I promised to discuss crowdfunding this week, I know, but Willa Schitz had a really good question in the comments section last week that I felt warranted a full explanation. Here's her post, the first part being a quote from last week's article-...More
Several critical factors work against "STOP". There's the title, which is very generic, hard to remember, and search for. There's the fact that the production is almost an entirely Japanese one. And then there's the whole nuclear power allegory centered around the Fukushima nuclear disaster, which is oddly straightforward considering this is the latest film by writer/director Kim Ki-duk. None of this has anything to do with the actual quality of "STOP". I just think it's kind of funny how awkward context is apparently a larger barrier to the popularity of a Kim Ki-duk film than explicit genital mutilation...More
This film is all about the human impulse for destruction. I don't mean violence. For a Kim Ki-duk film "Breath" is actually pretty subdued in that department. Jin (played by Chang Chen) is a condemned criminal who repeatedly tries to kill himself because all he does anymore is sit around in a locked cage all day. Yeon (played by Park Ji-ah) is a bit broader in her motivation. She just wants to destroy everything indiscriminately, and she accomplishes this by romancing Yeon...More
Hee-jin (played by Suh Jung) manages a fishing vacation outfit. I'm not really sure what to call it- there's a bunch of small cabins floating out in the middle of the lake and it looks a little cramped, but apparently there's people out there who are really into fishing and sex. That's right, a significant part of the tourist element at this lake involves prostitution, either from Hee-jin herself or from a moderately far away coffee delivery shop. It's a Korean thing...More
The year is 1970, the location a small Korean town on the southern side of the demilitarized zone. A bunch of bleak looking fields abound in the area, and they look equally dreary in all seasons. The main sources of economic activity are the American military base and the dog meat butchery. Adults ruminate about how wonderful it was back when the war was going on, and their lives had some sort of actual purpose. American soldiers constantly practice their army crawls in anticipation of a northern invasion. The last bit comes off as particularly absurd. Why would the North Koreans want to invade a miserable place like this? And why would the Americans care if they did?...More
A relatively mundane domestic dispute takes on grotesque dimensions in "Moebius", as an act of sexual violence starts to somehow snowball into even weirder and creepier stuff- when the initial act was pretty bizarre to begin with. For what it's worth, these characters are certainly unbalanced enough for it all to be believable. The only language any of these people seem to be able to speak is arousal and humiliation.
Of course, as with most Kim Ki-duk films, the characters here aren't supposed to be real people so much as they are metaphorical representations. And the emotion of choice this time around is lust...More
Added the upcoming Korean movie "Red Family"'s page to HanCinema database...More
Fans of Korean films rejoiced over the weekend when director Kim Ki-duk's movie "Pieta" won the Golden Lion Award at the Venice International Film Festival.
His dark critique of capitalism became the first-ever Korean film to win the top prize from a major international film jury.
To delve deeper into the director his latest work and the Korean film industry's prospects film critic and expert Darcy Paquet joins us in the studio now.
Good evening...More
Seoul-based sales company Finecut has announced the well-known Korean director Kim Ki-duk's next film, tentatively titled "Pieta", is set to start shooting this month.
The film is about a brutal man who works for a cruel loan shark. Without any family or loved ones to worry about, he has no fear or hesitation when it comes to carrying out his evil deeds. One day, a mysterious woman shows up in his life, saying she is his mother. At first, he doesn't believe her, having no memories of a mother. But as his attachment to her grows, he discovers her gruesome yet sad secret...More
Each year I assemble my top 10 list out of the Korean films that have been released in theaters over the previous 12 months. The small independent films that I catch at the Busan or Jeonju film festivals may not be released by December, but they generally do get a small commercial release within a year or two, so I can include them in a later list.This year, however, I came across a great film that may end up not getting a commercial release, so I squeezed it in where #10 would normally go. I was racking my brain over that #10 slot anyway...More
Director and screenplay writer Kim Ki-duk expressed his gratitude to the audience on the 28th of June. He revealed a letter with his appreciation through the distributors. Produced by Juhn Jai-hong and acted out by Yoon Kye-sang and Kim Gyu-ri, "Poongsan" is about a mysterious man who goes back and forth Seoul and Pyongyang, resolving the sorrows of separated families and the incidents that happen after he brings a woman of a high-ranking government official from Pyongyang to Seoul. Having been released on the 23rd, it has drawn in 310,000 admissions as of the the 27th and reached the break-even point. At a cost of 200 million won (~US$200,000), this movie staff and actors were on it for no guarantees. The following is the letter written by director and producer Kim Ki-duk.
Thanking the audience for "Poongsan"...More
By Lee Hyo-won
Director Kim Ki-duk has returned to Korean cinema with an inter-Korean story that he penned and produced. "Poongsan", directed by his protege Juhn Jai-hong, tries to prove that filmmaking is not about the size of the budget.
And it sure does show that near-impossible projects can actually go through.
The 200 million-won film (~US$200,000) was shot over 25 takes in just 30 days, while the entire cast and crew took part in the project with no guarantee...More
By Lee Hyo-won
Staff Reporter
"I also think it is a superb film", director-actor
Yang Ik-june told The Korea Times in an interview, Thursday, in Seoul, when this reporter complimented his multiple award-winning film
"Breathless". "Other directors are going to think I'm nauseating", said the 33-year-old headline maker, exploding into another one of his distinct, high-pitched giggles.
While sporting the same short haircut and mustache, as well the Nike sneakers, from the film, Yang was nothing like the brooding, foul-mouthed thug he played. His feature directorial debut,
"Breathless", has swept top awards at numerous film festivals, from Rotterdam to Las Palmas. Naturally, Yang had been giving non-stop interviews but he still beamed with energy at 8:30 p.m.
At the international events, he said he had fun being called "― nom (bastard)" ― a word that appears in almost every line of the movie ― by foreign cineastes and festivalgoers. In Deauville, France,
"Breathless" was never confused with the Jean-Luc Godard film of the same English title, and he even got to meet Pierre Rissient, who was the assistant director of the Nouvelle Vague masterpiece. He loved the movie and treated Yang to several meals.
Nevertheless, he seemed unperturbed by the sudden fame. "The trophies look all the same", he joked. He's thankful and honored, but had experienced too many overwhelming emotions during the three years of making
More
Director JANG Hun, a new protégé of maverick auteur
Kim Ki-duk, will see his feature debut
"Rough Cut" released locally this September 11th. The US$ 1.5 million action-drama (Korean title: "A Movie is a Movie"), is the second film, not directed by KIM, to be produced by his production company
Kim Ki-duk Film.
"Rough Cut" explores the slippery line between reality and fiction in film. It tells the story of an actor, Soo-ta, who begins to identify too well with the gangster role he is playi...
More
The Museum of Modern Art (MoMa) will screen
Kim Ki-duk films from April 23 until May 8 to New York City audiences. Fourteen films of the maverick filmmaker will be on display, making it the first complete retrospective of KIM's repertoire in the U.S. and some of the films will have their U.S. premiere at MoMa.
MoMa describes KIM's body of work as "sensuous, sensational imagery and wild and haunting narratives" and praises his "sweeping camera movements and long, richly composed shots".
Among KIM's best known films in the U.S. are "the libidinous "...
MoreThe latest university to implement Korean cinema in its curriculum is the University Utrecht, from the Netherlands. Korean cinema has taken an increasingly more prominent place in global academic studies related to film. Internationally, a growing number of universities included Korean cinema to their program, including renowned universities as Yale, recognising Korean cinema's position in the film world.
University Utrecht will include Korean cinema in an existing course on global cinema wh...
More
Korea's Showbox, a film investment, distribution and sales company has picked up international sales rights to
Kim Ki-duk's 15th feature film
"Dream". The company will take the film and a handful of other titles to the European Film Market which runs alongside the Berlinale February 7 – 17.
KIM's
"Dream" cranked out January 23 after a 3-week shoot in Seoul. The film is generating much buzz due to its high-ca...
More
Controversial director
Kim Ki-duk has cast South Korean leading actress
Lee Na-young alongside one of Japan's top actors,
Joe Odagiri, in what will be his 15th feature film. Titled "Bi-mong" (
"Dream"), the new project began shooting January 4 in Seoul and is scheduled to wrap on January 25.
Much interest is being given the new project as actress LE...
MoreA group of Korean film companies has committed to move to the city of Paju, outside of Seoul. A total of 18 production companies will move to a 170-acre stretch of land being developed in Paju, located 20 miles northwest of Seoul. The city, located close to the North Korean border, has been branded "Book City" thanks to a similar zone that has attracted many book publishers. The new development is expected to be completed by 2008.
Companies making the move include top production houses Sidus FNH, MK Pictures, iFilm Corp., LJ Film,
Kim Ki-duk Film, Moho Films (headed by
"Old Boy" director ...
MoreBy Helene Hindberg
I had been looking forward with excitement to the press meeting in Cinemateket with one of the most distinguished directors in Korean film.
Kim Ki-duk enjoys great recognition throughout Europe, and in the four most recent years he has become a downright festival darling, for instance at the NatFilm Festivalen 2005. Movies like
The Isle (2000) and "
Bad Guy" (2002) has accomplished to make movie watchers in most of the world find interest in Korean film in general and
Kim Ki-duk's work in particular.
A quiet Tuesday morning five journalists appeared in Cinemateket to meet with the director and hopefully to become more insightful towards his work. In the room there were tables shaped in the form of a horseshoe, and
Kim Ki-duk sat at the end of it. He looked very young and relaxed in a t-shirt, cap, and baggy pants. He radiated peace and a kind casual accommodating attitude which made the whole event seem more like a cosy chat at a café than an official press meeting.
Eiga: Why did you establish your own production company (
Kim Ki-duk Film)?
Kim Ki-duk: I gradually felt a pressure to change my movies in a certain direction, which I wouldn't or couldn't relate to purely artistic. My movies aren't topping the box office and the company LJ Film would like to change this fact. They came up with different suggestions about for instance using famous actors for the roles, but it doesn't fit the kind of movies, I make. With my own company, I have complete artistic freedom and don't need to work out a compromise. It's also an advantage to have control over the economy because then I make more money (laughs). But on the other hand, I also need to find someone who can finance me.
The Bow (Hwal, 2005) and
3-Iron (Bin-Jip/Tomme Huse, 2004) are both made with Japanese money. Anyway, the primary reaso...
MoreMovie 'Bin Jip -
3-Iron' has broken through box-office income $500,000 in Italy as the movie is gaining a good assessment from the Italian audience.
Since director
Kim Ki-duk's 'Bin Jip -
3-Iron' has been released in 11 theaters throughout the Italian continent on past Dec. 3, last year, the movie appeared to have earned a total of $566,291 (approximately 590 million won) during 5 weeks up to Jan. 2, this year.
As 'Bin Jip' amplifies the movie's screening theaters over 20 since its release ...
MoreBy Joon Soh
Staff Reporter
Six films by award-winning director
Kim Ki-duk will be screened at Megabox Theater in the Convention and Exhibition (COEX) Center, Southern Seoul, from Nov. 1.
"Som (
The Isle)", "Suchwiin Pulmyong (
Address Unknown)", "Nabbun Namja (
Bad Guy)", "Haean...
Moreby Cheon Sang-hee
Controversy is expected to follow film director
Kim Ki-duk's use of the teenage leading lady of his latest movie, "
Samaria", in a provocative "half-nude nun" pose in the film's poster.
The film deals with a relationship between a teenage girl and an older man.
While shooting the poster for the film, the leading actress,
Kwak Ji-min, 19, posed topless, wearing only a coif -- the veil used by Catholic nuns. Photographer
Lee Jeon-ho, who did the poster work for the hit film, "...
More
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