A Frozen Flower (Movie - 2008)

Korea culture to be on the screen at 4th London Korean Film Festival

Source | 2009/11/06 | 0 comments | Permalink |

The fourth London Korean Film Festival 2009 runs from Nov. 1 to 18 and already some of the big name directors in Korea have flown to the United Kingdom to promote Korean movies. Prior celebrations and functions aside, the actual first screening was on Thursday (Nov. 5).

This year's film festival, with 25 feature films and four animations from Korea, is organized by the Korean Cultural Center in the United Kingdom and the Korea Creative Content Agency, with the support of the Korean government.

The films will be screened at the BFI (British Film Institute) from Nov. 1 to 14; the London Barbican Centre from Nov. 5 to 12; Manchester Cornerhouse from Nov. 7 to 9; and Nottingham Broadway Cinema from Nov. 16 to 18.

Some award-winning directors from Korea, namely director Park Chan-wook and Bong Joon-ho will visit London with their respective works, "Thirst" (2009) and "Mother - 2009" (2009). The Thirst, which won a Jury Prize at the 62nd Cannes International Film Festival this year,...| More

46th Annual Daejong Film Awards Nominees

Source | 2009/10/23 | 0 comments | Permalink |

46th Annual Daejong Film Awards Nominees

- Best Movie: "Take Off", "Mother - 2009", "The Divine Weapon", "Sky and Sea", "Haeundae"

- Best Director : Kim Yong-hwa ("Take Off"), Yoon Je-kyoon ("Haeundae"), Jeon Yoon-soo ("Portrait of a Beauty"), Jeong Gi-hoon ("Ae-ja"), Bong Joon-ho ("Mother - 2009")

- Best Actor : Kim Myeong-min ("Closer to Heaven"), Kim Yoon-seok (Running Turtle), Seol Kyeong-gu ("Haeundae"), Jeong Jae-yeong ("The Divine Weapon"), Ha Jeong-woo ("Take Off")

- Best Actress : Kim Min-seon ("Portrait of a Beauty"), Kim Hye-ja ("Mother - 2009"), Soo-ae ("Sunny"), Jang Nara ("Sky and Sea"), Choi Kang-hee ("Ae-ja")

- Best Supporting Actor : Kim In-kwon ("Haeundae"), Jin Goo ("Mother - 2009"), Jeong Kyeong-ho ("Sunny"), Jang Geun-seok ("The Case of Itaewon Homicide"), Kim Nam-gil ("Modern Boy")

- Best Supporting Actress : Kim Bo-yeon ("Living Death"), Kim Hae-sook ("Thirst"), Kim Yeong-ae ("Ae-ja"), Choo Ja-hyeon ("Portrait of a Beauty"), Nam Neung-mi ("Clos...| More

Korean Sales Deals at Pusan

Source | 2009/10/16 | 0 comments | Permalink |

The Asian Film Market, an all-round business hub for the Asian film industry, wrapped up October 14 after a four-day run during Korea's Pusan International Film Festival (Oct. 8 – 16). Korean sales companies reported a number of deals during the market, though sales were fewer than in previous years.

M-Line Distribution sold its titles "A Frozen Flower" and "Le Grand Chef 2: Kimchi Battle" to Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore. Mirovision sold last year's horror hit "Deathbell" to Thailand, Japan, and France, and "Loner" to Thailand. Indiestory sold Korea's surprise documentary smash hit "Old Partner" to Taiwan.

Meanwhile CJ Entertainment is in the process of concluding sales deals of festival opener "Good Morning President", comedy-caper "Killer Bride's Perfect Crime", and BONG Joon-ho's "Mother - 2009" to Taiwan, Japan, Singapore, Hong Kong, and France. Also, P.A.M. Korea Media is concluding deals for "Bloody Shake" to Taiwan, India, France, Australia, and England.

N...| More

Korea's Prolific Production of Gay Themed Cinema Continues

Source | 2009/10/09 | 0 comments | Permalink |

A soon to be released feature is about to join the ranks of Korea's burgeoning cannon of queer cinema. "Hello My Love", KIM Aaron's debut feature, comes at an end of a decade that has seen a relative explosion of new queer cinema. In this short space of time highlighted by such films as "Bungee Jumping of Their Own" (2001), "The King and the Clown" (the number one box office hit of 2005) and even "No Regret" (2006) the first gay film directed by and out gay director, Korean audiences have embraced this relatively taboo topics at least on a cinematic level.

"Hello My Love", like a lot of other Korean gay themed films presents the thorny issue of homosexuality through the well worn romantic comedy genre with a generous amount of melodrama and acceptable, comic stereotypical characters. This typical trendy take on the familiar threesome happens when popular radio host Ho-jeong welcomes back her childhood sweet heart, Won-jae from a two year trip in France. In tow however, is Won-jae...| More

'Hello My Love' Sugarcoats Sensitive Subject

Source | 2009/10/01 | 0 comments | Permalink |

By Lee Hyo-won
Staff Reporter

In "Hello My Love", girl falls in love with boy, but boy falls in love with boy, breaking girl's heart. The movie adds an exotic twist with things Parisian as well as a touch of something trendy with wine lessons to sugarcoat the sensitive subject matter of homosexuality in South Korea.

One may think of the sexually explicit epic "A Frozen Flower", but this feature film debut by Kim Aaron is more akin to Hong Ji-young's trendspotting romance "The Naked Kitchen". It is essentially a romantic comedy with a rather unconventional love triangle strewn into strictly mainstream themes of heartbreak, loss and growing pains.

Everything seems rosy for popular radio personality Ho-jeong (Jo An). She is about to be promoted, evoking the wrath of her unsmiling senior colleague, and is about to welcome back her perfect boyfriend Won-jae (Min Seok) from his two-year sojourn in Paris.

The two childhood friends-turned-lovers have been dating for 10 years, and...| More