Dachimawa Lee (Movie - 2008)

Korean Premieres at NY Asian Film Fest

Source | 2009/06/26 | 0 comments | Permalink |

This year's New York Asian Film Festival (NYAFF) invites seven Korean features and 10 Korean shorts to its 8th edition, running June 19 – July 5 in Manhattan. Of the seven features, four are North American premieres: RYOO Seung-wan's "Dachimawa Lee", KIM Ki-duk's "Dream", JANG Hoon's "Rough Cut", and MIN Gyoo-dong's "Antique".

The remaining three features are New York premieres and include Rotterdam Tiger winner "Breathless" by YANG Ik-joon, "Go Go 70s" by CHOI Ho and "Crush and Blush" by LEE Kyoung-mi. From the latter film, award-winning actress KONG Hyo-Jin will be a guest at NYAFF. She and actor SO Ji-Sub ("Rough Cut") will be presented with the Inaugural Rising Star Asia Awards, which will take place on the 24 of June.

In the short film category, director Lee Su-Jin is invited for the screening of his short film "Enemy's Apple". The program highlights the best Korean short films from the previous year's edition of the Mise-en-Scene's Short Film Festival in Seoul. NYAFF ...| More

Yubari invites Dachimawa Lee and The Chaser

Source | 2009/02/10 | 0 comments | Permalink |

The 20th Yubari International Film Festival selected the Korean films "Dachimawa Lee", "The Chaser", and the short film "Mister Bending Meosin".

RYOO Seung-wan's "Dachimawa Lee" is classified as a PiFan special presentation, a selection under the auspices of the Korean Puchon International Fantastic Film Festival (PiFan). PiFan and Yubari started together in 1997 as twin film festivals and still enjoy ties together. RYOO's spy spoof will make its Japanese premiere in the Special program.

NA Hong-jin's "The Chaser" features in the Official program. "Mister Bending Meosin" is directed by CHOI Wee-an and produced by PARK Cheol-soo. The short film was made at the Aju University's CGI lab. Mister Bending Meosin will play at the Evening game section.

Yubari 2009 will open on 26 February and close on 2 March.

Yi Ch'ang-ho (KOFIC)...| More

Top Cineastes to Grace Art Film Fest

Source | 2009/01/20 | 0 comments | Permalink |

By Lee Hyo-won
Staff Reporter

That special time of the year has come around, when South Korea's top filmmakers and actors turn into film festival programmers. The 4th Cinematheque Friends Film Festival will take place Jan. 29-March 1 in Seoul, and director Park Chan-wook and some 20 other cineastes will meet with the audience to show and discuss 26 movies they have personally selected.

"I don't think there is a film festival like the Cinematheque Friends Film Festival anywhere else in the world", Park told reporters last week in Seoul. "Where else can you see all the representative cineastes ― directors, critics and stars ― gather in one place to introduce, watch and discuss old movies with fans?"

"Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans" (1927) by F.W. Murnau will open the festival. Actors Kwon Hae-hyo and Ye Ji-won will host the opening event at Cinematheque Seoul Art Cinema in Jongno.

The country's singular "cinema library" will transform into "The Cinematheque of Ha...| More

'Marine Boy' swims against the tide

Source | 2009/01/05 | 0 comments | Permalink |

"Marine Boy", helmed by Yoon Jong-seok, is bound to stand out in terms of genre in the lineup of Korean films hitting theaters early this year.

Instead of treading the proven path, it dives into the relatively unknown world of the sea. That's why the film is now categorized as a "marine" thriller.

For most Koreans, however, the title of the movie evokes either an old Japanese comic series or Park Tae-hwan, the Olympic gold medalist swimmer dubbed "Marine Boy". The movie, though featuring plenty of under-the-sea scenes, is neither a rehash of the animation nor a biopic of the hugely popular swimmer. It is basically about drug trafficking which takes place, mostly, at sea.

"We went through many trials and errors because there's not much filmmaking know-how due to the lack of movies related to the sea", director Yoon told reporters at a news conference held in Seoul yesterday. "The production crew and actors also suffered severe sea sickness while shooting key scenes, and I deepl...| More

JEON Ji-hyeon and SEOL Kyeong-gu portrayed greatest characters

Source | 2008/12/19 | 0 comments | Permalink |

Major Korean film magazine Movieweek polled to find out who Koreans regard as the ten greatest screen personas. JEON Ji-hyeon's role in "My Sassy Girl" claimed the top spot for greatest female character with 21% of the votes. 25% votes for SEOL Kyeong-gu's character in the "Public Enemy" trilogy secured SEOL the greatest male character title.

In close pursuit of SEOL is CHOI Min-sik's "Old Boy" character (20%). SONG Kang-ho's "Memories of Murder" character came in third (11%).

The top three for women is completed by second placed IM Soo-jeong (19%) for her role in "I'm a Cyborg, but That's Ok", and third seed LEE Young-ae. LEE's performance in "Sympathy for Lady Vengeance" earned her 13% of the votes.

Movieweek compiled another Korea's greatest characters list by itself. This unranked list consists of: SIN Ha-gyoon ("Save the Green Planet"), IM Won-hee ("Dachimawa Lee"), KIM Jeong-eun ("Marrying the Mafia"), KONG Hyo-jin ("Crush and Blush"), MOON So-ri ("A Good Lawyer's Wife...| More