| Is Media Center Taking Conservative Tone? (Source) |
2010/02/03 |
Members of Mediact International Solidarity protest Tuesday in front of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism for depriving Mediact of its contract to run Media Center, a state-subsidized media education facility, and hiring a conservative organization as new operator.
/ Korea Times Photo by Kwon Mee-yoo
By Kwon Mee-yoo
Staff Reporter
The Media Center, opened in 2002 and located on the fifth floor of the Ilmin Museum in Gwanghwamun, is a public cultural organization offering media education programs.
"We helped citizens to communicate socially though video clips, educated them about the media and rented out resources", said a representative of Mediact, the center's former operator.
The Korean Film Council (KOFIC) funds the center's operation and selects the operator. When it opened, the Association of Korean Independent Film and Video (AKIFV) established Mediact and was given operational control of the Media Center after signing a contract with the council.
Howev... |More
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| CJ Promotes Diversity with Multicultural Fest (Source) |
2009/11/30 |
Running Nov. 26 through to Dec 18 under the catchphrase "Beautiful Co-existence", CJ-CGV holds the first Multicultural Film Festival, an event organized to acknowledge the more than 1 million foreigners living in Korea and to promote a better understanding of different cultures.
Opening Thursday, the festival will screen its 14-film program successively at CGV multiplexes in Daehangno in Seoul, Ansan in Gyeonggi Province, Guro in Seoul, and in Incheon. 14 films from countries including Vietnam, Turkey, Russia, India, Thailand, and Mongolia.
The opening night film will be Rain Dogs, a 2006 film from Malaysian director HO Yuhang. The goodwill ambassador of the festival is Mahbub Alam Pollob, an actor from Bangladesh who starred in director SIN Dong-il's third feature "Bandhobi", and MOON Seung-wook's feature mockumentary "Fly, Incheon".
Tickets are W6,000 with all foreigners receiving an additional discount of W2,000 at the door. A complete list of films and a screening... |More
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| KOFIC Korean Film Showcase at FILMEX (Source) |
2009/11/19 |
KOFIC Korean films showcase in Tokyo, will be held this year from November the 21st to the 30th as an official section of FILMEX. The annual event, designed to promote a diversity of Korean films to Japanese audiences will show everything from more commercial fare such as the current box office number one "Good Morning President" to art house films including the international film festival hit "Daytime Drinking" (2007). Other films include LEE Hae-joon's "Castaway on the Moon", LEE Yoon-ki's "My Dear Enemy" (2008) and the multi-ethnic independent "Bandhobi "directed by SIN Dong-il about a Bangladeshi migrant worker's relationship with a Korean girl. All in all, a total of 10 films will be screened over the FILMEX period.
Alongside other events will also be a seminar focusing on a strategy for expanding the domestic film market of both countries. Speaking at the seminar will be the Senior Vice President of CJ Entertainment, CHOI Joon-hwan whose company has vast international dis... |More
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| Hindi Film Black Diversifies the Korean Box Office (Source) |
2009/09/18 |
Hindi Film Black has taken the number 5 spot at the Korean Box Office. The film directed by Sanjay Leela Bhansali, not exactly commercial Bollywood fare itself with only one performed song, has managed to penetrate a market usually dominated by either Korean films or Hollywood commercial heavyweights. However, Korean audiences are becoming more diversified in their tastes recently. This year alone, sleeper, independent documentary "Old Partner", about a farmer and his cow trudged into the box office and quickly pulled in nearly 3 million viewers. Also this year, "Bandhobi" directed by SIN Dong-il became the first film starring a Bangladeshi actor. The film focuses on the plight Southeast Asian workers and in particular a Bangladeshi migrant and his relationship with a teenager Korean girl. "Bandhobi" was released on a small scale yet to a number of commercial screens.
Black is an Indian take on the story of deaf and blind Helen Keller who became an author and activist. The fi... |More
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| No-Frills Movies Explore Friendship and Paternal Love (Source) |
2009/07/23 |
Yet another trend has been identified in Korean cinema.
It's the rise of analog films that follow in the footsteps of "Old Partner".
Honest, everyday characters depict the drama of everyday life, moving the hearts of viewers without the need for massive budgets.
Eighteen-year-old Min-seo is experiencing the last throes of her growing pains while her mother is preparing to get married again.
She goes through a number of odd jobs trying to earn money for a private tutor.
Min-seo happens to pick up a wallet on the bus.
Her finders-keepers moment is soon shattered when the owner turns up: Karim, an immigrant worker from Bangladesh.
[Interview : Sin Dong-il Director of "Bandhobi" ] "I like films that tear down the prejudices or preconceptions we have about others. That's why I made this film".
For Min-seo and Karim, it soon seems like they're the only two friends in the world.
The friendship between this brave girl and honest young man is solemn at moments and lively at others.... |More
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