon" (bar with pri...| More