Bye June (Movie - 1998)

Actor Yoo to Receive Seoul Women's Prize

Source | 2009/07/05 | 0 comments | Permalink |

By Han Sang-hee
Staff Reporter

Actor Yoo Ji-tae, 34, will receive the Seoul Women's Prize along with five others today at City Hall, according to the Seoul Metropolitan Government Sunday.

The grand prize will be given to Song Yong-sun, 88, the director of the Korea Women's Association, for her dedication in bringing women to actively participate in social issues and fighting for women's rights over the last 40 years.

Yoo, who is the first male winner, will receive the honor for participating as a member of the "100 Supporters", a support group that helps women suffering from domestic violence.

"I realized that emotional pain could be much greater and more serious than physical pain. The fact that violence can be transmitted from generation to generation breaks my heart", he said about his support of the group.

Attorney Lee Myung-suk will also receive an award for her efforts in revising laws and working on various cases regarding women's issues.

Other winners are Ki...| More

2nd Chungmuro Int'l Film Fest Kicks Off Sept. 3rd

Source | 2008/08/30 | 0 comments | Permalink |

The second edition of the Chungmuro International Film Festival in Seoul (CHIFFS) will bring a mixture of old and new to screens September 3rd, opening fittingly with director HIGUCHI Shinji's 2008 remake of a classic 1958 KUROSAWA Akira film, The Hidden Fortress. The curtain raiser and closing film will screen at the National Theater of Korea with the rest of the fest's 175 films screening at various venues across Chungmuro district, the traditional center of the Korean film industry.

This year adds a competition section to CHIFFS, bringing 13 contemporary features from around the world to compete for US$ 40,000 in prizes. Korean feature, Happiness by director HEO Jin-ho will participate in this section alongside Johnny TO's Mad Detective (Hong Kong) , Qunshu GAO's Old Fish (China), and ten others. Guests on the international jury include director of The Deer Hunter, Michael Cimino, and Korean director LIM Sang-soo.

Also of note is a special section celebrating the 40thannive...| More

Timeless tales of love and loss in classic Korean cinema

Source | 2008/08/20 | 0 comments | Permalink |

Classics never die they just run and run, and during the second Chungmuro International Film Festival, several oldies from Korea's early cinematic history will be getting a thorough airing.

The films will be screened under the title "Memories of Korean Cinema", and the festival takes place from Sept. 3 to 11.

Included will be Shin Sang-ok's "A College Woman's Confession" (1958) and Jeong So-young's "Love Me Once Again" (1968).

"We have a similar emotional connection with films from the past as we do with contemporary movies", said actor Lee Deok-hwa, the managing director of the film festival. "Screening Korean classics allows audiences to understand the history of past Korean films".

Films in early 1950s Korea were difficult to produce due to the aftermath of the Korean War (1950-1953). But the industry quickly recovered, with successful releases of Lee Gyu-hwan's "The Story of Chun-hyang" (1955) and Han Hyung-mo's "Madame Freedom" (1956).

The late 1950s was the so-ca...| More

Kim Ha-neul, Son Ye-jin, Soo-ae, Transformations of three 'pure ladies'

Source | 2008/06/26 | 0 comments | Permalink |

Kim Ha-neul, Son Ye-jin, and Soo-ae, who received love for their elegant and innocent images, are attempting at transformations on television and the screen.

Kim Ha-neul, who mainly kept a pure image with movies "Bye June" and "Ditto", has been trying to change her image with wild and comical characters. Last May, she gained popularity by acting as an arrogant top star in SBS "On Air"....| More

'Tie' Bloody Well Worth Watching

Source | 2006/04/27 | 0 comments | Permalink |

By Kim Tae-jong
Staff Reporter

Many conventional crime thrillers feature a conflict between good and bad guys. And this dichotomized distinction often ends up with a fairly predictable conclusion _ the good side finally beats off the bad in the name of justice.

But director Choi Ho put some twists in the formula to look at the darker and more cruel aspects of human nature through crime and the relationship between people involved in his new crime thriller "Bloody Tie (Sasaeng Kyoldan)".

The film depicts a confrontation between evil characters, each with different pursuits in life that are easily justified as a means to their survival.

As the story evolves, the question the film ultimately poses is not who is right but rather who is the worst. Charismatic actors Hwang Jeong-min and Ryoo Seung-beom, who play a ruthless detective and a drug trader, make the question even trickier.

The film begins with news reports and footage on drug trafficking in the southern port city o...| More