Shadowless Sword (2005) - 무영검 - 無影劍 (Moo-yeong-geom)

[Interview] Lee Seo-jin 'A great fate with Kim Jeong-eun's family'

2008/06/26 | Source | Permalink |

First date after "Lovers" ending party
-It would have been good if your father who passed away saw "Yi San"
"Yes, he was sick for a while and when he turned 66, before the premiere of "Shadowless Sword", he passed away. He didn't approve of his last son becoming an actor, so it's more regretful. My grandfather passed away before "That Female in Your House" too. If he knew his grandson played King Jeong-jo, he would have been happy".

-If your father was reborn, what would you want to do with him?
"I have to do what he wanted. Play golf the whole day, and get drinks at night. I miss him a lot".

-You got closer to Lee Seung-chul with "Phoenix" right? Do you meet him often?
"Of course. I went to a concert with Jeong-eun too. His personality was rough at first but after getting married, he got a lot nicer. So every time I say, "You really met a good wife", he says, "We both met good women. We should always be thankful"".

-When there are many good things at once, don't you get n...| More

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2 Korean Films Awarded at 9th Deuville

2007/04/05 | Source | Permalink |

Local blockbuster "The King and the Clown" and low-budget drama "Ad-Lib Night" took home two of the four main awards handed out the 9th Deuville Asian Film Festival in France. With a 5-day run this year from March 28 to April 1st, the event has, since its inception in 1999, been one of Europe's most prominent showcases for pan-Asian cinema.

LEE Joon-ik's dynamic Chosun-period drama of a slightly mad king's fascination with a duo of performing clowns, won the Jury Prize. The film has been invited to several festivals, an garnered a Best Film nod in Cape Town last year. Meanwhile LEE Yoon-ki's Berlinale Young Forum entry, "Ad-Lib Night", a low-key journey of a young woman who hesitantly accepts a stranger's strange proposal, won Deauville's Air France Critic's Prize. The top prize of Best Film went to Thai director Apichatpong WEERASETHAKUL's Syndromes and a Century.

This year the festival also presented a special tribute to renowned Korean director PARK Chan-wook, screening...| More

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Sales at the Asian Film Market

2006/11/03 | Source | Permalink |

This year's Pusan International Film Festival witnessed the opening of the inaugural Asian Film Market, a comprehensive film industry hub which covers many aspects of filmmaking from pre-sales, sales, and financing to production and post facilities as well as a casting network for up-and-coming stars.

In terms of deal-making, sales companies reported that not many deals were signed, however agreements and project advancement took place. The absence of many European buyers due largely to the opening of the Rome International Film Festival during the same period, was also noted, however those from Europe who did come had first pick and were pleased with their findings.

Among Korean deals made, CJ's martial arts fantasy The Restless and box office record-breaker The Host were bought from Cineclick Asia by Singapore's Queen Imperial for rights in Indonesia's growing market. Queen also picked up iHQ's Gangster High, Shadowless Sword, My Girl and I, A Day for an Affair, and pre-sales o...| More

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Shadowless Sword Dulled

2006/11/01 | Source | Permalink |

A middling period actioner under the shadow of yesteryear's Hong Kong cinema

Kyu Hyun Kim (qhyunkim)

With financial successes of the politically muddled but pretty-to-look-at "Hero" and the exquisitely spiritual "Crouching Tiger and Hidden Dragon" in North America, Hollywood studios have perked up their antennae trying to locate the next East Asian chop-socky flick that can make bucketloads of money for them. Following the footsteps of Miramax and Sony Classics, New Line Cinema has ventured into the martial arts territory by co-producing "Shadowless Sword" with Taewon Entertainment.

uestion that popped into my mind, as the clipped-film logo of New Line flashed by as the movie opened, was whether the American producers had had a chance to see "Bichunmoo (2000)", the debut film of director Kim Yeong-joon. Director Kim, armed with a thoroughly trite, culturally featureless love triangle backstory, created what appears to be a blatant pastiche of a '90s Hong Kong period piece, c...| More

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Korean Film Sets Sights on the World

2006/03/28 | Source | Permalink |

In 1988 the Korean film industry was on the verge of failing. In accordance with trade liberalization, United International Pictures (UIP) announced the direct distribution of films in Korea. Due to the direct distribution, Hollywood films in Korea have increased twice as much as the previous year (around 175 films).

Some in the Korean film industry resisted the increasing screening of Hollywood movies by setting fires in the theaters. After about two years, UIP has broadened its distribution range from suburban to city areas, augmenting the market share of foreign films to 81.2%. In 1993, the rate of foreign film's market share went up to 85%.

The surprising turn over in the market share of the Korean film industry began in late 1990s. Starting from Kang Jae-kyu's film "Shiri" in 1999, the market share of Korean films had increased from 39.7% to 50.1% by the year 2001. The breakthrough of 50% in Korean film market share was a striking phenomenon at that time. The people of the K...| More

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