| HAF selects two Korean projects (Source) |
2010/03/12 |
The eighth edition of the Hong Kong Asia Film Financing Forum (HAF) 2010 has selected two Korean projects among 25 Asian projects for its upcoming edition, March 22 – 24. Award-winning auteur LEE Yoon-ki and commercially successful director JEON Yeon-soo will present their latest projects to potential investors.
LEE's project is titled "Dear Comrade", a Korea-Japan-Vietnam co-production. It tells the story of a decades-long love between a Vietnamese man and a North Korean woman who first meet when he is sent to Pyeongyang as a student in 1971. Produced by Japan's Espirit Inc. the film is written by LEE and has a budget of US$ 3 million.
JEON's project, produced by Sidus FNH, is titled "Exit to Exist". Based on a best-selling Korean novel titled Shoot Me in the Heart, it is the tale of two young men who meet in a mental hospital – one is locked up because he is crazy, the other going crazy because he is locked up. Produced by Jupiter Film and Sidus FNH, the film has a b... |More
|
|
| [Comics] Comics Evolve Into Source for Pop Culture Contents (Source) |
2010/03/11 |
Satisfies pop culture's appetite for fantasy
Show off true value in various fields such as films, musicals, dramas, online games, etc.Korean comics have come under the spotlight as a source material for pop culture including films, musicals, dramas and games.
After the success of the 2003 drama Damo , which was based on Bang Hak-gi's comic strip, comic books such as "Full House" (Won Soo-yeon), "Princess Hours" (Park So-hee), "The War of Flower" (Heo Yeong-man) and "Le Grand Chef" (Heo Yeong-man) have been reborn as various formats. This is known as OSMU (One Source Multi Use).
In particular, comics are noted for their ability to satisfy pop culture's recent appetite for fantasy, as reflected in the popularity of Avatar.
Comic-based films pour out
The film version of Hyung Min-woo's "Priest", produced by Sony Entertainment, will be released in Hollywood this October. It fuses the Western genre with a battle between God and the devil. It is the first Korean comic whose fi... |More
|
|
| Le Grand Chef – Kimchi War to Have Simultaneous US Release (Source) |
2010/02/18 |
"Le Grand Chef – Kimchi War" (2010), the prequel to Korean culinary hit "Le Grand Chef" (2007) will be released both locally and in the US this month. The film's producer IROOM Pictures announced a deal where the film will open across 20 major US cities including New York, Atlanta, Chicago and Los Angeles on February 12.
The film is to screen at AMC theaters, one of the largest multiplex chains in North America. It will be the first time a Korean film is to be released simultaneously in both territories. The film's overseas distributor JS Media & Entertainment, a company that specializes in the US release of Korean films, is currently negotiating the number of screens it will play on.
Based on a popular comic series by Korean artist HEO Yeong-man, the film is directed by Baek Dong-hoon. It stars actors JIN Goo and KIM Jeong-eun as two rival chefs in a kimchi competition that aims to globalize the famous Korean dish.
Nigel D'Sa (KOFIC)... |More
|
|
| [PREVIEW] Movie "Le Grand Chef - Kimchi War" (Source) |
2010/01/29 |
Actors Jin Goo (left) and Kim Jeong-eun in "Le Grand Chef - Kimchi War" [IROOM Pictures]
"Le Grand Chef - Kimchi War" - An appetizer for people with no appetite
At an official banquet in Japan, the Japanese prime minister brings out kimchi and bulgoggi for the Korean president who has not had Korean food in a long time. As soon as the Korean president compliments that the food was unlike anything he had tasted in Korea, the Japanese prime minister catches him off guard, saying "This is Japanese kimuchi and yakiniku. I am glad you liked it". The on-screen president -- like his real-life counterpart -- is a man of tremendous drive and launches a kimchi competition to... |More
|
| |
| `Le Grand Chef - Kimchi War' Is Ripe With Drama
(Source) |
2010/01/28 |
By Lee Hyo-won
Staff Reporter
Korea is home to sharp tongued power-bloggers that infiltrate the farthest "matjip" (reputed restaurants) with DSLR cameras in hand. It's no surprise that "Sikgaek", one of the best-selling comics here, is devoted to the culinary arts, and fans were psyched to see adaptations on both the big and small screens, including the 2007 box office hit "Le Grand Chef".
The sequel "Le Grand Chef - Le Grand Chef - Kimchi War" is finally in theaters, and as is apparent in the title it is devoted to the quintessential Korean dish.
For many non-Koreans, however, kimchi is an acquired taste, and the movie could well have remained limited to a regional appeal. But first-time director Baek Dong-hoon challenges the most pernickety of taste buds by offering a balanced diet of mouthwatering kimchi dishes and drama with universal themes.
If the first film offered a raw look into the cooking process, including the rather unappetizing aspects of it, "Le Grand Chef ... |More
|
|
|
