Death Bell (2008) - 고死: 피의 중간고사 (Go-sa: Pi-eui Joong-gan-go-sa)

KIM Beom and YOO Seung-ho cast in "71"

Source | 2008/11/04 | Permalink |

Rising young stars KIM Beom and YOO Seung-ho will act side-by-side in the upcoming film "71". Feature film debutant JO Seung-hee will be at the helm.

The film is based on a true incident which took place in Pohang on 10 August 1950 when 71 young soldiers in training were facing hundreds of elite North Korean soldiers in a twelve hour battle.

KIM Beom became the heartthrob of many teenage girls through the popular sitcom "High Kick!". Since then, he played in the films "Hellcats" and "Death Bell".

YOO endeared audiences with his role of a spoilt city brat who is forced to live with his mute grandmother in the countryside in the film "The Way Home". His latest film is 2006's "Hearty Paws" ("Heart is..".).

Auditions for the remaining roles are still in progress. Filming is scheduled for early 2009 and the film is expected to be released next year fall.

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

Daytime Drinking North American Rights Sold

Source | 2008/10/09 | Permalink |

In what can be seen as a breakthrough for independent Korean cinema, local sales outfit Fine Cut sold all North American rights to NOH Yeong-seok's "Daytime Drinking" during the Asian Film Market (Oct. 3 – 6) at the Pusan International Film Festival.

Japan's Eleven Arts signed the title and plans to release it in up to 30 cities across the US and Canada. Noh's film recently screened in Toronto, Locarno where it won special mention and the NETPAC award, and Jeonju where it won the JJ Star Korean Cinema Award.

The low-budget film, made for US$ 10,000, has already recouped its initial investment in festival prize money. The film has yet to receive a domestic release.

Also during PIFF's Market, Korea's Mirovision sold remake rights to KIM Tae-sik's 2007 feature "Driving With My Wife's Lover" to US production company Circle of Confusion. Mirovision was highly active during the fest, generating interest in its horror title "Death Bell" as well as announcing a project it plans t...| More

The parlous state of the movie industry

Source | 2008/10/09 | Permalink |

'Investment has been too hasty in the past and that has caused problems. But the problem now is a lack of creativity'.

BUSAN - Dark clouds overshadowed the opening of this year's Pusan International Film Festival. The suicide of one of Korea's most beloved actresses, a perceived crisis in the nation's once booming film industry and tensions in the global economy were a distraction that muted the festivities.

When news broke on Day 1 of the festival that the actress Choi Jin-sil had tragically killed herself and rumors circulated as to the cause and the circumstances, several reporters and celebrities canceled their trips at the last minute or returned to Seoul shortly after the festival opened. The sense of loss and despondency in the southern port city was palpable.

A visit to the Asian Film Market, which took place during the festival, seemed to sum up the mood. Last year, 460 film production companies came to Busan - "Busan" was formerly "Pusan" and the film festival reta...| More

Low Budget Films Gaining Popularity With Good Storylines

Source | 2008/09/24 | Permalink |

With a growing number of big production Korean movies struggling to make a hit at the box office the trend these days is to make quality films on low budgets.
For instance, take a look at this horror film "Death Bell" released this summer.
The movie was made at a considerably low cost but most importantly it managed to attract 1.5 million viewers twice more than the 700,000 it needed to break even.
Another low-budget film "Rough Cut" featuring two A-list actors debuted just last week and it has already been seen by over a million people.
And some highly anticipated films made on a tight budget are about to hit theaters.
Starring Jeon Do-yeon who won best actress at the 2007 Cannes Film Festival and another well-known actor Ha Jeong-woo "My Dear Enemy" was produced on just two billion won which is about 1.7 million US dollars.
Up next is "Truck" a thriller that cost 1.8 billion won.
And this movie "Miss Carrot" ("Crush and Blush") was made on a budget of a mere one billion won.
...| More

"Death Bell" ("Gosa") is unafraid of big-budget competitors

Source | 2008/08/22 | Permalink |

Local horror title "Death Bell" ("Gosa") looks set to axe fellow horror films from their top rankings to become the second most popular Korean horror film.

In a star studded summer of big-budget entertainment, the modest budgeted 'rookie' project "Death Bell" ("Gosa") accumulated over 1.2 million victims in cinemas during 18 days, according to its producer Go-eo Contents Media.

"Death Bell" ("Gosa") is the feature film debut of former music video director Chang and the acting debut of singer NAM Gyoo-ri. Young actor KIM Beom was previously seen in the film "Hellcats" and the popular TV sitcom "High Kick!". Their teachers are played by popular actor LEE Beom-soo and actress YOON Jeong-hee.

KIM Ji-woon's "A Tale of Two Sisters", the most successful horror film with 3.2 million viewers, is still not in sight for "Death Bell" ("Gosa"), but "Death Bell" ("Gosa") seems likely to overtake number Kong Soo-chang's "R-Point" (1.6 million) and YOON Jae-yeon's "Wishing Stairs" (1.8 millio...| More