Korean Films sell well at Berlin's EFM

Korean company Fine Cut as well as CJ Entertainment can both claim success at this years EFM in the Berlin Film Festival. Fine Cut leads the pack selling 11 films alone to one company, Scandinavia's Non Stop Television. It also sold gay themed "Antique" (Min Gyoo-dong) to Thailand's Rose Media, and surprise hit thriller "The Chaser" (Na Hong-jin)to Latin America, several Eastern Block countries including Yugloslavia, the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Bulgaria. Both films have already sold well in other territories.

CJ Entertainment on the other hand have sold Yoon Jong-seok's "Marine Boy", Korea's current number one box office hit and have also done well selling films as yet unreleased in at home. Two of these films however represent directors that already have international recognition including Park Chan-wook's highly anticipated vampire movie "Thirst" staring Korea's biggest star Song Kang-ho. Park Chan-wook is well known for his Vengance Trilogy as well as Bong Joon-ho for the 2006 Korean box office number one "The Host". CJ Entertainment has sold his unreleased drama "Mother - 2009" starring "Taegukgi" heart throb Won Bin. The tsunami disaster movie "Haeundae" by JK Youn has also been sold despite the fact that it is still in post production.

M-line however, not to be outdone has sold two of Korea's biggest films of 2008. Yoo Ha's gay themed period drama "A Frozen Flower" about a love triangle between a king, his queen and body guard was the number 8 selling Korean film. Kang Hyeong-cheol's comedy "Scandal Makers" ("Speedy Scandal"), released late 2008 looks to out strip Kim Jee-woon's number one hit "The Good, the Bad, the Weird". The EFM wraps up on the 15th of February so the potential for even more sales continues.

David OXENBRIDGE (KOFIC)