Zhang Lu (장률 (張律))

Caught up in a world of suffering and despair

Source | 2009/04/23 | 0 comments | Permalink |

On Nov. 11, 1977, a massive explosion ripped through the railyard at Iri Station in North Jeolla, a major junction for trains heading up and down the west coast of the peninsula.

It was an accident. Dynamite being carried on a train from Incheon south to Gwangju somehow caught on fire. Fifty-seven people were killed.

Chinese director Zhang Lu's "Iri" is set during the 30th anniversary of the catastrophe, and in Jin-seo's (Yoon Jin-seo) 30th year.

She and her brother are live-in caretakers at an old folks' home. He drives a cab during the day; she works at a Chinese hagwon where she eavesdrops on classes and picks up words. The male teacher regularly rapes her, and she's gained a reputation as the "town wacko".

Her brother Tae-woong (Eom Tae-woong) occasionally attempts to protect Jin-seo, but ultimately she's on a path of perpetual despair.

And there is no shortage of desperate and lonely people waiting to take advantage of her: the Vietnam veterans' society, a local ill...| More

Wisconsin Film Fest Focuses on Korea

Source | 2009/04/16 | 0 comments | Permalink |

The 11th Wisconsin Film Festival, held annually at the University of Wisconsin in the U.S., presents a 'Focus on South Korea' for its 2009 edition running April 2 – 5. Five critically acclaimed Korean features will screen during the event along with one Canadian-Korean short film.

Indie favorite "Daytime Drinking" by NOH Young-seok will screen, continuing its tour of international festivals after gaining attention at Jeonju, Busan and Toronto. Cannes winner "Secret Sunshine" by LEE Chang-dong, which won actress JEON Do-yeon a host of awards, was also selected.

Rounding out the focus is Korean-American director KIM So-yong's second feature "Treeless Mountain", which won best film at Dubai Int'l Film Fest, and was the director's first shot entirely in Korea; HAN Jae-rim's sophomore effort, comic-drama "The Show Must Go On", starring SONG Kang-ho as a middling gangster; and Chinese-Korean director ZHANG Lu's second feature "Grain in Ear", which won the New Currents award at Pu...| More

Jeonju Int'l Film Fest Announces Line-up

Source | 2009/04/09 | 0 comments | Permalink |

One of Korea's top three annual cinema events, the Jeonju International Film Festival (JIFF), is celebrating its tenth edition this month. Running April 30 – May 9, JIFF will screen 200 films from 42 countries. Among them are 12 feature film World Premieres mainly from the Korean Feature Competition section.

JIFF will showcase films at 14 venues around Jeonju city in Jeollabuk Province, with its opening film "Short! Short! Short! 2009" featuring shorts by 10 of Korea's leading young filmmakers representing Chungmuro and the independent film scene. The JIFF 2009 Jeonju Digital Project this year presents three shorts by acclaimed directors HONG Sang-soo of Korea, KAWASI Naomi of Japan and Lav DIAZ of the Philippines.

JIFF's Korean Discovery section will showcase the features and shorts of indie-pioneer filmmaker HONG Ki-seon, known best for his acclaimed 2003 film, "The Road Taken". Korean Retrospective looks back at such early classics as the colonial-era "Sweet Dream" (193...| More

Jeonju Unveils Korean Competition Films

Source | 2009/04/09 | 0 comments | Permalink |

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 critically praised "My Friend and His Wife" (2006).

Other notables include LIM Soon-rye's latest, "Fly, Penguin", a human-rights themed drama starring MOON So-ri; KIM Eung-su's HD feature "The Origin of Water" about a mysterious painting and a man who goes in search of the scenery depicted in it.

Feature debut directors are many, including CHO Kyeong-duk with "Sex Volunteer", SIM Sang-kook with "Where is Ronny... ", KIM Aaron with ...| More

ZHANG Lu's "Chongqing" Released Nov. 6

Source | 2008/11/06 | 0 comments | Permalink |

Korean-Chinese director ZHANG Lu's third feature "Chongqing" opens in Seoul, Thursday, through art house and independent distributor Sponge Pictures. The film screened earlier this year at the Cinema Digital Seoul film festival.

Originally intended as one half of a feature film about two places, "Chongqing", China and "Iri", South Korea, director ZHANG found enough material in each half to edit two separate films. "Chongqing" is about a young woman, Xuie, who barely gets by as a language teacher and lives were her restless and unemployed father. The city of the film's title is China's most populated, home to 40 million people. Images of shock, black humor, stark sexuality, and poetic contemplation make this film a memorable experience.

Its companion feature, "Iri", is about a Korean man (who plays a minor role in "Chongqing") living in his hometown of "Iri", where a tragedy occurs which causes the town to change its name to Iksan. "Iri" will also be released by Sponge at ...| More