Jealousy Is My Middle Name (Movie - 2002)

PARK's Paju to Open Rotterdam Film Festival

Source | 2009/11/19 | 0 comments | Permalink |

PARK Chan-ok's second feature "Paju" has been selected as the opening film at 39th International Film Festival Rotterdam (IFFR), set to run Jan. 27 – Feb. 7 next year in the Netherlands' port city. Rutger Wolfson, the festival's director, called "Paju" a "triumph of resilience and a powerful female voice from Asia, ambitious and intimate at the same time".

Director PARK is no stranger to Rotterdam. In 2003, her feature debut "Jealousy is My Middle Name", won the IFFR's Tiger Award for best film. In 2006, her project "Paju" was launched at IFFR's co-production maket, CineMart. PARK and the film's two leads will attend the upcoming IFFR to introduce the film to the opening night audience.

Starring LEE Seon-gyoon ("Sa-kwa"), SEO Woo ("Crush and Blush"), SIM I-yeong, and KIM Bo-kyeong, it is an atmospheric tale of a schoolgirl (SEO) in love with her sister's husband (LEE). When her sister dies mysteriously, she suspects him of murder and complex emotions arise between them.
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'Paju' to Open Rocarno Film Festival

Source | 2009/11/13 | 0 comments | Permalink |

"Paju", the second feature film by South Korean director Park Chan-ok, will open the upcoming International Film Festival in Rotterdam, the first Korean movie ever chosen to open the Dutch film fest, the event's Web site said Friday.

"Paju", which premiered at Korea's Pusan International Film Festival, has been praised as one of the most outstanding local creations of the year, drawing a realistic portrait of modern Korean society through the eyes of a young woman, according to Yonhap News Agency.

Director Park was the winner of the Tiger Award in the 2003 Rotterdam fest for her internationally-appraised debut "Jealousy Is My Middle Name".

Rutger Wolfson, director of the Dutch film event, called "Paju" a "triumph of resilience and a powerful female voice from Asia, ambitious and intimate at the same time".

The 39th Rotterdam festival will run Jan. 27-Feb. 7 next year in the Netherlands' port city.

The South Korean delegation that will introduce the film to Rotterdam's op...| More

Six filmmakers confront the struggle of the second time

Source | 2009/10/22 | 0 comments | Permalink |

'These budding directors shot their first films when Korean cinema was at its peak, so it's no wonder they now feel pressure'. -PIFF programmer

The "sophomore slump" refers to when a second effort fails to meet the standards or expectations of the first. It affects bands, performers and artists of all types - and movie directors are no exception.

Six emerging Korean directors discussed the pressure and the anxiety they felt while making their second films, as well as the challenges of dealing with the changing landscape of filmmaking in Korea at "Open Talk No. 2" during the Pusan International Film Festival, which closed its nine-day run last Friday.

The six directors - Park Chan-ok, Lee Song-hee-il, Lee Seong-han, Lee Hae-joon, Kim Tae-sik and Kim Dong-won-I - first gained recognition for their debut features at previous Pusan film festivals, and returned to this year's event with their second works.

"I feel like I keep growing through filmmaking, even though growing up is...| More

"Paju" To Be Released Oct 29

Source | 2009/10/22 | 0 comments | Permalink |

Korean distributor MK Pictures is to release PARK Chan-ok's second feature, "Paju", which recently had its World Premiere in competition at the Pusan International Film Festival where it won the NETPAC award. A release date on select screens across the nation is set for October 29.

Starring LEE Seon-gyoon ("Sa-kwa"), SEO Woo ("Crush and Blush"), Sim I-yeong, and Kim Bo-kyeong, it is an atmospheric tale of a schoolgirl (SEO) in love with her sister's husband (LEE). When her sister dies mysteriously, she suspects him of murder and complex emotions arise between them.

The film played to positive and highly impressed reviews during the festival with SEO's performance a highlight. The Hollywood Reporter wrote that "Seo delivers one of the most believable depictions of conflicted female emotion as has ever been put on film in Korea".

Screen International said of director PARK, "This should help to cement Park's reputation as one of Korea's most talented art-house directors" ...| More

An illicit love affair mixed with mystery

Source | 2009/10/15 | 0 comments | Permalink |

By Park Sun-young

"There was never a moment when I didn't love you".

This would be such a romantic line in most movies, but it takes on a different meaning when uttered by the leading man in director Park Chan-ok's new film, "Paju".

The movie, which was screened in the New Currents section of the Pusan International Film Festival that ends today, attracted the attention of moviegoers even before its world premiere at the event in Busan.

The buzz centers around the film's sensitive theme: a forbidden love between a girl and her sister's husband. It is Park's second feature, coming on the heels of the award-winning film "Jealousy is My Middle Name" in 2002.

Before seeing this movie, I imagined - as many others have - that the film would be filled with scenes of love and betrayal. But I was wrong. There is much more to this movie than an illicit love affair.

The story follows Eun-mo (Seo Woo), who returns to her hometown Paju after three years abroad. She quickly learns ...| More