KOREAN CINEMA NEWS
Paris, which had its hottest summer this year, is once again experiencing the heat of Korean films this fall as the 7th Paris Korean Film Festival unfolds. The event opened on October 30th and Masquerade, the opening film, was sold out with other screenings also proving very popular. Q and A sessions following screenings are helping to satisfy the audience's curiosity and the event is fulfilling the role of bridging the cultural gap between the two nations. (KoBiz, November 6, 2012)
Korean Films Draw Over 10 Million Viewers in October
Korean movies have attracted over 10 million filmgoers for the fourth month running. According to the Korean Film Council, 10.17 million people watched Korean films in theaters in October. Korean films have had an excellent run, recording a market share of 47.9 percent in July, 70.2 percent in August, 69.7 percent in September, and 66.5 percent in October. (The Chosun Ilbo, November 7, 2012)
Masquerade has become the fifth most popular Korean film ever recorded. According to the Korean Film Council's theater admissions database, Masquerade drew 272,736 on the weekend of 2-4th November, bringing its total admissions to 11,418,849. Masquerade has grabbed the fifth spot, surpassing Haeundae which drew 11.39 million in 2009. (KoBiz, November 6, 2012)
Once the South Korean film industry was little known outside Asia. Yet this year it won the top prize at the Venice Film Festival. Now a festival in the UK aims to show that South Korea can impress both with art-house fare and in the mass market - and Korean film talent is beginning to turn up elsewhere too. (BBC World, November 5, 2012)
The 7th London Korean Film Festival opened on Nov. 1 with its opening film The Thieves at London's Leicester Square in Odeon and will run through to the 16th. After the film ended, the audience gave it a big round of applause. The popularity of the opening film The Thieves and closing film Masquerade were enormous as evidenced by their sold out screenings. Along with these films, I AM, film about a live recording of SM Entertainment’s musicians also sold out its shows. (KoBiz, November 5, 2012)
Korean Films to Hit 100 Million Domestic Viewers
With Koreans watching more locally produced films, the annual number of local viewers watching domestic films is expected to exceed 100 million this year for the first time. According to the Korean Film Council (KOFIC), the number of local viewers of Korean films stood at 93.5 million from January 1 through November 4, surpassing the previous record of 91.7 million for the whole of 2006. (Korea.net, November 5, 2012)
A human drama that tells a story of a happy family faced with tragedy and their recovery through a miracle, Touch has pre-sold to 6 different Asian countries. After premiering at the Busan International Film Festival, distribution companies from Japan, China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Philippines and Vietnam, who all attended the Asian Film Market, decided to import the film. (KoBiz, November 5, 2012)
Showbox Enjoys Sales Action
South Korean production and sales company Showbox/Mediaplex Inc got off to a bright start at the American Film Market with a string of sales on its action thriller Confession of Murder and action film A Company Man. (Film Business Asia, November 3, 2012)
The biggest international competitive short film festival in Korea, the Asiana International Short Film Festival (AISFF) started its 10th edition on November 1st. The chairwoman Son Sook and the director Ahn Sung-ki, who have led the AISFF for 10 years, welcomed guests to the opening ceremony. (KoBiz, November 2, 2012)
Park Won-sun, the mayor of Seoul, suggested to Zhang Yimou, the famed Chinese filmmaker, to make films in Seoul and he promised his full support for shooting. Park met Zhang at his office in city hall in October. “Since you are here in Seoul, I want to tell you that I would appreciate it if you can contribute to cultural and artistic exchange between our two countries.” said Park. (KoBiz, November 2, 2012)
Park Chan-wook‘s Oldboy (2003) was ranked at number 10 in the list of the ‘50 Best Movies of Total Film Magazine's Lifetime’ selected by ‘Total Film’, a major film magazine in the UK. The 1st place was taken by The Lord of the Rings trilogy directed by Peter Jackson, which was released in 2001~2003. (KoBiz, November 2, 2012)
According to a representative of CJ Entertainment, Kim Jee-woon, who debuted in Hollywood with The Last Stand is going to be the first Asian director to receive the Vision Award given by the Filmmakers Alliance, an American filmmakers’ association. (KoBiz, November 2, 2012)
Pieta Aims for Oscar Glory
Pieta, recipient of the Golden Lion at the Venice International Film Festival, is aiming for the first Oscar in the history of Korean cinema. The Korean Film Council has announced that Pieta will be screened at the AFI Asian Film Festival and that the screening venue will be the Chinese Theater in Hollywood. This means that KOFIC is optimistic about the film's chances for an Oscar and is why promotional activities have begun in the U.S. (KoBiz, November 1, 2012)
INTERVIEW
Yeon Sang-ho of King of the Pigs has made a new film. It's a 30-minute short film called The Window, a story set in the military. Despite its short duration, Yeon's depiction of social reality is as sharp as before. The Window is also the first film of the 'Independent Short Film Release Project' organized by Indiespace, an independent-only theater and Indieplug, a digital distributor of independent films. (KoBiz, November 2, 2012)
BOX OFFICE
(Modern Korean Cinema, November 5, 2012)
Korean Cinema News is a weekly feature which provides wide-ranging news coverage on Korean cinema, including but not limited to: features; festival news; interviews; industry news; trailers; posters; and box office. It appears every Wednesday morning (Korean Standard Time) on Modern Korean Cinema. For other weekly features, take a look at the Korean Box Office Update and the Weekly Korean Reviews. Reviews and features on Korean film also appear regularly on the site.
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