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Korean Retrospective at PIFF 2008

This year's Korean Cinema Retrospective, a program held annually at the Pusan International Film Festival (PIFF) presents two categories, one highlighting the films of Han Hyeong-mo, a master of popular comedies and dramasduring the 50s and 60s, and a special spotlight on two films by the weird genius of Korean cinema, Kim Ki-young.

The section on director Han, titled 'Alchemist of Popular Genres' will showcase seven of his 19 features: his first box office hit, "The Hand of Destiny" (1954), the racy for its time melodrama, "Madame Freedom" (1956), the successful comedy, "Hyperbolae of Youth" (1956), and four others, "Love to Death" (1957), "A Female Boss" (1959), "A Dream of Fortune" (1961), and "My Sister Is a Hussy" (1961).

In the second category, titled 'Archeology of Korean Cinema', Kim's masterpiece "The Housemaid - 1960" (1960), now in a new digitally restored print funded through the Martin Scorsese-founded World Cinema Foundation and unveiled earlier this year at Cannes, will screen along with and a rarely seen but labor-of-love late feature, the 4 years in-the-making Ban Geum-ryun (1981), an erotically charged Chosun-set tale of a cunning seductress. Actress Lee Hwa-si, who starred in the latter film will participate in PIFF on the New Currents jury.

Previous editions of the Korean Cinema Retrospective have included spotlights on director Lee Man-hee-I and actor Kim Seung-ho-I. This year's PIFF will run October 2 – 10.

Nigel D'Sa (KOFIC)

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