| JIFF to feature 3 renowned Asian directors (Source) |
2009/01/14 |
There are so many film festivals in Korea that it's difficult to stand out. But the Jeonju International Film Festival has weathered the competition in the past decade, thanks to its unwavering focus on promising filmmakers and their digital projects.
In 2000, the festival introduced its first Digital Project as a core event, focusing on the future of digital movies. Since then, 27 filmmakers from around the world have joined the project, producing digital short films. What's notable is the organizers' attempt to broaden horizons, featuring European and African filmmakers in 2007 and 2008.
This year, however, the Jeonju Digital Project ("Visitors") has returned to Asian filmmakers to celebrate its 10th anniversary.
"When we first launched the project in 2000, we set a new standard by helping promising filmmakers across the world to make digital films. This year, we are featuring three Asian filmmakers ahead of the anniversary", said Min Byung-lock, chief festival organizer, at... |More
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| HONG Sang-soo directs short for Jeonju fest (Source) |
2008/11/27 |
Internationally acclaimed director HONG Sang-soo will partake in Jeonju International Film Festival's (JIFF) annual program Digital short films by three filmmakers. HONG finished filming his digital short film on November 12 and he is in the post-production stage, according to JIFF.
HONG's short film is titled Cheobcheobsanjoong (English translation: "deep in the mountains") and stars LEE Seon-gyoon ("A Cruel Attendance"), MOON Seong-geun ("A Petal"), and Jeong Yu-mi ("The Room Nearby"). HONG worked with MOON on "Virgin Stripped Bare by Her Bachelors" and "Woman on the Beach"; collaborated with LEE on "Night and Day"; and JUNG is part of HONG's upcoming Jal Aljido Mothamyeonseo (English translation: "when you don't know").
JIFF's Digital short films by three filmmakers selects every year three renowned directors who each receive US$ 50,000 for directing their short film. JIFF expressed their joy over HONG's participation in JIFF's omnibus project, and they hope it will increase... |More
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| MOON Seong-geun Cast in SONG Il-gon Horror (Source) |
2008/02/26 |
Acclaimed actor MOON Seong-geun will take the lead role in "Sahwa" (meaning 'Royal Massacre') a horror from Cannes winning director SONG Il-gon. MOON has been a notable figure in the Korean film industry since the 1990's, when he starred in films by top new wave directors, PARK Kwang-soo ("Black Republic"), JANG Sun-woo ("Road to the Racetrack"), and in LEE Chang-dong's debut film "Green Fish".
MOON also provided memorable performances in such films as HONG Sang-soo's "Virgin Stripped Bare by Her Bachelors" and PARK Chan-ok's "Jealousy is My Middle Name". He came late to his acting career, having first spent time as a business man in Saudi Arabia. Throughout the 90's he was deeply involved in supporting the Korean film industry and served as Vice-chairman of the Korean Film Council in 1999.
In SONG's fifth feature, a Chosun dynasty-set tale of bloody power games between rival families, MOON will play the central role of a king beset by curses and vengeful murders. Supporti... |More
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| 'Driving With My Wife's Lover' (Source) |
2007/11/23 |
Watermelons on the highway and other absurdities of life
Kyu Hyun Kim (qhyunkim)
A nebbish-looking stamp-maker Tae-han (Park Kwang-jeong, a well-known theater actor immortalized in Korean popular culture as "Rimbaud" in "No. 3") suspects that his wife is two-timing him with a womanizing taxicab driver Joong-seok (Jeong Bo-seok, "Virgin Stripped Bare by Her Bachelors"). He hires the cabbie for a one-way trip from Seoul to Yangyang, the Eastern Seaboard resort town, where his home is located. However, Tae-han seems clueless about what to do with his nemesis: does he want a confrontation with Joong-seok at the precise moment of illicit encounter? Or does he just want revenge? Adding complications to the matter is Joong-seok's rambunctious common-law wife So-ok (Jo Eun-ji, "A Bizarre Love Triangle"), who unexpectedly arouses Tae-han's sympathy.
"Driving With My Wife's Lover" starts off as if it will be one of those light romantic comedies with some predictable (tear-jerking) twist... |More
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| Soo: Hard-hitting film by CHOI Yang-il (SAI Yoichi) (Source) |
2007/03/13 |
Korean-Japanese director CHOI Yang-il, known in Japan as SAI Yoichi, is in town with his first film made entirely in Korea with a Korean cast. "Soo", is a hard-boiled revenge-thriller about a man, Tae-su, who witnesses the killing of his identical twin brother Tae-jin. Recovering from the trauma, he sets out to cold-bloodedly avenge his brother's murder in a grisly, exacting fashion.
Actor JI Jin-Hee ("Bewitching Attraction", 2006) in his first action picture, takes up the challenge of playing both roles as the twin brothers. Also starring are KANG Seong-yeon ("The King and the Clown", 2005) MOON Seong-geun ("Princess Aurora", 2005, "Virgin Stripped Bare by Her Bachelors" 2000), LEE KI-young ("Marathon", 2005) and OH Man-seok ("A Cruel Attendance", 2006).
Veteran director CHOI is internationally known for the films he has made in Japan, including 2004's "Blood and Bones", based on a Korean epic novel, and starring KITANO Takeshi. After it's premiere at the Pusan Internation... |More
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