Yoon Seong-ho (윤성호)

'A Second Old Partner' can be made on the back of multi-platform

Source | 2009/10/15 | 0 comments | Permalink |

Success of low-budget independent films in 2009 such as 'Breathless', 'Daytime Drinking', and 'Old Partner' has brought a ray of hope that 'Independent films can reach a variety of audiences'. 'A Seminar on Korea's Independent Film-Publicness of Multiplatform Market' was a place for those in the indie film industry to think about how to transform such hope into a reality. The seminar took place as part of official programs at PIFF (Pusan International Film Festival) on Oct. 13 at Culture Hall, Centum City of Shinsegye.
Irreverent to the theme in some way, what was really discussed was how copyright of an independent film should be protected and how to pay it what it deserves and to distribute it.

Kim Dong-hyun, director of SIFF(Seoul Independent Film Festival) said in the seminar emceed by Kim Myong-jun, director of Media Center, " 'A Report on The Current Status on Independent Film in the Multi-platform in 2009' shows that channels for accessing independent films are becoming rap...| More

'Money' Comes Up Rather Short

Source | 2009/09/03 | 0 comments | Permalink |

By Lee Hyo-won
Staff Reporter

Ten rising South Korean filmmakers present seriocomic stories about money matters in the omnibus project "Short! Short! Short! 2009": Show Me the Money.

As much as the opening film for the 10th Jeonju International Film Festival is about money, the tight budget for the project ($5,000 per director) is most palpable. The screaming individuality and experimentalism of each episode compensate, but commercial prospects seem slight and the flick will most likely find a small niche in arthouse cinemas.

The omnibus reel opens with Choi Ik-hwan's one-cut flick "Our Last Words, Live". The "Life Is Cool" director offers a mock home video featuring two despairing young men, who, defrauded, bankrupt and about to get arrested for false charges, try to assert their innocence by recording their last words on tape before committing suicide. But life ― and death ― are often beyond one's control.

In "A Tip for Cigarettes" by Nam Da-jeon, a news rep...| More

Pusan's Asian Cinema Fund Selects 25

Source | 2009/08/10 | 0 comments | Permalink |

The Pusan International Film Festival's organizing committee has announced the selection of 25 projects for its Asian Cinema Fund (ACF) 2009. Under three categories, Script Development, Post-Production, and Asian Network of Documentary(AND), ACF will support 10 Korean and 15 Asian projects.

ACF also announced the launch of 2 new funds which take effect in 2010. The first is the Overseas Korean Project Fund which is designed to assist Korean filmmakers residing abroad. KO Young-jae, CEO of Studio Nurimbo, which produced the hit documentary "Our School", initiated the fund. A total of US $83,000 will be made available.

Also added from next year is the AND Distribution Support fund, created by LEE Chung-ryoul, the star director of "Old Partner". His endowment of $83,000 will be used to to provide distribution aid to 1 Korean film and also to support acquisition of local distribution rights for 2 Asian films.

Among the notable Korean directors selected this year for ACF s...| More

'If You Were Me 4', Omnibus Treat

Source | 2009/05/28 | 0 comments | Permalink |

By Lee Hyo-won
Staff Reporter

For its sixth omnibus feature film "If You Were Me 4", the National Human Rights Commission of Korea has brought together five directors to capture the magic and complexities of being a teenager. The closing film for the 2008 Jeonju International Film Festival (JIFF) makes a promising theatrical release June 4 despite tough competition with big Hollywood flicks.

Along with JIFF's popular digital franchise, the human rights project continues to positively contribute to the omnibus genre. In past years, directors such as Park Chan-wook participated ("If You Were Me", 2003), and this time Bang Eun-jin, Jeon Gye-soo, Lee Hyeon-seung, Yoon Seong-ho and Kim Tae-yong each offer a small gem of a piece.

Bang, who debuted with the bloody thriller "Princess Aurora", offers something bright in "Blue Birds on the Desk". The story itself is rather typical of 1990s TV dramas on growing pains, but cheerful melodies, school uniform-clad dance sequences and slight...| More

Jeonju Int'l Film Festival to celebrate 10th anniversary

Source | 2009/04/10 | 0 comments | Permalink |

Jeonju, a city about three hours southwest of Seoul, is known for its welcoming citizenry, its signature dish bibimbap (mixed rice and vegetables with gochujang, red pepper paste) and some of Korea's loveliest surviving pre-modern architecture and folk culture.

In Korea's beautiful springtime, the city with the heart of a small town gets more cosmopolitan as it hosts the Jeonju International Film Festival, commonly known as JIFF.

The festival has made its name by sticking to its principle of focusing on promising digital, independent and experimental films, whereas most international film festivals usually boast their number of world or national premieres.

The festival celebrates its 10th anniversary this year.

The 10th Jeonju International Film Festival will be held from Apr. 30 through May 8, featuring 200 films from 42 countries.

The festival will open with "Short! Short! Short! 2009", a digital omnibus film about Korean society being obsessed with money.

The film,...| More