LJ Film and Focus Features Join Hands

Korean company LJ Film and U.S.-based Focus Features have agreed to the joint production of the film The Julia Project (working title), a film about the American Julia Mullock, wife of the last Korean crown prince Kyu LEE. The film will be LJ Film's most ambitious project to date.

LJ Film and Focus Features will produce together and equally share the film's $20-25 million budget. English will be the main language for the film and it is aimed at an international audience, with overseas rights handled by Focus. For this project, Focus will work together with the American branch of LJ Film.

The director and cast have yet to be attached, but it is expected that a screen writer who will do final revisions of the script will be announced soon. The film is scheduled to be released in 2007.

Both LJ president Lee Seung-jae and Focus president James Schamus acknowledged each other's qualities in filmmaking as the reason to partner up. Lee added that he hopes that it "will help forge new alliances for the Korean film industry".

LJ Film is known for its low-budget films, which have been invited to film festivals worldwide. LJ Film's most successful film to date is also an international co-production, Kim Ki-duk's 2003 Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter... And Spring, a joint production with the German company Pandora Film. The film was also screened outside the festival circuit through releases in cinemas worldwide.

Yi Ch'ang-ho (KOFIC)