Korean Films Target Global Market

SEOUL (Yonhap) _ A local film studio announced three movie projects targeting the global market.

The movies are "Smells Like Butter" intended for the general North American audience, and "Love Talk" and "Love House", both targeting fans of art-house flicks around the world, said LJ Film Co. Tuesday.

LJ Film gained recognition as a business partner of maverick South Korean director Kim Ki-duk. It produced "Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter... And Spring", "Bad Guy" and "The Coast Guard", all directed by Kim.

The film studio also produced "The Scarlet Letter", the closing film of last year's Pusan International Film Festival, and "This Charming Girl", which was critically acclaimed in the Berlin Film Festival that closed Sunday.

"Smells Like Butter" will be directed by second-generation Korean-American Grace Lee and co-produced by LJ and the Los Angeles-based film production firm LeeLee Films, the local company said.

About 80 percent of the movie's dialogue will be in English but most of the filming will be completed in South Korea, it said.

Hollywood actress Sandra Oh, known for her latest role in "Sideways", and South Korean actor Kim Ju-hyeok will play the female and male leads.