45th Daejong Film Fest Invites Moviegoers

Actress Kim A-jung, left, and actor An Sung-ki are goodwill representatives of the 45th Daejong Film Festival.

The Daejong (Grand Bell) Film Festival ― Korea's equivalent of the Academy Awards ― holds its 45th edition with small film festivals May 24-28 in Seoul and Tokyo before the big award ceremony here June 27. Organizers announced the lineup of movies including 56 works that will enter the competition round in a press conference Tuesday.

This year a total of 56 works were submitted of which 30 will be selected for preliminary judgment beginning today through May 28. The final judgment will take place starting June 12 at Seoul Theater, Jongno-3ga, inviting ordinary citizens as jury members.

The jury will include nine film specialists and 50 civilians who will choose prizewinners for Best Film, Best Actors, Best Supporting Actors and Best New Actors. Anyone can apply for a spot in the jury through the Web site www.daejongsang.com. The award ceremony will take place June 27 at COEX, southern Seoul.

Unrelated to the awards, the Daejong Film Festival will take place May 24-28 at Sangam World Cup Stadium. Co-hosted by the Motion Pictures Association of Korea and Seoul City, the five-day film event will feature free screenings of competing films (both feature and short films); meetings with directors and actors; concerts; exhibition of movie posters and still photos; fireworks and other spectacles.

Moviegoers might be able to re-watch popular 2007 movies like ``D-War,'' ``The Happy Life'' and ``Le Grand Chef'' as well as critically acclaimed pieces like ``Secret Sunshine'' and ``Epitaph'' ― all candidates for the 30 contenders.

``Last year we showed two films everyday over a month, but it decreased the participation of cineastes. This year we organized a five-day festival where filmmakers and actors can meet with fans. Next year we hope to increase the timeframe to two weeks,'' said festival director Shin Woo-chul.

Movie fans in Japan will also be able to watch Korean films. This year, the Japan-based Korean Movie International Fan Association (KIFA) will also hold Daejong Film Festival Tokyo May 26-30 at Bunkyo Civic Center. The members of KIFA will choose five works from the 56 candidate films for the main competition here, and screen them during the five-day festival.

This year, veteran actor An Sung-ki and screen beauty Kim A-jung will represent the festival as honorary ambassadors.

``The festival started out as a small meeting of cineastes who got together for their pure love of cinema. It grew to see its 45th edition already,'' said An, a winner of multiple Daejong Awards including last year's for Best Actor and 50 Years of Acting the year before.

``I feel very close with the festival particularly after winning last year's award for Best Actress,'' said Kim, the star of the international hit movie ``200 Pounds Beauty.''

After her stellar big screen debut, Kim took a yearlong break. ``The rest allowed me to reflect upon things and to spend time with my family and friends. I'd like to visit the audience soon through my next piece, which is most likely going to be a movie,'' she said.