The Last Dining Table (Movie - 2006)

From a securities firm to the big screen

Source | 2009/07/09 | 0 comments | Permalink |

An ambitious young Korean graduates from a science high school, studies industrial engineering and then takes a job at a major domestic securities company.

Longing for something else, he leaves to study film in the United States, eventually returns to his home country and makes two films that vault him into the list of up-and-coming directors.

It's a story line fit for a movie itself. But this is not fiction, it's the tale of 37-year-old Korean director Noh Kyeong-tae, who is quickly making a name for himself in the movie industry.

After studying at the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, Noh eventually worked for two years as a securities dealer before leaving for the United States to study film.

It wasn't necessarily an impromptu decision, though, as he had long had dreams of making a film like "Batman". In the United States, Noh studied experimental films at Columbia College in Chicago and the San Francisco Art Institute, which opened his eyes to an area ...| More

Berlinale Invites Seven Korean Films

Source | 2009/01/23 | 0 comments | Permalink |

A total of seven Korean films are selected to screen at the 59th Berlin International Film Festival, running February 5 -15 in the German capital. Korean films will dominate this year's Forum section. The sidebar consists of five Korean titles: "Land of Scarecrows", "Members of the Funeral", "My Dear Enemy", and "Treeless Mountain".

Recently announced was the addition of MIN Gyoo-dong's third feature "Antique", which will screen in the Culinary Cinema section. MIN, who debuted with the critically praised horror "Memento Mori" (1999) and the 2005 hit "All for Love" ("My Lovely Week"), studied film in France. His latest feature revolves around four handsome young men and a cake-shop.

"Land of Scarecrows" is NOH Kyeong-tae's second effort after his bold experimental "The Last Dining Table" which was awarded at Pusan International Film Festival and Seoul Independent Film Festival. His early experimental short films "Father and Son", and "Reincarnation" are also multi-awarded fi...| More

NOH's Scarecrows Tops 13th PIFF Awards

Source | 2008/10/30 | 0 comments | Permalink |

South Korean film "Land of Scarecrows" shared the top prize with Japanese drama Naked of Defenses in the New Currents competition section of the 13th Pusan International Film Festival which wrapped October 10th. The award is worth US$ 30,000.

Scarecrows is director NOH Kyeong-tae's sophomore effort, a cinematic cross-section of marginalized characters that lives up to the promise of his 2006 daring debut "The Last Dining Table".

French New Wave actress Anna Karina, who headed the jury this year also made two special mentions. Korean debut director BAEK Seung-bin's "Members of the Funeral" and Chinese feature Er Dong by Yang Jin.

This year's PIFF drew a new record in audience admissions with 198,818 and an overall occupancy rate of 72.3%. The fest screened 315 films including 85 world premieres. The Asian Film Market, held during PIFF, drew 4,640 participants and 132 companies.

The Asian Film Academy also ran for the 4th time during the fest, with 24 filmmakers gu...| More

Korean World Premieres at PIFF 2008

Source | 2008/09/30 | 0 comments | Permalink |

The Pusan International Film Festival (PIFF) is putting its weight behind local films this year, and, under the catch-phrase 'Way to Go, Korea!' will host the World Premier of 15 Korean features. Headlining is closing film "I am Happy" by YOON Jong-chan, a psychiatric drama based on a novel by Korean literary giant, the late LEE Chong-jun. The fest runs Oct 2 – 10 in the south-eastern port city of Busan.

PIFF's competition section, New Currents, will see the World Premieres of 3 Korean features. "Land of Scarecrows" is the sophomore effort by NOH Kyeong-tae ("The Last Dining Table"), a poetical cross-section of the lives of Korea's outsiders in pursuit of vanishing dreams. "Members of the Funeral" by BAEK Seung-bin is an HD feature about a family mourning the passing of relative and the memories it triggers, while KIM Tae-gon's "The Pot" focuses on the uncanny happenings surrounding a small family in their new apartment.

In the Korean Cinema Today – Panorama section are sev...| More

13th PIFF Presents Robust Line-up

Source | 2008/09/11 | 0 comments | Permalink |

The 13thedition of the Pusan International Film Festival (PIFF) will offer its biggest line-up ever with a total of 315 films from 60 countries screening Oct 2 - 10 in Korea's popular south-eastern port city. Opening the event is The Gift to Stalin, by Kazakh director Rustem Abdrashev, a choice complementing the selection of Kazakh producer Gulnara Sarsenova as recipient of PIFF's 2008 Asian Filmmaker of the Year award.

A Korean film has been named to close this year's fest, the world premier of YOON Jong-chan's "I am Happy", a psychiatric drama based on a novel by acclaimed Korean author LEE Cheong-joon. PIFF is putting its weight behind local films this year, and, under the catch-phrase 'Way to Go, Korea!' will host the World Premier of 15 Korean features.

Among those, three Korean films will compete in PIFF's competition section, New Currents, alongside 11 films from 8 other Asian countries. They are "Land of Scarecrows", the sophomore effort by "The Last Dining Table" d...| More