| 'Kong' a breakthrough role for budding actress (Source) |
2009/07/22 |
Many famous movie stars can attribute their initial success to a single flim that served as a turning point in their careers. For budding Korean actress Jo An, who goes by one name, that movie might very well be "Bronze Medalist".
The film tells the touching story of a weight-lifting team at an all-girls middle school in the countryside and their inspiring coach, played by actor Lee Beom-soo.
Jo An transformed herself entirely to play the role of a weight-lifting country girl roughly 15 years younger than herself, gaining eight kilograms (17.6 pounds), building up her physical strength and nailing down a perfect Jeolla accent.
"When joining this film, my resolution was, 'Don't try to look pretty, just lose yourself in the role'," the 28-year-old actress said. "I want to be recognized for my acting abilities, not for my looks".
After joining the cast, Jo An had only two weeks to get in shape for the role. She had to undergo intense weight training for five hours a day.
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| Dreamless Drifters Take 'Nowhere' Far (Source) |
2008/08/14 |
By Lee Hyo-won
Staff Reporter
There's no breathtaking drama or enlightening moral message, nor does it feature something ingeniously surreal as one might expect in an independent movie. Nevertheless, "Nowhere to Turn" by Lee Seung-yeong is a small gem of a film that shows the art of simplicity and the hallmark of creativity only possible in low-budget projects.
This coming-of-age drama finally meets the larger public since premiering at the 2007 Pusan (Busan) International Film Festival (PIFF). The 29-year-old director writes "youth" all over it: mellow music by indie band 'Sogyumo Acacia Band' heightens the narrative and fresh faces portray unforgettably forgettable, antiheroic personas. While digitally shot, the movie's audiovisuals are surprisingly polished (fine touches by top cineastes like Jo Min-ho and Go Nak-seon) and veteran actors play hilarious cameo roles.
Soo-yeon (Cha Soo-yeon) is an unemployed 26-year-old college graduate unable to abandon her dreams to become... |More
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| [ChanMi's movie news] "Nowhere to Turn" about an aspiring youth (Source) |
2008/08/13 |
 She has a dream but needs money to make her dream come true. Just because she has no money, she can't give up and go into the fishing industry! She's willing to aspire, but she has no skill... in other words, she has a dream but no maturity!
"Nowhere to Turn" is about a girl in the 20's who wants to leave 'here' where everyone laughs at her drams for somewhere where she can be free to hope. ##
26-year-old Soo-yeon acted by Cha Soo-yeon has graduated college but has no job. She wants to go to England to study and become a musical actress but she is not supported by her family. She leaves home and lives in a penthouse with a friend, Dong-ho acted by Yoo Ha-joon.
Dong-ho has just finished his military service and returns to his colle... |More
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| Korean Films Premiering at PIFF (Source) |
2007/10/02 |
A slew of Korean features will have their World Premiere at the 12th Pusan International Film Festival, which opens October 4 for a 9 day run. A special highlight of the festival is "The Friends", a long-awaited second feature from director LEE Yeong-jae, whose debut was the endearing classic "The Harmonium in My Memory" (1999). The Friends is the story of three 6th graders who, curious about death, decide to visit a dying old man.
Films from new voices and recent film school graduates include KIM Sun-hee's "Drawing Paper", her HD feature debut - a coming-of-age story about the members of a girls high school band, and "Nowhere to Turn" by debut director LEE Seung-yeong, a similar-themed story of a young musically inclined girl discovering life.
The documentary "Lineage of the Voice" follows two boys from very different backgrounds as they develop their talent for the traditional singing practice called pansori. It is directed by Yeon-ah Paik, who was the editor on Daniel Gor... |More
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| Human Emotions at This Year's PIFF (Source) |
2007/09/28 |
A film festival is like a person: capable of making people laugh, it can also be neglected, rising and falling with the joys and sorrows of life. Nurtured with love from an early age, it prospers. So it is with the Pusan International Film Festival (PIFF), which marks its 12th birthday in the southern port city also spelled Busan this year. The 12th PIFF, now the leading Asian film festival, is held at Haeundae Beach and Nampo-dong in Busan from Oct. 4 to 12. The 275 films from 64 countries to be shown focus on several multiple aspects of our lives, from personal growth to alienation and family love.
Growth - "Nowhere to Turn" (Korea) directed by Lee Seung-yeong, 2007
The director's first feature film draws on his own experiences. In it, the heroine dreams of becoming a musician as she wanders around Hongik University. The vicissitudes of her life are depicted frankly in the movie. Lee also won acclaim for his previous film "I'm Not That Kind of Person".
Pain - "Ezra" (Niger... |More
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