HomeActor/ActressJo Jae-hyeon
Jo Jae-hyeon
조재현
Actor Hwang to Star in New Play
Renowned movie star and musical actor Hwang Jung-min will star in a new play, ``University of Laughs'' written by Japanese dramatist Koki Mitani. The play will be shown in Korea for the first time as the ninth work of the Yeongeuk Yeoljeon 2 (Best Plays Series) programmed by veteran actor Cho Jae-hyun. The play will be staged at Dongsoong Art Center in central Seoul Oct. 24 to Nov. 30. The piece is a comedy based on the story of an artist's freedom of expression when faced with censorship. The work is a two-man play set over seven days amid World WarII in 1940. A young playwright comes up against a government censor to put a comedy on stage. The censor's job is to prevent anything political or taboo from getting into the pre-war media, but this particular censor has a thing against comedy, too. Hwang will play the role of a young writer while actor Song Young-chang will take the role of a cold-blooded government censor. The play was originally performed at Parco Theatre in Shibuya, Tokyo, Japan in 1997 to high acclaim. It was also made into a film which was then released in 2004 by Toho Studios, and directed by Hoshii Mamoru. ``It is the first time for me to take a leading role in a play. I will show how exciting the play is,'' Hwang said in a press conference on Friday. ``The script is so well-organized that the audience can spontaneously laugh. This work reflects the scriptwriter's philosophy about laughs,'' said Hwang. Hwang gained popularity as a movie star but he began his acting career in theaters. The award-winning performer first began his acting career as a musical actor in ``Line 1'' (1995) and then starred in various musicals such as ``Jesus Christ Superstar,'' ``Cats'' and recently ``Nine.'' ``I think a movie is the art of a director but the play is the art of an actor,'' he said. Starring in various musicals and plays in Daehangno, Hwang is now a household name on the big screen with successful performances in ``You Are My Sunshine,'' (2005) ``Black House'' (2007) and ``Happiness'' (2007).'' Hwang's debut film was ``The Waikiki Brothers'' in 2001. Then he appeared in prominent films like ``A Good Lawyer's Wife,'' ``You're My Sunshine,'' and ``Bloody Tie,'' in which he portrayed many diverse characters.
Curtain falls on Pusan film fest
The 13th Pusan International Film Festival, which featured 315 films from 60 countries, wraps up its nine-day run today in the southeastern port city of Busan with the closing film "I Am Happy," directed by Korean filmmaker Yoon Jong-chan. Thanks to festival's growing influence as a venue for premiering Asian films, PIFF broadened its scope by selecting a Kazakh film "The Gift to Stalin," and screened 133 world and international premieres, a record. However, there were some concerns about whether the festival would attract as much publicity as it wanted, due to last Thursday's shocking suicide of Choi Jin-sil, one of Korea's most iconic actresses. A host of Korean actors who planned to participate canceled their appearances in Busan. The festival suffered a couple of technical problems last week. At the opening ceremony, some of the microphones and speakers did not work, interrupting operations, and on Saturday a power generator at an outdoor theater broke down, prompting complaints from moviegoers. But the festival managed to regain normal operations over the weekend. One positive development came from the Asian Film Market, the festival's film marketplace that has gone through an extensive overhaul this year. Thanks to an aggressive promotion and operations upgrade, 12 Korean movies were sold at the Asian Film Market. "Secret Sunshine," which earned its star Jeon Do-yeon the best actress award at last year's Cannes Film Festival, and "The Good, The Bad, The Weird," a Korean blockbuster featuring big-name actors, were among the films sold to European and Asian countries. Another positive result from Busan was that Kim Dong-ho, who has been serving as the chief organizer of PIFF for the past 13 years, received the Nielsen Impact Award from the New York-based Nielsen Company. The Hollywood Reporter, the media conglomerate's film industry newspaper, presented the award. "We are pleased to present this award to Kim Dong-ho for the impact he has personally made in bringing Korean films to the world, and, in doing so, bridging cultures and promoting tolerance and understanding," said Eric Mika, publisher of the Hollywood Reporter. As part of efforts to bolster Busan's role as a hub of films in connection with PIFF, the city began the construction for a film center, "Dureraum," which means "together" in Korean, a project that is estimated to cost 162.4 billion won ($133 million). The center, designed by Austrian architect Coop Himmel, will sport six theaters, a museum, exhibition halls and other auxiliary facilities in order to serve as a key venue to educate young filmmakers attending PIFF as well as the Asian Film Academy, which is part of the festival. Some of Asia's most celebrated stars, including many leading Korean actors, joined the festival. The guest list includes top Japanese actress Juri Ueno, who is widely popular both in Korea and Japan for her comic role in the Japanese television drama "Nodame Cantabile," and Li Xiaolu, one of the four little empresses of China. Many directors and programmers from the world's major film festivals, including Cannes festival director Thierry Fremaux and Sundance festival director Geoffrey Gilmore also dropped by at the festival. Leading Korean actors Cho Jae-hyun and Ye Ji-won will host the closing ceremony to be held at the Yachting Center at 7 p.m. today. About 5,000 patrons are expected to join the closing show where "I Am Happy," starring Hyun Bin and Lee Bo-yeong, will be screened, and the winner of the New Currents, the festival's sole competition section, will be announced.
PIFF Wraps Up 9-Day Run
The 13th Pusan International Film Festival (PIFF) closed Friday with the premiere of the South Korean film ``I Am Happy'' directed by Yoon Jong-chan. This year's festival featured the largest number of films and world premiers, receiving good response from audiences. But the festival, the largest of its kind in Asia, has an air of calm rather than extravagance. Asia's largest cinematic event featured a record number 315 films from 60 countries, including 85 world premieres and 95 Asian premiers at 37 theaters over the nine-day run. The variety of films led to large audience figures. According to PIFF organizers, a total of 198,818 people participated in the event, slightly up from last year. ``This year's festival was exceptionally calm. It's because the festival has grown up over the 13 years and the sectional theaters reduced visitors' confusion,'' Kim Dong-ho, the festival director, said in a press conference before the closing ceremony. Also, Kim and veteran French actress Anna Karina, who served as the head of the New Currents jury, announced the winners of the New Currents award ― Korean director Roh Gyeong-tae's "Land of Scarecrows" and Japanese director Ichii Masahide's " Naked of Defences." ^The winning films were selected from 14 New Currents candidates which represent the works of young filmmakers from across the region including films from Iran and Indonesia. The award was designed to help aspiring young filmmakers realize their cinematic dreams. The winners will be given $30,000 prize money to help fund their next projects. This year's festival started off on a sad note with the shocking news of the death of top star Choi Jin-sil on the opening day, and small technical problems were experienced in several small events at the beginning. Also, the festival seemed depressed due to the recent slackening of the local film industry, with the larger film production and distribution companies sharply reduced this year. However, the festival drew international attention as world cinematic stars such as Japanese actress Juri Ueno, Korean-descent Hollywood stars Moon Bloodgood, James Kyson Lee, Aaron Yoo, and Hong Kong filmmaker Wong Kar-wai graced the festival. During the festival, ``The Good, The Bad, The Weird,'' a Korean blockbuster movie, drew the highest popularity in a meeting with fans who gathered to see Jung Woo-sung, Song Kang-ho and Lee Byung-hun. In the Asian Film Market, ``Secret Sunshine'' directed by Lee Chang-dong featuring the Cannes award-winning actress Jeon Do-yeon, was sold to Germany, while ``The Good, The Bad, The Weird'' directed by Kim Ji-woon were sold to Hong Kong and Sweden. Actor Cho Jae-hyun and actress Ye Ji-won hosted the closing ceremony Friday evening. The closing film, ``I Am Happy'' about a dejected patient (hallyu star Hyun Bin) and heartbroken nurse (actress Lee Bo-young) who meet in a psychiatric ward, wrapped up the festival.
Nominees Announced for the 2008 Korea Drama Festival Awards
Nominees for the 2008 Korea Drama Festival Awards, scheduled for November 1st at Jinju, South Gyeongsang Province, were announced yesterday on October 7. For the best acting award, nominees include respected actress Kim Hye-ja of “Angry Mom,” charismatic actor Choi Soo-jong of “Dae Joyoung,” acclaimed actors Kim Myung-min of “White Tower” and Jo Jae-hyun of “New Heart,” and top actresses Bae Jong-ok of “My Man’s Woman” and Kim Ha-neul of “On Air.” Nominees for the best drama category include “Legend,” “Angry Mom,” “Dae Joyoung,” and “Gourmet.” Life time achievement nominees are Choi Bul-am, Baek Il-seop, Na Moon-hee, and Kang Bu-ja. The first international festival for a single genre, the festival will feature a wide variety of interesting events, such as drama photo exhibition at the Jinju National Museum, Asian drama screening show, an international forum on Korean dramas, and a talent search.
'New Heart' can't put life into old formula
Leading actor Cho Jae-hyun (right) plays the chief heart surgeon while actress Kim Min-jeong and actor Ji Sung play first-year residents in "New Heart." After hitting the top with its first episode, MBC's medical drama "New Heart" has kept its N....
Ji Sung to return to the television screen as a resident doctor
Actor Ji Sung who completed his military service back in June will return to television screens as a resident doctor in the upcoming medical drama series "New Heart." The series will also star Cho Jae Hyun, Kim Min Jung, and others. Ji Sung re....
