HomeKorean Films Attack the Big Apple
Kim Ji-woo
Nam Seon-ho
An Yong-joon
Korean Films Attack the Big Apple
Korean cinema will take a big bite of the Big Apple as the 2007 New York Asian Film Festival (NYAFF) begins Friday. The festival will feature more than 30 works from the East, of which almost a third are Korean. The event will take place at the IFC Center until July 5 and at Japan Society July 5 - 8.
``A 17-day-long festival will feature films from Park Chan-wook, Johnnie To, Kiyoshi Kurosawa and Takashi Miike. This year's festival will introduce you to buffalo-busting action flicks from Thailand, cartilage-cracking gangster films from Korea, and the first gore flick ever made in Pakistan!" the festival said in a statement.
Dubbed ``one of the city's most valuable events'' by the New York Times, the film festival is America's leading showcase for Asian movies. Launched in 2002 by Subway Cinema, the festival has featured over 100 films from China, Hong Kong, India, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Taiwan and Thailand.
This year, Ryoo Seong-wan's old school action-packed ``The City of Violence'' (2006) and gangster films ``Cruel Winter Blues'' (2006) by Lee Jeong-bum and ``The Show Must Go On'' (2007) by Han Jae-rim starring Song Kang-ho (``The Host,'' 2006) will entertain audiences with kicks and blows.
Love will conquer all in director Park Chan-wook's (``Old Boy,'' 2003) quirky romance movie ``I'm A Cyborg, But That's OK'' (2006) starring pop star Rain and Kim Dai-seung's heartbreaking drama ``Traces of Love'' (2006) starring Yoo Ji-tae (``Old Boy'').
Youn JK's kick-butt comedy ``Miracle on 1st Street'' (2007), Joe Beom-jin's grotesque animation ``Aachi & Ssipak'' (2006), E. J-yong's teen sex comedy ``Dasepo Naughty Girls'' (2006) and science-fiction ``Never Belongs to Me'' (2005) by cult filmmaker Nam Ki-woong will surely bring many laughs.
Each year, the film festival draws thousands of local fans and in 2006 some 9,000 people attended. The audience votes for one film to be crowned the NYAFF Audience Award. Korea's box-office smash ``My Sassy Girl'' (2001) and ``Please Teach Me English'' (2003) won the heart of viewers in 2002 and 2004 respectively.
This year's key feature is Korea's Mise-en-scene's Genres Film Festival (MGFF) lineup. The Asian festival has partnered with MGFF for the first time to bring award-winning horror, comedy, melodrama, science fiction and action short films
Presented with the support of the Korean Cultural Service New York, the shorts were selected by MGFF's committee/jury members, including directors Park Chan-Wook, Ryoo Seung-wan and E. J-yong.
The 6th Mise-en-scene's Genres Film Festival will take place in Korea June 27-July 3 at multiplex theater CGV Yongsan, central Seoul.
For more information about the New York Asian Film Festival and tickets, visit www.nyaff.org. To learn more about the Mise-en-scene's Genres Film Festival, visit www.mgff.org.
By Lee Hyo-won
Staff Reporter
Source : http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/art/2007/06/135_5009.html
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South Korea's monster flick "The Host" has dominated Hong Kong's inaugural Asian Film Awards after winning four awards out of its five nominations. The movie, directed by Bong Joon-ho, won the Best Film, Best Cinematographer and Best Visual Effect...
S. Korean thriller towers above all in Hong Kong film festival
SEOUL, March 21 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's record-breaking monster thriller, "The Host", has prevailed in the 1st Asian Film Awards in Hong Kong, winning four prizes, event organizers said. The movie won best film Tuesday night, with its leading ma...
Brussels Fantastic Invites 2 Korean Films
Two of last year's big budget fantasy thrillers have been invited to compete at the Brussels International Festival of Fantastic Film (BIFFF), set to run April 5th – 17th, 2007 in Belgium. Bong Joon-ho's record-smashing monster film "The Host" and Jo...
'The Host' Tops Chinese Box Office for 2nd Straight Week
Korean blockbuster monster movie "The Host" has topped the Chinese box office for a second straight week. The film directed by Bong Joon-ho has raked in some nine-point-two million yuan --- about one-point-one billion won --- in ticket sales since...
Song Kang-ho Wins Best Actor at HK Film
HONG KONG _ The South Korean film "The Host" shone at the Asian Film Awards yesterday, grabbing four awards. "The Host" won Best Film, Best Cinematographer and Best Visual Effects awards. Its main actor Song Kang-ho won the Best Actor Award. The B...
City Looking to Become Hub for Entertainment
HONG KONG _ Rain shone in yesterday's gala event for the Hong Kong International Film Festival. But he was not the only one who sparkled the festival. The city was in a big festive mood thanks to many international stars who stepped onto the red c...
'The Host', 'The Restless' Invited to Brussels Fantastic Film Festival
The movies "The Host" by director Bong Joon-ho and "The Restless" by director Jo Dong-oh have been invited to compete in the international category of the 2007 Brussels International Fantastic Film Festival, according to Pusan International Film Fest...
American Viewers Enticed by Korean Movie "The Host"
In a strong showing for a foreign film, the Korean movie "The Host" opened in the United States on 74 screens and grossed $320,000 in its first weekend. It has also received very strong reviews from the nation's leading film authorities, including Th...
Movie Star Yoo Unveils Stage Ambition in New Play
Top-rated actor Yoo Ji-tae has a strong presence in major local films such as "Attack the Gas Station", "Ditto" and is probably best known for his role as an antagonist in Director Park Chan-wook's "Old Boy". But he doesn't seem to be satisfied wi...
Yoo Ji-tae experiments with the stage
Yoo Ji-tae, a rising star in Korea's film and entertainment industry, returns to the stage with the experimental theatrical piece, "Welcome to Ghost House", next month. The drama, Yoo's second theatrical creation, is scheduled to hit the stage at Cec...
"The Host" Tops Chinese Box-office
The movie "The Host" by director Bong Joon-ho topped the Chinese box-office last week by grossing around 5.2 million yuan in China. The movie became the first Korean film to ever top the Chinese box-office in the first week since its opening there...
[DVD review] Drama wins the day in 'Cruel Winter'
The film "Cruel Winter Blues" pays an uncomfortable tribute to immature male heroes from Korean gangster films by casting Jeom-sim (played by Na Moon-hee) in the role of a strong, self-sacrificing mother who has no choice but to endure her hardships....
[Books] French Writer Talks on Korean Cinema
Jean-Marie Gustave Le Clezio is a French writer whose name often appears on pundits' lists of candidates for the Nobel Prize for Literature along with South Korean poet Ko Un. He is also one of the French writers who have a peculiar hold on the Korea...
Yoon Do-hyeon Band to Perform at 2007 SXSW Festival
YB (Yoon Do-hyeon Band) will participate in the SXSW (South By Southwest) Festival in Austin, Texas, U.S.A. March 14 through 18 (local time) and will sing at Maggie Mae's Club in Austin on March 17 at 8:30 p.m. YB's manager, Daeum Entertainment Co...
Sacrificing showers to explore our mental desert
The 57th Berlin International Film Festival, which ended Sunday, selected two Korean films for their official competition. One was Park Chan-wook's "I'm a Cyborg, But That's OK". The other was a co-production that involved Korea, Mongolia and France ...
Can Veteran Actors Revive Theater?
Veteran film and television actors and actresses are returning to the theater this spring. Their move is expected to galvanize the theater scene, which is currently drawing smaller audiences. For a long time, theaters have been losing a number ...
Berlinale Market Fruitful for Korean Distributors
Several Korean titles have been sold internationally at the recent Berlin International Film Festival. Asian and European markets are the main destinations for the Korean films. Park Chan-wook's award-winning "I'm a Cyborg, But That's OK" has been...
Award Winner
"I came to Berlin for the first time six years ago for the movie, "JSA - Joint Security Area". Back then people thought Korean movies were unfamiliar and I felt rustic. I feel proud seeing Korean films being acknowledged in the global arena now". ...
Director Park 'Overwhelmed' by Berlin Film Fest Prize
"I'm more than overwhelmed, since Berlin was the first film festival I'd ever attended. Back then I was more like a loutish country boy. To think of it now, Berlin is the festival I've attended most, since this is my fourth visit after 'JSA - Joint S...
Film Director Park Wins Award in Berlin
Director Park Chan-wook's "I'm a Cyborg, But That's OK" has won the Alfred Bauer Prize for science fiction comedy at the Berlin International Film Festival. The award is named after a famous German director of photography and is one of the festiva...
S. Korean star director wins Alfred Bauer prize at Berlin film festival
BERLIN, Feb. 17 (Yonhap) -- South Korean film director Park Chan-wook won the Alfred Bauer Prize for a science fiction comedy at the annual Berlin film festival on Saturday for opening up new perspectives in cinema art. The award for "I'm a Cyborg...
PARK Wins Berlin's Alfred Bauer Prize
South Korean auteur Park Chan-wook won the Alfred Bauer Prize, one of the 8 main awards at the 2007 Berlin International Film Festival, for his imaginative comedy "I'm a Cyborg, But That's OK". The festival, also known as the Berlinale, announced the...
Positive Effect of South Korean Media Claimed in North Korea
A survey was conducted among 30 North Korean defectors who are currently living in South Korea. According to them, the North Korean government is trying to improve people's lives to anticipate possible social unrest which they suspect could be ignite...
Director Park upbeat on Korean films
Leading Korean director Park Chan-wook expressed optimism about Korean films in an interview with Korean media at the 57th Berlin Film Festival on Sunday. Park noted that it was the Berlin filmfest that introduced him and his "JSA - Joint Security...
"I'm a Cyborg, But That's Ok" Draws Interest at Berlin Film Festival
Director Park Chan-wook's "I'm a Cyborg, But That's OK" has drawn much interest from the press at the Berlin International Film Festival, which opened on Feb. 7. A throng of reporters came to the preview of the film, which was submitted to the fes...
57th Berlin Int'l Film Festival Opens
The curtain has risen for the 57th Berlin International Film Festival on Thursday. This year some 370 films have entered the world-famous festival. A total of 22 films will compete for the Golden Bear Award for best motion picture, the winner of w...
Eight Korean Films to Screen at Berlin International Film
And here's some news from the Korean film industry. Eight Korean productions will be screened at the Berlin International Film Festival. Of the eight, two will be screened in the main competitive section. They are Park Chanwook's romantic comedy "...
How to Spot the Real Crowd-Pleaser Movies
Lee Joon-ik's "Radio Star" has earned average ratings of 9.22 out of 10 in a poll of 7,749 Netizens by the portal site Naver late last month, easily topping the popularity chart among those who watched the film. According to the Korean Film Council, ...
Strong Korean Showing at Berlin Film Fest
The 57th Berlin Film Festival -- one of the world's three major film events along with those in Cannes and Venice -- opens Thursday and runs to Feb. 18. A total of 373 movies from around the world will be screened during the 10 day run. While dire...
Korean Presence Strong at 57th Berlin Film Festival
ROME _ After a year when they were excluded from the three main international competitions _ Cannes, Venice, Berlin _ Korean films are set for a dramatic comeback on the international festival circuit in 2007. While new efforts by directors Lee Chang...
Cyborg and Hyazgar To Compete in Berlin
Director Park Chan-wook's latest feature I'm a Cyborg, But That's OK will be screened at the 57th Berlin International Film Festival in the main Competition section, vying for one of the coveted Bears, which ranks among the top international film pri...
Hwang Jin Yi to Film in North Korea
The South Korean period drama "Hwangjin-y - Movie - 2007" is allowed to film in North Korea. Song Hye-kyo plays the titular character, the most renowned courtesan from Korea's Chosun Dynasty who lived in an area presently part of North Korea. The ada...
Film Festival to Raise Public Interest in Old Films'
It's a new move to expand the country's movie genres. A group of Korean directors, actors and movie critics are taking part in a festival to raise public awareness of older movies, and the importance of a cinematheque to screen them. Son Heekyung h...
Classic films still touch hearts today
Korea's new generation of directors tip their hats to giants of yesteryear There is no denying the fact that recent Korean films are being acknowledged worldwide, but the pull of the past is still strong. The films Korea's preeminent directors gre...
Screen 2007: Return of Master Directors
By Kim Tae-jong Staff Reporter The number of films produced last year was 108, the most ever in Korean cinematic history, and many of them were feature debut works by emerging directors. But more familiar names will be seen at the box office this...
Korean directors test the waters of overseas movie markets
It's been a few years since a Korean director has been invited to participate in major film festivals. But recently more and more directors are targeting the overseas market as a testing ground for their styles. Among the celebrity directors who a...
Blockbusters flop as star marketing fails
Lee Byeong-Heon, Chung Ji-hoon (Rain), Daniel Henney and Jeong Woo-seong share two things. First, they are indisputably top Korean actors commanding high casting fees. Second, their latest films all flopped at the box office. "Once in a Summer", a...
Korean Kid Film 'Ice Bar' Invited to Berlin Film Fest
By Chung Ah-young Staff Reporter The Korean film "Ice Bar" directed by Yeo In-kwang has been invited to the 57th Berlin International Film Festival which will be held from Feb. 8-18 in Germany, according to MK Pictures, the local film production ...
Big stars, small screens and a boom in musicals
The year 2007 is all about major stars and even bigger budgets. Although the Korean pop wave hallyu is losing steam ove