Secret Sunshine (Movie - 2007)

PARK Chan-wook Retrospective at Asian Film Fest in Germany

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

The Asia Film Fest which in 2007 held a KIM Ki-duk retrospective is this time focusing on Korean master director PARK Chan-wook. The retrospective will play 4 of his films from "JSA - Joint Security Area" (2000), "Old Boy" (2003), "Sympathy for Lady Vengeance" (2005) through to "I'm a Cyborg, but that's OK" (2006). Director PARK's "Thirst" which premiered to rave reviews at Cannes and did good business at the box office in Korea will also play in the Korean section. Other films in the Korean section include current films "Chaw", "The Sword with No Name", "A Frozen Flower" (2008), KIM Ji-woon's "The Good, The Bad, The Weird" (2008) and Lee Chang-dong's "Secret Sunshine". Also of note, playing in the Special Presentation section is "Blood: The Last Vampire" staring Korean Gianna Jun (Jeon Ji-hyeon).

The Asia film festival which began in Munich in 2004 has enjoyed a 10% growth rate in audiences every year. It begins this year October 28 through to November 8 and then moves to Be...| More

Two Korean Classics to be Remade

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

Two Korean classic films from 2 prolific Korean directors whose films were part of and contributed to the famous Golden Age of Korean cinema are about to be remade. This period between the 1960's and 1970's helped lay the ground work for many of today's modern directors. The original "Housemaid" (1960), a melodramatic, sexual thriller became a signature film for director KIM Ki-young known for his eclectic mix of genre combining anything from the above through intense psychological horror to realism. The careful manipulation of genre is a style now exemplified by many modern day directors such as BONG Joon-ho. The film concentrates on a family who take in a housemaid because of the wife's exhaustion working at a factory. Soon after, the housemaid starts to exhibit bizarre tendencies, catching rats with her hands, spying on the family and then finally seducing the husband who she becomes pregnant to. So starts a wicked journey of murder, intrigue and the break up of the family.
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Jeon Do-yeon Cast in 'The Housemaid'

Source | 2009/11/02 | 0 comments | Permalink |

By Lee Hyo-won
Staff Reporter

Award-winning actress Jeon Do-yeon will play the lead role in the upcoming remake of Kim Ki-young's classic film "The Housemaid", Miro Vision announced Sunday.

The project marks the comeback of the 36-year-old, who gave birth to her first child after appearing in the low-budget melodrama "My Dear Enemy" last year. She recently received a cultural merit medal from the French government, Chevalier-Ordre des Arts et des Lettres. In 2007, she won the Best Actress award at the Cannes Film Festival for "Secret Sunshine".

Featuring the provocative themes of adultery, murder and misguided desire, the original 1960 movie is hailed as a masterpiece that greatly influenced Korean cinema. A digitally restored version was screened at Cannes last year under the auspices of Martin Scorsese.

"I was startled. That this intensely, even passionately claustrophobic film is known only to the most devoted film lovers in the West is one of the great accidents of fi...| More

Jeon Do-yeon Awarded Top French Honor

Source | 2009/10/09 | 0 comments | Permalink |

Cannes award-winning actress Jeon Do-yeon is being honored by the French government with the Chevalier des Arts et Lettres medal.

The award was established in 1957 by France's Minister of Culture to recognize noteworthy contributors to the arts and literature.

Past recipients include J. K. Rowling, author of the Harry Potter series, and actors George Clooney, Lee Byeong-heon, Sharon Stone and Leonardo DiCaprio.

Jeon has moved audiences with her passionate performances in numerous films, including "The Contact (1997)", "Happy End (1999)", "Untold Scandal (2003)" and "Secret Sunshine (2007)", and in TV soap operas such as "Lovers in Prague" (2005). With "Secret Sunshine", Jeon won the Best Actress Award at the 2007 Cannes Film Festival, gaining worldwide fame.

The medal is presented on Saturday during the 14th Pusan International Film Festival currently being held in Korea's southern port city of Busan....| More

Actress Jeon to Get French Knight Order

Source | 2009/10/08 | 0 comments | Permalink |

The French government will award Korea's highly-acclaimed actress Jeon Do-yeon, with the title of the Knight of the Order of the Legion of Honor, France's highest (Chevalier de l'Ordre de la Légion d'Honneur), her agency said Thursday.

Launched in 1802 by Napoleon, the Legion of Honor is granted regardless of the nationality of its recipient.

The title recognizes Jeon's contribution to the culture and art fields, especially her efforts to promote Korean cinema in France. She won the Best Actress Award for her leading role in Lee Chang-dong's "Secret Sunshine" at the 60th edition of the Cannes Film Festival in 2007.

The award ceremony will take place at the French Night event on the sideline of the Pusan International Film Festival (PIFF), which started on Thursday in the nation's largest southern port city.

Jeon spent five years starring in television dramas before achieving instant star status with her film debut opposite Han Seok-kyu in "The Contact". She has established ...| More